I posted this on invelos but I wanted to make sure to get the word out:
Diacetyl, a chemical that gives foods a buttery taste, has been linked to a rare, irreversible lung disease. One of the most common foods using this ingredient is microwave popcorn. Bronchiolitis obliterans, a devastating disease that destroys the small airways in the lungs, has been linked to diacetyl.
There has been a public health debate that has reached Congress and has resulted in tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits. Although some microwave popcorn companies may eliminate diacetyl, Congress and the flavoring industry are trying to reduce the danger. The Bush administration, along with some business groups, alleges that there is not enough scientific evidence to warrant pressing government limits and intervention.
This lung disease was first noticed in a small but alarming number of people who worked in microwave popcorn plants across the nation. But it may go beyond workers since a man who ate microwave popcorn daily for several years developed the same disease found in factory workers.
My advice...make popcorn the old fashioned way.
