A manufacturing technician is suing Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Lemsip, for up to £100,000 (approximately $127,000) alleging that dust and fumes from the cold remedy and constipation treatment caused him to develop a sore throat, chest tightness, breathlessness, and sleep disturbances. Artur Rezmer, 45, began working at the plant in Hull in 2020 and says that within weeks of starting on the Lemsip production line, he experienced a blocked nose and sore throat that impacted his sleep.
Despite requesting a transfer, Rezmer continued on the Lemsip line for months before being moved to the Fybogel production line in late 2020. He claims his symptoms worsened, leading to chest tightness, breathlessness, and facial flushing within three days. While his employer offered him a high-performance filtration mask, Rezmer stated he could not tolerate wearing it. After spending eight months in the warehouse, he returned to the Lemsip line and began spitting blood, prompting him to take sick leave.
A consultant respiratory physician diagnosed Rezmer with occupational asthma and rhinitis, finding he had become allergic to ispaghula, the husk used in Fybogel. Legal papers filed at Kingston-upon-Hull Combined Court Centre allege that masks provided by the company were poorly fitted and not mandatory.
Reckitt Benckiser denies the claims, asserting that Lemsip does not contain respiratory sensitizers capable of causing asthma. The company does acknowledge that ispaghula in Fybogel is a recognized sensitizer and that, for the purposes of this specific case, it was not reduced to the lowest practical level under health and safety regulations. However, the firm disputes medical causation, pointing to Rezmer's positive tests for other allergens like house dust mites and his alleged failure to wear provided equipment.
Rezmer alleges that powder escaped from a hopper and burned on a sealing heater, creating fumes, with extractors that were sometimes blocked. He reported tasting Lemsip after shifts and fell ill again in April 2022 when loose Fybogel powder was found on a conveyor belt. He is currently employed by the company and working on the Dettol line.
Lemsip was first launched in 1969. Reckitt Benckiser was formed in 1999 through the merger of Reckitt & Colman and Benckiser. The company reported revenues of £14.2 billion in 2025. A spokesperson for the firm stated that they could not comment on the ongoing court case.