Microwave Popcorn May Cause Lung Disease in Consumers

When you pop a bag of microwave popcorn in your microwave, you will soon smell the delicious aroma of the popcorn's buttery flavor. You take a deep breath to inhale this delicious aroma, ... but maybe you shouldn't. As it turns out, these fumes may be potentially harmful to your health. It has long been established that exposure to such fumes put workers in factories at risk, where microwave popcorn is produced. Airborne diacetyl is used to add the buttery flavoring to the microwave popcorn. The diacetyl can cause a severe and irreversible lung disease called 'bronchiolitis obliterans,' where granulation tissue plugs the bronchioles in the lung. This leads to inflammation and scarring. In severe cases only a lung transplant can save the patient. This disease is also known as 'popcorn lung' due to the fact that it primarily affects popcorn factory workers. However, new developments may show that consumers can be at risk of developing this potentially deadly disease, too.

Dr. Cecile Rose, a pulmonary specialist at Denver's National Jewish Medical Center, has recently informed federal agencies of a possible link between consumers microwaving the popcorn and thereby inhaling the fumes and the development of 'popcorn lung'. While Dr. Rose cannot confirm with certainty that one of the patients at Denver's National Jewish Medical Center has developed 'popcorn lung' from exposure to the diacetyl fumes, it was noted the patient prepared microwave popcorn for consumption several times a day for several years. And there is no other explanation for the patient to have developed the disease. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/popcorn_lung_consumer;_ylt=Amrw9coom.ahfCef0O5BO4Gs0NUE)

Further research is necessary to establish a certain link between consumer use of microwave popcorn and the development of 'popcorn' lung. It should be noted the Federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of diacetyl for flavoring. Furthermore, since the relationship between the exposure of the fumes and the development of bronchiolitis obliterans in the factory workers has become known, microwave popcorn manufacturers have made an effort to reduce their workers' exposure to the diacetyl. Similarly, consumer concerns prompted efforts to reduce the amount of diacetyl used in flavoring the popcorn. Some are looking for alternatives to flavor the popcorn.

Nevertheless, Dr. Rose's warning and the known link of diacetyl to 'popcorn lung' development in popcorn factory workers should prompt consumers to take some precautions. Consumers should handle microwave popcorn with care. Fumes evaporating out of the microwave and out of the bag of popcorn should not be inhaled. Additionally, heavy microwave popcorn consumers might want to limit their consumption. Better safe than sorry!