Environ Health Toxicol.  2017 ;32(1):e2017017. 10.5620/eht.e2017017.

Humidifier disinfectant-associated specific diseases should be called together as “humidifier disinfectant syndrome”

• Leem JH
• Lee JH

• KMID: 2411249
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2017017

Abstract

Humidifier disinfectant (HD) damage was terrible chemical damage caused by household goods that happened in only South Korea, but still very little is known in HD damage. Up to now, previous research tried to focus on interstitial fibrosis on terminal bronchioles and alveoli because it is a specific finding, compared with other diseases. To figure out whole effects from HDs, much epidemiologic and toxicologic research is underway. HDs were shown to give rise to typical toxicologic effects on various target organs, such as skin, conjunctiva, naval mucosa, bronchial mucosa, alveoli and so on, which shared common toxicological responses. On a specific target, specific toxicologic effects existed. Diverse diseases along exposure pathways can occur at the same time with a common toxicologic mechanism and cause of HDs, which can be called as HD syndrome. To gain stronger scientific evidence about it, further epidemiological and toxicological studies should be applied.

Keyword

Humidifier disinfectant syndrome; Humidifier disinfectant lung injury; Asthma; Reactive oxygen species; Common toxicologic mechanism

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Bronchioles
Conjunctiva
Family Characteristics
Fibrosis
Humidifiers*
Korea
Mucous Membrane
Reactive Oxygen Species
Skin
Reactive Oxygen Species