Thread: Popcorn Plant Workers SUE!!!

You just made me choke on my Redenbacher's Smart Pop!

NIOSH believes that artificial butter flavoring used in the manufacturing process is causing these health problems. The agency is particularly concerned about diacetyl, a primary ingredient in many artificial butter products. The long-term effects of diacetyl exposure are unknown.

At this time, NIOSH officials believe that consumption of artificial butter flavored microwave popcorn remains safe. However, the agency admits that laboratory animals that ingested large quantities of the artificial flavoring developed lung diseases and died.




Very interesting.....

Here's a copy/paste from the dept of labor on diacetyl. Doesn't sound like the kind of stuff you'd want in your body.

General Description
Synonyms: Biacetyl; 2,3-Butanedione; 2,3-Butadione; 2,3-Diketobutane; Dimethyldiketone; Dimethylglyoxal; Glyoxal, dimethyl-

OSHA IMIS Code Number: D740

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 431-03-8

NIOSH, Registry of Toxic Effects (RTECS) Identification Number: EK2625000

Chemical Description and Physical Properties: Green-yellow liquid
molecular formula: C4H6O2
molecular weight: 86.09
boiling point: 88°C
vapor pressure: 178 mm
melting point: -3°C
Potentially hazardous incompatibilities: strong oxidizers, bases, reducing agents, metals
Health Factors
Potential symptoms: Eye, mucous membrane, respiratory system, skin irritation; persistent cough, phlegm production, wheezing, dyspnea (shortness of breath); unusual fatigue; episodes of mild fever or generalized aches; severe skin rashes.

Health Effects: Irritation-Eyes, Nose, Throat, Skin (HE15); Suspected cumulative lung damage---bronchiolitis obliterans (HE10)

Affected organs: : Eyes, respiratory system, skin

Notes: 1) No IDLH has been established. One of four rats died after a 6-hour exposure to vapors from heated (55°C) artificial butter flavoring containing 285 ppm diacetyl (~64% of total VOCs), but no deaths occurred among groups of six rats exposed to 203 ppm diacetyl (~68% of total VOCs) or 352 ppm diacetyl (~61% of total VOCs) (Hubbs et al., 2002). 2) A cause-effect relationship between diacetyl and bronchiolitis obliterans has not been established, as food-processing workers with this lung disease were also exposed to other volatile food-flavoring agents (Kreiss et al., 2002). 3) Diacetyl is known to react with the amino acid arginine in proteins (Riordan, 1979) and inhibits enzymes that are important for protecting cells from oxidative damage, such as superoxide dismutase (Borders et al., 1985) and glutathione reductase (Boggaram and Mannervik, 1982).