Health · Healthcare & Policy · 1 hr ago
Humidifier Disinfectant Victim Reviews Took Up to Four and a Half Years
People seeking a new decision on humidifier disinfectant harm faced long waits for their reassessment results in South Korea.
A review of 542 cases found that the process took an average of 457.5 days from application to result.
In 355 cases, or 65.5% of the total, it took at least a year; 29 cases took at least two years.
The longest case took 1,658 days, or about four and a half years, from application to notification of the result.
Most of that time was spent on medical review, which averaged 352.3 days after it began.
Lawmaker Eo Gi-gu said the delays add to the suffering of victims and families, and called for updates on progress and expected decision dates.
Reviews of applications for reassessment of humidifier disinfectant 피해 took as long as four and a half years, according to an analysis of 542 cases.
The average time from application to notification of the result was 457.5 days.
A total of 355 cases, or 65.5%, took at least one year, while 29 took at least two years.
The longest case took 1,658 days, from an application on December 23, 2021, to notification on July 8, 2026.
Rep. Eo Gi-gu said victims and their families should be told how their cases are progressing and when a decision is expected.
- Who
- People seeking reassessment of harm from humidifier disinfectants.
- What
- An analysis found that receiving reassessment results took up to 1,658 days, or about four and a half years.
- When
- The analysis was reported on October 14, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- The analysis examined how long cases took from application to notification of results; Rep. Eo Gi-gu called for applicants to receive updates and expected processing dates.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The longest-running reassessment case was submitted.
The result in the longest-running case was notified, after 1,658 days.
Yonhap reported the analysis of 542 reassessment cases.
- Cases analyzed
- 542 reassessment cases
- Average processing time
- 457.5 days from application to result notification
- Took at least one year
- 355 cases, or 65.5%
- Took at least two years
- 29 cases
- Longest case
- 1,658 days, from December 23, 2021, to July 8, 2026
1 source
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What people are saying
If someone applied to have a harm determination reviewed again but had to wait four and a half years to hear the result, that time is another source of suffering for victims and their families.
Medical judgments must be careful, but rather than simply telling victims to wait, informing them first about progress and expected processing dates is a basic duty toward victims.