Toxic microwave popcorn?

[virgo]

What's next? To read the whole story, click here (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=657362&format=print)


<H5>By RAQUEL RUTLEDGE
rrutledge@journalsentinel.com (rrutledge@journalsentinel.com)

Posted: Sept. 4, 2007

First, it hit the workers. From Milwaukee to Missouri and California, the fake butter flavor they mixed for use in microwave popcorn poisoned their lungs.

Now, in the first case of its kind, a doctor has found a possible link between serious lung disease and consumers of microwave popcorn.

"I was as surprised as I could be," said Cecile Rose, the chief occupational and environmental medicine physician at National Jewish Medical and Research Center, one of the nation's most prestigious lung disease hospitals.

Rose has seen many cases of factory workers' lungs destroyed by a chemical called diacetyl, responsible for giving microwave popcorn its buttery flavor, but never in a consumer of the popcorn.

Until she started seeing a 53-year-old Colorado man whose favorite snack was microwave popcorn.

Rose said she was stumped as to what was causing the man to cough, have shortness of breath and a thickening of the bronchial walls, among other symptoms. An extensive study of his medical, occupational, and environmental history turned up no explanation. Then she thought to ask him: "Do you eat microwave popcorn?"

She'll never forget his answer, she said.

It was his exclusive snack food preference, he told her.

</H5>

[Bahlk]

Must be made in China

[eyescene]

Oh My God we love that stuff. I will be throwing it out!!! Just another addiction to quit!

[ComputerDude]

Oh My God we love that stuff. I will be throwing it out!!! Just another addiction to quit!To be fair, you probably have to eat a TON of it before you start being symptomatic.

[eyescene]

A ton of this and a ton of that, next you die!

[ComputerDude]

A ton of this and a ton of that, next you die!Well, a ton of ANYTHING will probably lead to death. :laugh:

[58ford]

I don't like microwave popcorn. I have a whirley-pop.

[Bahlk]

Isn't that what they came out with in like 1971?

[58ford]

Isn't that what they came out with in like 1971?
Microwave popcorn or the whirley-pop?

[ComputerDude]

Isn't that what they came out with in like 1971?

These make the BEST tasting popcorn.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7724/4153z0g472laa2805bb7ed5tu0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Bahlk]

Whirly Pop. Isn't that the popcorn you pop on the eye of the stove and the little pan pops up like a boil?

[58ford]

Whirly Pop. Isn't that the popcorn you pop on the eye of the stove and the little pan pops up like a boil?
You're thinking Jiffy-pop.
A whirley-pop is what Compdude has pictured above. You turn the little crank & a series of gears & shafts spins a whisk around the bottom to make all the popcorn pop evenly. Makes the best popcorn in the world. And you can add REAL butter.

[ComputerDude]

You're thinking Jiffy-pop.
A whirley-pop is what Compdude has pictured above. You turn the little crank & a series of gears & shafts spins a whisk around the bottom to make all the popcorn pop evenly. Makes the best popcorn in the world. And you can add REAL butter.
Yeah, the best place for those and the popcorn, seasonings..etc is Target.

[CircusRide]

Well, bad news, this ain't the only food with issues. I can no longer drink anything with aspartame in it. It completely shuts my lungs down. Apparently, it's a fairly common occurance.

[fuzzis]

Well, bad news, this ain't the only food with issues. I can no longer drink anything with aspartame in it. It completely shuts my lungs down. Apparently, it's a fairly common occurance.

I avoid aspartame at all costs. It makes my seizures worse in severity and makes them happen more often. It's bad, bad stuff.

[eyescene]

What's in gummy bear/worms that makes me so nauseated? Anyone know? I can't eat them little things.

[58ford]

Well, bad news, this ain't the only food with issues. I can no longer drink anything with aspartame in it. It completely shuts my lungs down. Apparently, it's a fairly common occurance.

I avoid aspartame at all costs. It makes my seizures worse in severity and makes them happen more often. It's bad, bad stuff.
A few years ago my grandmother had to be put on a 24 hour heart monitor because of strange heart & lung problems.
Turned out she was a Diet Coke fiend, and the aspartame was messin' with her. You're right bad, bad stuff.

[omie2]

Well, bad news, this ain't the only food with issues. I can no longer drink anything with aspartame in it. It completely shuts my lungs down. Apparently, it's a fairly common occurance.


How did you find out it was aspartame that caused your problems?

[Elle May]

I agree, Aspartame is really bad stuff. It makes me have vertigo really bad to the point I can't walk and the bed spins violently. A lot of people with inner ear problems could probably make that connection, if they only knew about all the things this stuff can do. :smt118

[58ford]

Wasn't Aspartame an experimental drug at one time but it didn't work but the dork who was working on it put his fingers in his mouth (great lab procedure Einstein) and it tasted sweet?

[Hermione]

I realized some time back that aspartame caused me to have swelling in my feet and ankles, or at least worsened it. I try never to have more than one diet drink each day. Should probably quit and go back to tea and water.

[Elle May]

I realized some time back that aspartame caused me to have swelling in my feet and ankles, or at least worsened it. I try never to have more than one diet drink each day. Should probably quit and go back to tea and water.

Probably. If I eat or drink anything with even the smallest amount of aspertame in it, it immediately produces the same symptoms as before.

[dream member]

It's probably the boy from my dream!!

[Ted]

What's next? . . . . . .Diacetyl.
Yep.
That's the imitation butter flavor stuff we buy at the grocery.
Another name is Butanedione.

The danger is in heating this compound and then inhaling the vapors - not the popcorn.

So - use the plain variety popcorn and butter it yourself after it pops.;)

[Ted]

Well, bad news, this ain't the only food with issues. I can no longer drink anything with aspartame in it. It completely shuts my lungs down. Apparently, it's a fairly common occurance. Aspartame seems to have a long list of deleterious effects.
I avoid it because it makes me feel like I gotta pee all the time.:smt009
Also because it's been implicated in increasing the incidence of brain tumors (http://www.rense.com/general70/excito.htm).:ohnoes:
The author of that article is a retired neurosurgeon and a professor of biology at Belhaven College.

[fuzzis]

Aspartame seems to have a long list of deleterious effects.
I avoid it because it makes me feel like I gotta pee all the time.:smt009
Also because it's been implicated in increasing the incidence of brain tumors (http://www.rense.com/general70/excito.htm).:ohnoes:
The author of that article is a retired neurosurgeon and a professor of biology at Belhaven College.

^^^^^That is why I quit consuming products containing Aspartame. I started reading about my symptoms, trying to figure out what was wrong with me and when I made the connection between my daily diet coke and the worsening seizures, I decided to give up the diet coke. (there's enough wrong with my melon already that I have no desire to make it worse)

[Engelbert Humperdinck]

When I eat bagels, I get this strange sensation that somebody's arse needs to go to jail!!!

Is that some kind of food allergy?

[Baloo]

Being an Health, Safety & Environmental Manager, I can say that the lung damage caused to the workers would come from inhaling the "dust" which is common for any employees who work in "dusty" environments. People don't think about our food workers when they think of lung damage, but OSHA has extensive regulations written on people who work in bakerys, cereal plants, flour mills, grain mills, etc. about exposure to "dust"... I do not see how eating the popcorn has any corellation to lung damage. A corn or other food allergy which creates phlegm maybe, but not lung damage!

[Ted]

Being an Health, Safety & Environmental Manager, I can say that the lung damage caused to the workers would come from inhaling the "dust" which is common for any employees who work in "dusty" environments. People don't think about our food workers when they think of lung damage, but OSHA has extensive regulations written on people who work in bakerys, cereal plants, flour mills, grain mills, etc. about exposure to "dust"... I do not see how eating the popcorn has any correlation to lung damage. A corn or other food allergy which creates phlegm maybe, but not lung damage!Hi Baloo.:smt001
You are absolutely correct.
It's not the eating that causes the damage.
When the imitation butter flavoring is heated it becomes aerosolized and when the vapors are inhaled the problem arises.
Diacetyl is a bi-ketone.

Added note: This (http://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_231710.html) article states that assessment of lung damage from diacetyl is difficult because the workers are, indeed, exposed to other substances as well.

[eyescene]

Dang and they let us eat that!

[Astra]

Hi Baloo.:smt001
It's not the eating that causes the damage.
When the imitation butter flavoring is heated it becomes aerosolized and when the vapors are inhaled the problem arises.
Diacetyl is a bi-ketone.

Added note: This (http://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_231710.html) article states that assessment of lung damage from diacetyl is difficult because the workers are, indeed, exposed to other substances as well.
I think that was Baloo's point. People are freaking out about eating buttered popcorn being harmful, but that isn't really the source of the problem.

Dang and they let us eat that!
What about dihydrogen monoxide?
Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:
is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
contributes to the "greenhouse effect."
may cause severe burns.
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.Contamination is reaching epidemic proportions!
Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
as an industrial solvent and coolant.
in nuclear power plants.
in the production of styrofoam.
as a fire retardant.
in many forms of cruel animal research.
in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use. (Yes, that's a joke. If you don't get it, read this (http://www.snopes.com/science/dhmo.asp))

[eyescene]

ummmm I'm not READING here anymore!:ohnoes::ohnoes::ohnoes: byyyyyye!

[Ted]

I think that was Baloo's point. People are freaking out about eating buttered popcorn being harmful, but that isn't really the source of the problem. Ahhhh - - - I was agreeing with her there.

Oh!! I see it now.:oops: I got ahead of myself.
I need to go back and fix that so it makes sense.:smt009


What about dihydrogen monoxide?
(Yes, that's a joke. If you don't get it, read this (http://www.snopes.com/science/dhmo.asp))Yeah - that's cute.;)

[eyescene]

OK got it~

[firefly]

We eat alot of Orville Redenbacher Movie Theater Butter Microwave popcorn. Is it safe to eatit & just don't breathe in any fumes???:ohnoes:

[HarleyBarbie]

What's in gummy bear/worms that makes me so nauseated? Anyone know? I can't eat them little things.


I can't eat 'em either. After a few I feel really icky!

[eyescene]

Barbie, Just wish I knew what it was!

[Baloo]

Thanks Ted and Astra! I appreciate the additional information! I did not realize that the vapors were toxic... next they have a ban on microwave popcorn at work because someone will read all of this and file a lawsuit saying that they were put into harms way by the smell of microwave popcorn... :smt118

[Ted]

What's in gummy bear/worms that makes me so nauseated? Anyone know? I can't eat them little things.Ahhhhh - -Eye, ya aught try real wurms instead.
Dey gots more vitamins and minerals. And essential nutrients.
And no artificial ingredients.:smt098

[Ted]

We eat alot of Orville Redenbacher Movie Theater Butter Microwave popcorn. Is it safe to eat it & just don't breathe in any fumes???:ohnoes:Without Googling a whole bunch of stuff - I'm guessing that the concentration of the vapors produced from home preparation of artificial butter flavored microwave popcorn is too dilute to present a significant danger to the end consumer.
Considering the unpteen gazillion bags of artificially flavored popcorn zapped in the past three decades, any danger would have become apparent long ago.

The reports of health effects from diacetyl vapors are coming from workers in the chemical plants that produce the compound and workers in the popcorn packaging plants where the concentrated form of the compound is used.

At this point I've seen no reported danger associated with home preparation.

Still, for the time being, I'd suggest a bit of caution when nuking artificial butter flavored popcorn.
If you have a range hood that vents to the outside, use it as a precautionary measure - even if it's not in the immediate vicinity of your microwave.
Otherwise, wait a minute before opening the microwave and don't inhale deeply immediately upon opening the microwave and retrieving the goodies.
The boiling point of diacetyl is 88°C/190°F - a little bit below the boiling point of water - so, if it's cool enough to hold in your hand and stick in your mouth, I'm sure it's safe.;)

[eyescene]

and protein :smt098

[Ted]

:-DBeing a cynical old fart, I've kinda been waiting for this to show up and Here it is (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070905/ap_on_he_me/popcorn_lung_consumer;_ylt=A9G_RnnpuuFGs50AxBC9j7A B) - the first report I've seen on the deleterious effect of artificial butter flavored popcorn vapor inhalation on the end consumer.

The law suits will be along shortly.

[SueScribe]

I KNEW it, I KNEW it !! Toxic microwaved popcorn fumes !!

Several years ago, when we still lived in New Orleans, I worked for a very large, very classy (yeah, they let me in, yeah they did) law firm:

Two floors in a towering skyscraper on the corner of Poydras and St. Charles Avenue. We had two kitchens in the firm, one called The Smoking Kitchen, and the other, just The Kitchen (for the good, pure folk).

Secretaries up and down the halls complained about the stench of cigarette smoke emanating from The Smoking Kitchen. Made them ill, they said. Second-hand smoke was going to cause them major health problems, yada-yada-yada - just the SMELL of the smoke.

Complaints led to the firm installing a gigantic smoke-eater in the Smoking Kitchen. You couldn't hold a conversation in the place because of the constant popping and snorting and burping of that ceiling-mounted machine. The secretaries still complained about the smoke. They could still smell it, they said. At last, the firm gave in - NO smoking in the Smoking Kitchen. If anyone wanted to smoke, they simply needed to catch an elevator and ride five miles down to the pavement and light up.

Of course, being me, being a snit, I wrote a memo and circulated it among certain of the firm's employees.

What about the popcorn stench?

I complained that the microwave popcorn stench that filled the halls was making me sick. Do something, I said, before the toxic waste infected us all. The memo was accepted as "really funny", and was naturally tossed into File 13.

HAH !!! *cough-cough-gag* I was RIGHT, by crackie !!! Where do I file my worker's comp claim, I wonder . . .

[Augustus McRae]

I KNEW it, I KNEW it !! Toxic microwaved popcorn fumes !!

Several years ago, when we still lived in New Orleans, I worked for a very large, very classy (yeah, they let me in, yeah they did) law firm:

Two floors in a towering skyscraper on the corner of Poydras and St. Charles Avenue. We had two kitchens in the firm, one called The Smoking Kitchen, and the other, just The Kitchen (for the good, pure folk).

Secretaries up and down the halls complained about the stench of cigarette smoke emanating from The Smoking Kitchen. Made them ill, they said. Second-hand smoke was going to cause them major health problems, yada-yada-yada - just the SMELL of the smoke.

Complaints led to the firm installing a gigantic smoke-eater in the Smoking Kitchen. You couldn't hold a conversation in the place because of the constant popping and snorting and burping of that ceiling-mounted machine. The secretaries still complained about the smoke. They could still smell it, they said. At last, the firm gave in - NO smoking in the Smoking Kitchen. If anyone wanted to smoke, they simply needed to catch an elevator and ride five miles down to the pavement and light up.

Of course, being me, being a snit, I wrote a memo and circulated it among certain of the firm's employees.

What about the popcorn stench?

I complained that the microwave popcorn stench that filled the halls was making me sick. Do something, I said, before the toxic waste infected us all. The memo was accepted as "really funny", and was naturally tossed into File 13.

HAH !!! *cough-cough-gag* I was RIGHT, by crackie !!! Where do I file my worker's comp claim, I wonder . . .


And we thought the "mass tort" well was running dry??

[Ted]

:smt023
Don't Bogart them butter fumes!!:bowrofl: heh heh heh

[SueScribe]

And we thought the "mass tort" well was running dry??

Actually, I think this would classify as a potential Multi-District Litigation case. :attack: