“Steriliser” blamed for Mysterious deaths of South Korean Women

“Steriliser” blamed for Mysterious deaths of South Korean Women

“Steriliser” blamed for Mysterious deaths. Seoul — 4 South Korean pregnant women mysteriously died and home humidifier sterilizing agent has been linked to cause their deaths, according to a South Korean health agency official Thursday. Since 2004, 28 cases involving lung disease due to unknown causes, most are recorded this year among pregnant women.

The figure alarmed the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Korea to immediately conduct a thorough investigation. 4 pregnant patients immediately died early this year. The test conducted by the agency showed that there are traces of harmful substance in the steriliser used in humidifiers which could seriously damage the lung cells of pregnant women. The test showed that individuals who use that sterilizer in their humidifiers have a 47.3 times more chance of getting lung damage compared to others who don’t.

47.3 odds ratio is extremely high and very rare, clinically speaking, according to a senior health officer in Korea on Thursday. The agency however didn’t specify the harmful substance that harmed the patients but said it is also used in shampoos and cosmetics. Currently, the agency could still not confirm if the substance can harm the body through skin contact. Further tests will be conducted to reach a final concrete conclusion. But the agency has warned and cautioned people to stop using the said sterilizers in their humidifiers and also have urged the companies to stop selling the products.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday September 03 2011, 5:26 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0