Victim’s Voice for Environmental Justice
68% of the Korean babies and mothers died after using European company’s products.
52% died after using RB product
We accuse Reckitt Benckiser, TESCO, KeTox to European society and global market
We are here to deliver victim’s message on behalf of all Korean victims as well as nations who are shock about RB’s manslaught with its product and angry about denying of Korean government’s announcement with RB Korea’s own report manipulated and bribed which has been unveiled by Korean prosecutors recently.
According to the Korean government’s first and second victim survey in 2014 and 2015 respectively, 146 have lost their lives out of 530 victims due to using humidifier disinfectants, sterilizer in other word, which have been widely used in Korea for dry winter season since 1994. Korean government’s official investigation on this matter has been done in 2011 August and forced to recall all products in December.
Majority of these victim have used more than two different products. Thus, 763 are injured and 195 are dead for counting per different products: 103 died after using British company Reckitt Benckiser’s product; 15 died after using British company TESCO’s Homeplus product; and 14 died after using Cefu, which imported their raw material from Danish company KeTox. Altogether, 132 have died – 68% of 195 lost lives. Nearly 7 out of 10 have died from using European company’s product based on the government’s first and second victim survey. European companies are strongly responsible for this case.
Particularly RB’s manslaught covers the deaths and injures more than half with 52% of deaths.
In May 2015, we had a protest visit to Reckitt Benckiser head office in Britain, demanding an apology and their responsibility. However, the publicity department director of Reckitt Benckiser said they neither can apologize nor express their responsibility over the proceeding legal lawsuit. Our first protest visit was reported on the Guardians with a full page.
In the end, on May 3rd 2016, Reckitt Benckiser Korea’s CEO Ataulacid Shafdal made official apology since 2001 after 15 years selling “New humidifier disinfectant” in Korea, and 5 years after Korean government’s investigation came. This is about 103 deaths and 300 injuries for RB’s product only for 1st and 2nd government’s investigation. At present 2016 May, more than 700 new victim cases have been under investigation registered in 2015 and more than 2000 new cases has been registered to Korean government.
Victims and environmental organizations refused, however, to accept Shafdal’s apology, instead, we accused 8 board members of the RB headquarters to Korean prosecution including Rakesh Kapoor, CEO, and Adrian Bellemy, chair of Annual General Meeting, and announced to begin a massive civil suit with over 200 victims on May 16. BBC and other international news agencies has reported and kept on reporting after this.
In Korea since April 24th a nationwide boycott movement against about 130 RB products has begun and escalating and spreading all over the country. Some media report 30~50% market share has been dropped already. Particularly angry mothers initiate this boycott campaign to kick off RB from Korea and from the Earth. Environmentalists raise the issue of double standards issue that if RB tried to sell the humidifier sterilizer in Europe in 2001, then it must be impossible because of EU’s biocide product directives which regulation took into force in 1998. But RB and other 2 EU companies did not use of the EU biocide standards in Korea and they made unbelievably serious consumers deaths and injuries.
We are dispatched here to protest at Reckitt Benckiser’s annual stockholder’s meeting on May 5th to deliver the fact to the stakeholders that Reckitt Benckiser’s product killed 103 pregnant women and children, and more victims are being reported as the governmental investigation continues and also Reckitt Benckiser Korea’s formal and current board members are charged for criminal charge along with the headquarters’ current board members.
RB’s motto is Health, Hygine and Home but you and your product destroy and hurt Health, Hygine and Home completely in Korea.
Today we have 5 demand to around 100 stakeholders at RB’s AGM:
First, we ask official apology from RB PLC, RB headquarters.
Second, RB CEO’s apology should be in front of Koran victims in Seoul very soon.
Third, RB’s AGM should decide to step down current all board members of RB PLC together with RB Korea board members for the responsibility.
Fourth, Complete and enough compensation should be prepared not like RB Korea’s unacceptable one of May 2nd.
Fifth, Comprehensive and thorough survey and screening of all RB’s product selling all over the world should be practiced in terms of safety and health.
We warn that boycott on Reckitt Benckiser’s product will continue, if Reckitt Benckiser headquarters keeps indifferent on the issue. Second protest member will visit Reckitt Benckiser’s headquarter located in Slough, suburb of London, to deliver protest letter and demand responsibility.
Second protest member will also raise responsibility issue regarding TESCO, British largest distribution company which used to own Homeplus.
Unreasonable manufacturing process of Danish company KeTox is responsible for causing 14 deaths of pregnant women and children only according to the first and second round of governments conducted victim survey.
These activities are supported by international environmental organization Friend of the Eath headquarter, Friends of the Earth Britain, Friends of the Earth Denmark, industrial health organization Hazards, Netherland’s environmental organization Both Ends along with other European civil society.
2016 May 5
Dukjong KIM, a father lost a 3 year old son after using RB product, a Korean government officer, fire fighter, contact (Korean); +82-10-4772-3197(in Korea), 078-4227-3204(in London)
Yeyong CHOI, director of Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health, Ph.D. on environment and health, contact (English and Korean): +82-10-3458-7488, choiyy@kfem.or.kr