Are Consumers at Risk for Popcorn Workers Lung?
Jan 8, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP Diacetyl, a chemical linked to a deadly disorder known as Popcorn Workers Lung could be present in an as many 6,000 consumer products. That finding is disturbing, especially considering that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was recently informed of what might be the first recorded diagnosis of Popcorn Workers Lung in a consumer with no ties whatsoever to the snack foods industry. Popcorn Workers Lung – also known as Bronchiolitis Obliterans — is a potentially life threatening ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. Diacetyl is used to give microwave popcorn and other snacks a buttery flavor. In 2003 and 2004, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health found an association between the toxic substance and the development of Popcorn Workers Lung among hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn factories. In April, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that workers at food flavoring factories, as well as
