A few months ago, a Denver man showed up at a doctor’s office with trouble breathing. Although a little overweight, he didn’t smoke and was basically fit. The doctor was puzzled, but then asked a strange question.
“Do you eat a lot of microwave popcorn?” she said.
The guy was startled because he did in fact eat a lot of popcorn–at least two bags of microwave popcorn a day for 10 years.
What prompted the doctor’s question is a condition known as popcorn worker lung (or, as medical types call it, bronchiolitis obliterans). Since around 2001, there have been several cases of popcorn factory workers developing serious swelling and chronic scarring of the lungs. Some have been placed on lung transplant lists.
Scientists believe that the culprit is diacetyl–a chemical used to give some microwave popcorn that delicious, artificial buttery flavor. Apparently, working in a popcorn plant exposes you to lots of diacetyl fumes. Lab rats made to breathe in lots of the stuff have experienced similar lung problems.
So can you get popcorn worker lung from eating a few bags of microwave corn? Probably not . . . unless you’re like the Denver guy and not only eating two bags a day but inhaling deeply just after opening the bag.
The problem is a big enough deal, though, that the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association has recommended that its members cut down on the amount of diacetyl in their products. The FDA hasn’t taken any action . . . yet. But as cases of popcorn workers lung mount, some scientists are clamoring for the government to take action.
Source: NY Times
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