At least 11 class-action lawsuits have been filed against SoClean, Inc., the manufacturer of products that sanitize breathing machines, including Philips breathing machines that were recalled in June of this year. The lawsuits allege that SoClean’s products use harmful levels of ozone to sanitize the breathing devices.
These new lawsuits come after Philips issued a recall of more than 3 million breathing machines on June 14, 2021, because of sound abatement foam that can degrade into particles that are then swallowed or inhaled by users causing headaches or breathing problems from the carcinogenic material and gases released by the foam.
The lawsuits against SoClean allege that despite being marketed as “safe” and “healthy” to sanitize CPAP and other breathing machines, they use dangerous levels of ozone, which exceed warnings from the FDA. SoClean has yet to respond to the class action lawsuits in court, but it has filed a $200 million lawsuit against Philips for using it as a scapegoat in this year’s recall and to defend its “activated oxygen” cleaning method, which has also been recommended to preserve food and sanitize N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. SoClean also accuses Philips of suggesting that the ozone-based cleaners could exacerbate the defect over which its devices were recalled.
If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a recalled Philips ventilator or SoClean sanitizing products, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll-free at 1-800-870-9584.