Popcorn Lung Disease

In June I posted about the flavorings in microwave
popcorn and pointed out that if the workers were getting
lung disease, it would be best to stay away from using
microwave popcorn with flavorings.

Now it is coming out that people who have used and eaten
quite a bit of flavored microwave popcorn ARE showing up
with lung disease. So here is my second warning: STOP
eating it. (If you did, good for you.)

From www.foodconsumer.org:
"Given the complexity of flavorings mixtures, identifying
the relative contributions of individual substances to
causing flavoring-induced lung disease is an important
challenge. As noted in the NIOSH Alert, Preventing Lung
Disease in Workers Who Use or Make Flavorings , the
flavorings industry has estimated that over a thousand
flavoring ingredients have the potential to be respiratory
hazards due to possible volatility and irritant properties
(alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, aliphatic
aldehydes, aliphatic carboxylic acids, aliphatic amines,
and aliphatic aromatic thiols and sulfides)."

I suggest you go back to eating regular popcorn, perhaps
made in a hot air popcorn maker, or even old fashioned,
making it in a pan on the stove, rather than use the
microwave. And certainly, stay away from the chemicals.
They build up in your system and cause problems, far
before they cause disease.

I suggest you read their whole article on flavoring induced
lung disease.