American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Jan 2014
Humidifier Disinfectant-Associated Children's Interstitial Lung Disease.
Beginning in 2006, epidemics of a fatal lung injury of unknown cause in children were observed in Korea every spring. A recent study demonstrated that this type of children's interstitial lung disease (chILD) is associated with humidifier disinfectant use. ⋯ This study suggests that humidifier disinfectant inhalation causes an idiopathic type of chILD that is characterized by spontaneous air leak, rapid progression, lack of response to treatment, and high mortality. Further safety studies must be performed on common environmental compounds, particularly those that enter the human body by an unusual route.