Oxy RB and Humidifier Sanitizers in Korea
Oxy launched a Humidifier Sanitizer (HS) product in Korea in 1996. It was one of a number of manufacturers of HS products. In 2001 RB acquired Oxy to become Oxy RB. In 2011 the Korean Centre for Disease Control (KCDC) suggested a link between the HS product and lung injury at which point Oxy RB immediately and voluntarily withdrew the product from the market. Oxy RB have since participated in all investigations to fully understand the issue and bring resolution to the victims and their families.
Oxy RB and RB have expressed our sincere apologies to all those victims of the HS tragedy in Korea and stated absolutely our determination to do the right thing for the victims and their families.
We have accepted full responsibility for the role that this product played in these health issues, including deaths, in Korea and while we acknowledge that we cannot repair the harm that has been done, we have stated our continuing intention to do whatever we can to provide full resolution to these cases.
We have announced today our intention to establish a Compensation Fund for those directly impacted, to be administered by independent experts, and a Humanitarian Fund for all others who believe they have been affected by the HS issue. RB continues to assist and support investigations into this issue.
RB has made improvements to its safety teams and has introduced new processes which will signal any potential issue as soon as possible, so corrective action can be taken. We want to reassure consumers we have taken significant steps to ensure the safety of our products and to avoid any possibility of recurrence.