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An additive in butter-flavored microwave popcorn has the potential to cause life-threatening lung disease even in consumers, it has emerged. This is the first time that a consumer has been infected with the disease called as "popcorn lung" or bronchiolitis obliterans. This respiratory disease is quite common in factory workers who have occupational exposures to flavorings.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it had received a report from a Denver doctor saying that the man showing symptoms of popcorn lung ate several bags of butter-flavored microwave popcorn every day. A butter-flavor chemical called diacetyl is thought to be responsible for causing bronchiolitis obliterans, or "popcorn workers lung."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), bronchiolitis obliterans of popcorn lung is a serious lung disease that is irreversible.
Following are some questions and answers for consumers interested in knwoing more about popcorn lung and its health implications:
Why is "popcorn lung" in the news?
Popcorn Lung or bronchiolitis obliterans is a serious disease that affects workers with occupational exposures to flavorings; most often in microwave popcorn plants.
However this is the first time that a consumer of popcorn has been affected by this dangerous and life-threatening disease.
What is Bronchiolitis Obliterans?
Bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare and life-threatening form of fixed obstructive lung disease, is known to be caused by exposure to noxious gases in occupational settings and has been described in workers in the microwave-popcorn industry who were exposed to artificial butter-flavoring chemicals, including diacetyl, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms of Popcorn lung?
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the main respiratory symptoms experienced by workers affected by bronchiolitis obliterans include cough (usually without phlegm) and shortness of breath on exertion. The severity of the lung symptoms can range from only a mild cough to severe cough and shortness of breath on exertion.
Additionally some workers might experience:
* Fever
* Night sweats
* Weight loss
What is the background of popcorn lung disease?
According to information available with the CDC:
* From 1992 to 2000, eight former workers of the Gilster-Mary Lee popcorn plant in Jasper, Missouri, developed a rare lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans.
* The disease was severe enough for some workers to cause them to be placed on lung transplant lists. In August 2000, the Missouri Department of Health asked NIOSH to determine if these cases of lung disease were due to an exposure at the plant, and if any current workers were at risk.
* The current data indicate that bronchiolitis obliterans occurring in former workers of this plant is most likely due to the workers' occupational exposure to inhaled flavoring vapors.
How did diacetyl come to be identified as the culprit in popcorn lung?
Researchers from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences in Utrecht, Netherlands reported the link to diacetyl in August this year. Earlier in April the CDC reported seven cases of popcorn lung in workers and linked them to diacetyl and other flavoring agents.
The Dutch study was reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In the same journal, Kathleen Kreiss of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) wrote an editorial that while diacetyl's health hazards were unquestionable, there were uncertainness as to whether it caused popcorn lung.
"The collective evidence for diacetyl causing a respiratory hazard supports action to minimize exposure to diacetyl [in workers], even if contributions by other flavoring chemicals exist," the editorial added.
What is the treatment for popcorn lung?
There is no known medical treatment for bronchiolitis obliterans, but the NIOSH says that workers might notice a gradual lessening of cough years after they stop exposing themselves to flavoring agents.. Several people with very severe disease were placed on lung transplant waiting lists.
What has been the regulatory reaction to the current case?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it would launch a probe to determine if consumers are at risk.
FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said that the agency was evaluating the situation. Meanwhile Bernadette Burden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency was taking the Denver doctor's report very seriously indeed.
How has the industry reacted to this case?
ConAgra Foods Inc, which makes the popular f Orville Redenbacher and Act II microwave popcorn brands has announced that it will phase out diacetyl from its butter-flavored microwave popcorn.
What are the NIOSH recommendations to reduce exposure to popcorn workers?
* Substituting a material or materials that may be less hazardous, after carefully evaluating potential substitutes
* Using engineering controls such as closed systems, isolation, or ventilation
* Instituting administrative controls such as housekeeping and work practices
* Educating employers and employees to raise their awareness of potential hazards and controls
* Using personal protective equipment where needed as an adjunct to primary engineering or administrative controls
* Monitoring occupational exposures and the status of workers health, tracking potential symptoms or cases, and reporting such symptoms or cases to NIOSH and state health departments
The above content is for informational purposes only. The author and editors have used material from authority sources like CDC and NIOSH. Consumers must remember that this article only seeks to inform and newslocale.org is not liable for any misconceptions whatever.
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