Korea Consumer Agency
8 out of 42 products
As air purifiers have recently established themselves as essential household appliances, a large number of compatible filters are being distributed alongside genuine air purifier filters. Accordingly, the Korea Consumer Agency (President Yoon Soo-hyun), the Ministry of Environment (Minister Kim Wan-seob), and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute investigated the safety of 42 air purifier filter products distributed on the market, and found that a banned biocidal substance was detected in 8 compatible filter products.
When an air purifier filter is treated with a biocidal substance for the purpose of antibacterial or sterilizing effects on the filter itself, it falls under a "filter-type preservative-treated product," a household chemical product subject to safety verification under the "Designation of Household Chemical Products Subject to Safety Verification and Safety & Labeling Standards (Ministry of Environment Notice No. 2024-139)." Manufacturers and importers of such products must comply with the safety standard conformity confirmation and reporting procedures, safety standards, and other requirements.
In this safety investigation, 8 of the 42 products examined were found to be non-compliant, as methylisothiazolinone (hereinafter "MIT")—which is banned for use in filter-type preservative-treated products—was detected at levels ranging from a minimum of 1.9 mg/kg to a maximum of 10.7 mg/kg. These products can be checked on the Korea Consumer Agency website.
These 8 offending products not only violated safety standards, but also failed to obtain safety standard conformity confirmation and to file a report as "filter-type preservative-treated products," despite using substances for antibacterial and preservative purposes.
From late last year until recently, the Ministry of Environment has imposed administrative measures on the businesses handling the offending products—including bans on manufacturing, importing, and selling, as well as recall orders—and requested that the air purifier filter industry conduct its own safety investigation of the filters it handles overall. The Korea Consumer Agency, through the Korea Air Cleaning Association and the Korea Filter Industry Cooperative, recommended that businesses manufacturing and selling air purifier filters carry out the safety standard conformity confirmation and reporting procedures.
The three organizations plan to continue working together to create an environment in which consumers can purchase products with confidence.
▲ Products in which MIT was detected