[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics said Monday that it would launch a recall campaign for air purifier filters after some products were found to contain Octylisothiazolinone (OIT), a chemical substance toxic to humans.

“A small amount of OIT was found in 3M’s filters for fine particles, which were fitted in LG’s air purifiers and air conditioners produced after 2012,” the company said. 


Right after the toxic filter issue surfaced recently, LG has requested air filter maker 3M to examine the components of the products and asked for relevant data, the company said.

The data from 3M showed that the filters used in LG’s electronics products contained OIT, but the amount, 0.12 parts per billion, is a 20th of the standard level allowed by the Ministry of Environment in Korea and a 40th of the German environmental standard.

Even though it has not been proven if the filters can be harmful to humans or not, LG said it would change the filters with new ones to alleviate the concerns of customers.

The recall campaign comes after the so-called humidifier disinfectant scandal swept the nation in recent weeks.

More than 500 people claimed that they were exposed to toxic chemical substances contained in humidifier sterilizers produced by London-based disinfectant firm Oxy Reckitt Benckiser.


At least 140 people were dead and hundreds more were affected by the sterilizers since 2011, according to the prosecutorial investigation in the case.

The Korean prosecution is expected to press charges against top executives from the UK firm, another sterilizer maker Cefu, and retail firms Lotte Mart and Home Plus.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)