[Insight & Opinion] Government Shifts Blame to Innocent Disinfectants

The Ministry of Environment is expressing strong aversion to benzalkonium chloride (BKC), a widely used disinfectant. BKC, a component of humidifier disinfectants, is said to have "no reason to be kept around us." This is the Ministry of Environment's response to criticism that its clumsy guideline recommending surface disinfection instead of spray disinfection is overly passive. The plan to label quarantine disinfectants with "air disinfection prohibited" is absurd. It is as misguided as putting a "drunk driving prohibited" sign on cars to prevent drunk driving accidents.

BKC is a disinfectant that was usefully employed during the COVID-19 pandemic for hand sanitizers and disinfecting tables, handles, and other surfaces. It is also widely used as a preservative in household chemical products to prevent spoilage and deterioration during production, distribution, and use. However, for sensitive eyes and respiratory systems with weakened immune functions, repeated and continuous long-term exposure is not advisable.

In any case, the Ministry of Environment’s attempt to blame the disinfectant itself for the risks of indoor spray disinfection?ignoring the seriousness of inhalation toxicity?is cowardly and shameful. In fact, this is not the first time the Ministry has done this. It has also completely banned the use of PGH and PHMG, which cause pulmonary fibrosis, and MIT and CMIT, whose inhalation toxicity was reluctantly acknowledged by the courts, simply because they are "components of humidifier disinfectants."

The humidifier disinfectant disaster did not occur because of the strong toxicity of the disinfectants used in the products. Rather, it was caused by the manufacturers’ faulty usage instructions that absurdly required continuous spraying into sealed indoor air, even though the products were sold for disinfecting and cleaning humidifiers. Common sense dictates that the responsibility for the humidifier disinfectant disaster lies not with the disinfectant components but with the manufacturers who provided faulty usage instructions. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also bears heavy responsibility for failing to properly manage the faulty usage instructions of industrial products.

Shifting the responsibility of manufacturers and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy onto the "components of humidifier disinfectants" was a cowardly bureaucratic attempt to evade accountability. It is as cowardly and foolish as the outcry blaming fossil fuels for global warming. The responsibility for global warming lies not with "fossil fuels" but with "humans" who recklessly and indiscriminately use fossil fuels.

Of course, the damage ultimately falls entirely on us consumers. We consumers alone have had to give up preservatives in household chemical products such as toothpaste, shampoo, and wet wipes, which are used worldwide. There have even been cases where wet wipes in use developed a sour smell. Moreover, household chemical products purchased via international online shopping mostly do not comply with the Ministry of Environment’s guidelines. However, there is no expectation that other countries will sympathize with the harm of "components of humidifier disinfectants" as unilaterally claimed by our Ministry of Environment.

Disinfection methods that spray or disperse disinfectants into the air are only permitted outdoors where ventilation is not necessary. The Ministry of Environment must firmly "prohibit" spray disinfection in multi-use facilities where ventilation is difficult. When indoor spray disinfection is unavoidable, attention must be paid to ventilation and worker protection. It is not only disinfectants that are problematic. The use of air fresheners and scented candles should also be cautioned against in enclosed spaces. The arbitrary regulation on "components of humidifier disinfectants" imposed by the Ministry of Environment must also be abolished.

Lee Deok-hwan, Professor Emeritus at Sogang University, Chemistry and Science Communication