A man in Colorado is claiming in a lawsuit against grocery chain King Soopers that there is indeed, a condition called popcorn lung, and he’s got it after eating microwave popcorn from the store. He says King Soopers should’ve warned him that an ingredient in the popcorn’s butter flavoring called diacetyl could be dangerous. However the chain’s lawyers say his health issues aren’t due to an overabundance of the snack, but because he worked with cleaning chemicals for years.
Everyone agrees that the man has respiratory problems, notes CBS Denver, but King Soopers says the man lied about how much popcorn he ate and conveniently forgot to mention to the court that he was exposed to dangerous chemicals for a long period of time.
“Who would ever reasonably think that popping popcorn in your own home, no matter how it’s packaged or processed, would all of a sudden turn into an agent for toxic lung disease,” the man said back in 2010.
Popcorn factory workers have won or settled previous lawsuits over health issues they claim came from inhaling the flavoring, but it’ll be up to the jury in this case to decide whether or not the man could’ve possibly inhaled enough just popping the stuff at home to get sick.
Scientists recently linked diacetyl to Alzheimer’s and other problems after researchers studied its ill effects on workers in popcorn factories, but noted that the average snacking consumer would likely not be at risk.
King Soopers Strikes Back In Popcorn Lung Lawsuit [CBS Denver]
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Is popcorn lung like 3 Musketeers arse?
I WAS considering a late lunch… Thanks for nothing man.
Just have some cauliflower. That doesn’t resemble any bodily issues whatsoever!
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS!!!
It’s good for your diet!
Up until you reach your saturation point for gross-out-stuff, and are able to watch Saw movies while eating spaghetti or extra-rare steak.
I watched Dexter while eating tomato soup. Mistake.
Oh, I had chlii ruined for me by G. I. Joe: The Movie. I was an adult before I could stomach the stuff again, because it always reminded me of disgustingly mutated insects and reptiles.
Popcorn lung is a real disease, however, it’s been quite a while since diacetyl was used in microwave popcorn (hence you may have noticed that for a few years microwave popcorn hasn’t tasted as nice). I’m pretty sure most popcorn companies had quit using it in 2010.
Apparently, the wheels of justice turn at a glacial pace. Here’s an article about the same guy from 2007. (The patient’s name isn’t mentioned, but it’s the same doctor.)
Consumerist reported on someone a few years ago, possibly the same guy. He ate microwave popcorn at home daily, and got popcorn lung. He sued and won.
http://consumerist.com/2007/09/first-consumer-with-popcorn-lung-speaks-out.html
http://consumerist.com/2007/09/microwave-popcorn-may-cause-lung-damage.html
http://consumerist.com/2007/12/microwave-popcorn-makers-vow-to-remove-diacetyl.html
http://consumerist.com/tag/i-cant-believe-its-not-butter-in-my-lungs
http://consumerist.com/2007/09/kraft-introduces-new-butter-flavor-containing-diacetyl-the-popcorn-lung-ingredient.html
Time to Break Bad?
I once got chemical pneumonia from accidentally inhaling carpet cleaner while cleaning only 1 room. So it’s plausible.
Yeah, it would seem to me that years of being exposed to various chemicals while cleaning carpets is far more likely to be the cause then microwaving popcorn, although that assumes that he wasn’t simply opening the popcorn bags and huffing the contents.
I doubt it says anywhere on the bag to “huff the contents” – but it probably also DOESN’T say not to.
Well you got me there!
“Look, if you’re not supposed to shove the popcorn packet up your ass, and then stick your ass in the microwave and turn it on, then IT NEEDS TO SAY SO ON THE LABEL!”
/thereasonwhylawnmowershavewarningsnottopickthemupandtrimthehedgewithth/thereasonwhylawnmowershavewarningsnottopickthemupandtrimthehedgewiththem
Why the hell would you want to eat something that toxic. Furthermore, why the hell is it used as a food additive?
Personally I prefer the old style oil poppers (the ones with the wire wisk that spun around and turned the kernals,)
Microwave popcorn is far better then the air popped styrofoam crap but not nearly as good as the stuff made in the old style popppers.
Sodium chloride is toxic. It is a very common food additive. It is all about how much you use. Most chemicals are toxic if you get too much of them. Heck, you can even die of water poisoning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
Well, yeah, but it’s a *chemical*! Chemicals aren’t safe to eat!
Only things that are all-natural are safe to eat. Like arsenic.
/fullretard
+1
You mean table salt? Sodium chloride = NaCl = the stuff in your salt shaker
Whoosh!
Don’t forget dihydrogen monoxide
http://www.dhmo.org/
Well, then, you have to watch out for dihydrogen monoxide also – http://www.dhmo.org/
It’s in everything we eat and in the air we breath. There is nothing more insidious or pervasive than this chemical. It’s one of those things we don’t hear about much.
So now people will expect a 5,000 page PDF document detailing everything that might even be remotely dangerous with everything a store sells. Will we now have to sign releases stating that we have read and understand said document and all the inherent dangers associated with the purchase of said products mentioned in the aforementioned document and legally release King Soopers from any and all injuries suffered whether real or imagined?
you could always revoke laws that forbid poisons in food, like a well known political party seems to favour in order to help the economy
however one needs to strike a balance between food safety laws and utter stupidity like 5000 page safety documents, we all have the right not to eat poison, especially in the cause of padding someones profit margin
One week eggs are bad for you, the next week
they are a health part of a well balanced diet.
I believe that if a product contains words you don’t know (diacetyl) or
can’t pronounce, then maybe you should reconsider ingesting said product.
i agree that the healthiness of foods seems to be an unanswerable question, but i am referring to lead, arsenic, melamine and other chemicals that are poisonous or cancerous, but are highly profitable to add to food
since its profitable, its apparently arguable that they should be legalized, IMO that shows where our priorities lie
That means that only chemists get to eat the good stuff, then!
I knew I would regret dropping chemistry in high school.
we are back to bad now
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/16/study-eating-egg-yolks-almost-as-dangerous-as-smoking/
Just for the fun of it, did you know Margo Jones died from accidental carpet cleaner poisoning?
Is this the guy who was making his popcorn, then opening the bag and taking a deep breath of the “popcorn smell”?
Popcorn lung victims – numerous factory workers and one guy who huffs his popcorn.
I’ll let the lawyer speak:
lawyers for the supermarket chain responded saying they “might have well have warned that there are aliens popping out of the bags because there’s just as much support for that.”
Yeah, I liked that response. lol!
Why is he suing the store? Why not the popcorn manufacturer? I hope they throw the lawsuit out. The popcorn lung guy (if it’s not the same one) was all over the news. You’d have to be an idiot not to have seen that.
Oh wait…
i air-pop my popcorn at home and add a smidge of real creamery butter and just
tiny amount of salt. Delicious and I get the exercise of actually moving while making
the popcorn.
This just in: Mayor Bloomberg bans popping corn within 50 ft of any building