Local discount chains that had sold toxic humidifier sterilizers indicated Tuesday they will work with Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of the product that caused the greatest harm, to compensate the victims.

Ata Safdar, CEO of Reckitt Benckiser Korea, apologized on Monday for selling the deadly sterilizers and proposed that other makers of similar products, namely discount chains Lotte Mart and Homeplus, work with the company on joint compensation. Officials of the two retailers said they would consider the proposal positively.

"If Oxy creates a team that handles compensation matters, we will communicate with it," an official from Lotte Mart said. "Since it has stated its official stance, we expect to be able to make contact."

"What we are concerned with is that the victims will not accept our compensation offer. The key is how we can set a standard that is fair," he said.

An official at Homeplus said his company will favorably review Oxy's proposal when it is formally received. "Because there are victims who have used different products, we hope to actively cooperate with related parties and compensate them in an orderly way."

Both of the retail chains have started operating an internal team for victim compensation comprised of senior executives as well as medical and law professionals and civic group members.

Nearly 100 deaths have been blamed on chemicals used in humidifier sterilizers. Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, a British consumer goods firm, started selling its products in Korea in 2001, followed by local companies. It wasn't until 2011 that the products were taken off the shelves after mysterious deaths from lung complications were linked to the sterilizers. Oxy is accused of causing the greatest harm. South Korean government estimates say that of the 530 victims, 220 had used only Oxy products, while 184 had used both Oxy and other brands. Seventy of the deaths are believed to have been from using Oxy products. Civic groups say the extent of the harm is much larger.

Victims instantly rejected the Oxy CEO's apology and said they will sue not just the Korean branch of the firm but the British main office. A boycott of the company's products, including bleachers, dehumidifiers and household cleaners that were popular among local consumers, has been growing, with mounting suspicions that the company knew of the health risks of the sterilizers but kept selling them.

A rough tally from retailers showed the sale of Oxy's dehumidifiers dropped 53 percent in the April 18-May 1 period from the same time last year. Bleacher sales were down 38 percent, according to the tally.

"The outcry of parents blaming themselves for the deaths of their children (from using the sterilizers) isn't just someone else's story," a housewife who said she had been a frequent buyer of Oxy products, said. "I intend to avoid the Oxy brand as much as I can." (Yonhap)