Josh Perez Fitness

You might want to choose another job besides working in a factory that manufactures popcorn. Diacetyl – the chemical used to create the buttery flavor in microwave popcorn, has been linked to serious respiratory ailments and at least one death among workers employed at factories where the chemical is used.

In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency completed a study on the effects of eating or breathing in the fumes when microwaving popcorn at home, but the results have yet to be released, that’s very scary considering most of us have microwavable popcorn sitting in our cabinets.

Diacetyl is also commonly used to enhance the flavors in candy, frozen foods, and cakes. This is just one more reason to switch to natural foods like non-frozen and start using grilled, baking in the oven, and stir-fry.

California legislators are not waiting on the study results to take action, instead they are taking a proactive approach, and are working to have diacetyl banned in the state.

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1. Ken Bickerton, CIH, CSP Says:
   November 19th, 2007 at 6:13 pm

   Do not equate workplace exposures to consumer exposures. They are vastly different in both the concentration of airborne Diacetyl and the time and frequency of exposure. Go back to the familiar phrase, “Dose makes the poison,” to gain some prospective in this issue.

   Workers that have contracted “Popcorn Lung” are typically exposed on a daily basis to high concentrations of the butter flavor chemicals for 6 to 8 hours per day. Consumers are typically exposed a couple of times a week/month to low concentrations of the butter flavor chemicals for a few seconds per exposure.

   Did you know that Diacetyl naturally occurs in butter, and the employees of butter manufacturers are not know to contract “Popcorn Lung”? The same with beer and breweries?

   Let’s keep things in perspective.