Diacetyl, Popcorn, And Your Lungs
in 2004, I posted an entry about diacetyl, the chemical used in making artificial butter flavoring for microwave popcorn.
In that entry we found out that the EPA was studying diacetyl and a rare lung disease that was contracted by factory workers. We also learned that the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health had already linked diacetyl to the respiratory illness found in the workers who mix the microwave popcorn flavoring.
Earlier this year, in May, I posted an entry which pointed out that the FDA wasn’t sure if diacetyl was dangerous, or caused diseases, because they hadn’t even studied it yet.
Well, today, a reader of this site pointed me to an article on abc.com that links diacetyl and the affects of “popcorn lung” to consumers.
Many people love the buttery smell of microwave popcorn, but the savory aroma has recently been linked to a lethal lung disease in factory workers who make the popular snack.
Now, the first-known case of the illness has turned up in a man who consumed large amounts of popcorn. Popcorn fanatic Wayne Watson ate about two bags daily, but now he has quit because of the havoc it reeked on his lungs.
…
Cecile Rose of the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver had studied the disease and wondered whether there was a consumer connection. She knew the symptoms.
…
The disease normally affects popcorn factory workers who inhale large amounts of the chemical’s fumes. Some workers have died from it and many have needed lung transplants to survive.
To determine whether Watson had the same disease, Rose sent an industrial hygienist to Watson’s home and he made a startling discovery.
“In your home microwave, you’re seeing similar levels [of diacetyl] to what we’ve seen in microwave popcorn manufacturing plants,” industrial hygienist Michael Van Dyke told Watson.
So what are they doing about it? Who is going to step up and take action?
Last week, Weaver Popcorn announced they were removing diacetyl from their products, and even though other companies insist their products are safe, they too are planning removing the chemical from their formulas as well.
How many people (factory workers) had to get sick, and/or die, before these companies took action? If they thought there was a connection in the first place, why didn’t they respond at that time? Why is it that companies are so afraid of “being blamed” that they won’t take action until the situation gets completely out of hand?
It’s times like these that I wonder what’s happening to humanity.
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