[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Civil Affairs Investigation Department announced that they had conducted on-site inspections and collected tests on 17 sanitary towel processing companies from August to October, detecting violations at 7 companies.
Sanitary towel processing businesses are establishments that clean, sterilize, disinfect, and then package and rent out sanitary towels.
The Civil Affairs Investigation Department collected sanitary towels from 11 locations with poor working environments out of the 17 companies and requested tests from the Seoul Institute of Public Health and Environment for compliance with standards and specifications regarding fluorescent brighteners, E. coli, and bacterial count.
The test results showed violations at 7 establishments, with a violation rate of 41.2%.
Fluorescent brighteners were detected in 4 out of the 7 violating establishments. These are chemicals that make towels appear white. They are originally colorless or pale yellow, but emit bluish-purple fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light. Continuous exposure to fluorescent brighteners can cause atopic dermatitis, allergies, itching, and in children, digestive disorders.
The test results revealed that bacterial counts exceeded the standard by at least three times and up to 1,500 times in all processing facilities. Since microorganisms can increase exponentially in a short time, using contaminated towels in restaurants can significantly increase the risk of food poisoning.
The 7 businesses caught during this inspection will be booked for investigation, facing penalties under the Sanitary Products Management Act, which include up to 1 year in prison or fines of up to 10 million won for violating sanitary product standards and specifications.
The city has requested that any criminal activity related to sanitary towels, such as unreported operations, be reported to the Seoul response center. Tipsters who provide decisive evidence can receive a reward of up to 200 million won after a review by the city of Seoul.
Kwon Soon-gi, head of the Civil Affairs Investigation Department, stated, “We will not only investigate the companies in question, but also continue to investigate illegal activities related to sanitary products closely tied to citizens’ daily lives to ensure public safety.”