Do Popcorn Workers Face Lung Disease Risk?
Aug. 8, 2005 — Workers at popcorn production plants may be exposed to vapors that may cause lung disease, according to a study. Researchers, whose study appears in the August issue of Chest, say severe airway obstruction and irreversible damage to the lungs has been reported in microwave popcorn production workers in the past. The researchers write that inhalation of vapors from flavoring agents may have caused the severe lung disease. The current study found no link between popcorn-flavoring vapors and airway obstruction. But these new findings indicate that high exposure to popcorn flavoring agents is significantly associated with airway inflammation in popcorn production workers, says researcher Muge Akpinar-Elci, MD, in a news release.
