a rare life-threatening disease often called popcorn lung.

[ericlp]

I wish I were making this up... But, now you be careful when your popping microwave popcorn...

Four of the nation?s biggest microwave popcorn makers are working to remove a flavoring chemical from their products linked to a lung ailment in popcorn plant workers while reassuring consumers about the safety of the snack.

Several of the companies discussed their plans Wednesday, a day after a leading lung research hospital warned that consumers also might be in danger from the buttery flavoring diacetyl.

Guess we can't blame China for this one.......

Personally I've never heard of Diacetyl, but, have you ever looked at what chemicals they put in other foods? Ever read the ingredients on a bag of chips? I swear you'd need a DR degree to figure out what they all are...

I am kinda wondering what other chemicals they are adding to our foods have bad side effects?

Text

I know that you'd need to like pop a bag a day for like 10 years and inhale the fresh popcorn fumes to damage your lungs...

I'm not posting this over a few factory workers that came down with the disease... But, what's next? After all the thousands of chemicals being injected into our food chain... I'm thinking that something else is probably gonna pop up....

 

[CrackRabbit]

If you had read the article diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical found in dairy products.
I mean come on, it took 2 bags a day for 10 years for it to hurt this guy. Quit overreacting. :roll:

 

[Kadarin]

Forget the weird chemicals... The mere smell of microwaved popcorn is enough to make me gag.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
If you had read the article diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical found in dairy products.
I mean come on, it took 2 bags a day for 10 years for it to hurt this guy. Quit overreacting. :roll:

obviously you didn't read my thoughts...

Yeah, most chemicals are naturally... What's your point? Diacetyl is a byproduct of fermentation... It is a vicinal diketone (two C=O groups, side-by-side) with the molecular formula C4H6O2.

New "natural" chemicals are being added every day....

If it was so safe then why are the 4 major popcorn companies dumping the chemical?

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Originally posted by: ericlp

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
If you had read the article diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical found in dairy products.
I mean come on, it took 2 bags a day for 10 years for it to hurt this guy. Quit overreacting. :roll:

obviously you didn't read my thoughts...

Yeah, most chemicals are naturally... What's your point? Diacetyl is a byproduct of fermentation... It is a vicinal diketone (two C=O groups, side-by-side) with the molecular formula C4H6O2.

New "natural" chemicals are being added every day....

If it was so safe then why are the 4 major popcorn companies dumping the chemical?

because in this lawyer heavy lawsuit happy society companies cannot afford to take chances. Hell, it could be worse, they could be sued by a future Presidential Candidate who laters promises free popcorn for everyone!

 

[heartsurgeon]

If you had read the article diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical found in dairy products.

you can be sure the scumbag lawyers won't overreact...

"Big Popcorn" is gonna get a class-action whoopin' now...I can see it coming....

 

[Saint Michael]

Another "MSG" scare. Still waiting on any definitive evidence of the negative effects of MSG, by the way (another naturally occurring chemical).

 

[Genx87]

We are all going to die!

 

[sandorski]

Just replace it with Naturally occurring Uranium!

 

[Gneisenau]

Originally posted by: Kadarin
Forget the weird chemicals... The mere smell of microwaved popcorn is enough to make me gag.

LOL me too. Every time someone pops a bag at work I have to walk outside.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Just replace it with Naturally occurring Uranium!

Or lead, etc., etc.

 

[daveshel]

What part of 'flavoring chemical' sounds like a good idea?

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: sandorski
Just replace it with Naturally occurring Uranium!

Or lead, etc., etc.

I wonder if Microwaving Uranium is safe?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Shivetya

Originally posted by: ericlp

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
If you had read the article diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical found in dairy products.
I mean come on, it took 2 bags a day for 10 years for it to hurt this guy. Quit overreacting. :roll:

obviously you didn't read my thoughts...

Yeah, most chemicals are naturally... What's your point? Diacetyl is a byproduct of fermentation... It is a vicinal diketone (two C=O groups, side-by-side) with the molecular formula C4H6O2.

New "natural" chemicals are being added every day....

If it was so safe then why are the 4 major popcorn companies dumping the chemical?

because in this lawyer heavy lawsuit happy society companies cannot afford to take chances. Hell, it could be worse, they could be sued by a future Presidential Candidate who laters promises free popcorn for everyone!

I hate to say it but its true. due to our "Lawyer heavy lawsuit happy society" companies are held financially accountable for selling unsafe products. its about the only weapon we the consumers have to make companies stop cutting corners and it works most of the time. Ever wonder why Mattel and Fisher-Price import their toys from china? sure cheap labor is part of it but it adds a buffer between them and any lawsuits for putting lead paint on kids toys. "Hey we didn't make the toy we just bought it under out name" we arent responsible.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Just replace it with Naturally occurring Uranium!

And let's add naturally occurring mercury into the vaccines we inject into our children! oh wait- we already do that...

 

[palehorse]

What's the point of this thread? I don't get it... are some of you lobbying for more government regulation and/or more nanny-state bullsh*t?

Or are we simply ranting about the truism that everything that tastes good is bad for you...?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Citrix
I hate to say it but its true. due to our "Lawyer heavy lawsuit happy society" companies are held financially accountable for selling unsafe products. its about the only weapon we the consumers have to make companies stop cutting corners and it works most of the time. Ever wonder why Mattel and Fisher-Price import their toys from china? sure cheap labor is part of it but it adds a buffer between them and any lawsuits for putting lead paint on kids toys. "Hey we didn't make the toy we just bought it under out name" we arent responsible.

Originally posted by: palehorse74
What's the point of this thread? I don't get it... are some of you lobbying for more government regulation and/or more nanny-state bullsh*t?

Or are we simply ranting about the truism that everything that tastes good is bad for you...?

Absolutely.

Mattel should not be allowed to do any business in the U.S.

It certainly should not have a U.S. corporate charter.

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Citrix
I hate to say it but its true. due to our "Lawyer heavy lawsuit happy society" companies are held financially accountable for selling unsafe products. its about the only weapon we the consumers have to make companies stop cutting corners and it works most of the time. Ever wonder why Mattel and Fisher-Price import their toys from china? sure cheap labor is part of it but it adds a buffer between them and any lawsuits for putting lead paint on kids toys. "Hey we didn't make the toy we just bought it under out name" we arent responsible.

Originally posted by: palehorse74
What's the point of this thread? I don't get it... are some of you lobbying for more government regulation and/or more nanny-state bullsh*t?

Or are we simply ranting about the truism that everything that tastes good is bad for you...?

Absolutely.

Mattel should not be allowed to do any business in the U.S.

It certainly should not have a U.S. corporate charter.

Did they, or did they not, in writing, instruct the Chinese factories not to use lead-based paint?

That said, I do agree that they should suffer a fine, or some other repercussion, but outright banishment is ridiculous.

oh wait, you just wish to destroy every corporation in the world... I forgot. WOOPS!

 

[Jaskalas]

Wasn?t this about popcorn? Don?t think Mattel makes a brand of that.

As for this case: it just reinforces an already common knowledge, don?t sniff chemicals. Unfortunately our way of living is currently inundated with chemicals everywhere. Working at a factory is just one of those things where you never know what product is going to harm you next.

I?m sure they?re going to remove the harmful chemical from the popcorn, and so there?s one more thing for the FDA to inspect and properly verify.

There will be many lawsuits and the company may likely go out of business for something it did not foresee but that it was responsible for arbitrarily adding into the product.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: daveshel
What part of 'flavoring chemical' sounds like a good idea?

You don't like salt?


This is a worker safety issue, not a consumer one. It takes certain conditions and a ridiculous amount of exposure to cause "popcorn lung." That's why the popcorn makers are curtailing its use. I know this is hard for the supertitious chicken littles to understand, but literally everything is dangerous if you are exposed to too much of it. Everything.

Diacetyl is a common flavoring component, particularly in wine (where it occurs naturally, however Chardonnay makers often try to encourage it). Anytime you eat something and think "buttery" that's cause it's probably got diacetyl in it -- even butter itself.

In the meantime (and I know this is gonna be a shocker of blasphemy and heresy), it is possible to make your own microwave popcorn. :Q I know! It's even easier and cheaper than buying a few prepackaged ounces for (the going price of) about a buck a bag. I know it's rough, because like any good willing slave you depend on your masters the corporations to process and package everything for you, but really... you can do this.

Ripped from my man Alton Brown:

1/4 cup good quality popcorn
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or popcorn salt
Sprinkle jalapeno seasoning mix (optional)
Paper lunch bag
Stapler

Toss the popcorn with the olive oil, salt, and jalapeno seasoning mix in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the bag twice to close. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until there are about 5 seconds between pops.
NOTE: Popcorn salt is a super-fine salt that is designed especially for sticking to food such as popcorn. It has the taste of regular table salt, but its granules are much finer.

I?m sure they?re going to remove the harmful chemical from the popcorn, and so there?s one more thing for the FDA to inspect and properly verify.

This "harmful chemical" is a natural flavoring component in alcohol and dairy products. Butter wouldn't taste like butter without it.
Yes, there are legitimate health risks with heating it up to high temperatures and inhaling the susbsequent fumes repeatedly and over long periods of time, but banning its use entirely as a "harmful chemical" is on the order of banning dihydrogen monoxide (just think of all the people that harmful chemical kills each year! something must be done!).

Can some of you knee-jerk just a little bit more? Wow...

 

[daveshel]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: daveshel
What part of 'flavoring chemical' sounds like a good idea?

You don't like salt?

Nope. I don't add salt to anything. I had to buy some recently do do some oral rinsing after a procedure, and before that I had not had any in my house for decades. But then, I also don't consume any fast food or soda pop. And I try to avoid refined sugar altogether.

I do like the idea of using olive oil to make popcorn. We need more mono- and polyunsaturated fats because of all the sat and trans fats we eat.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: daveshel

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: daveshel
What part of 'flavoring chemical' sounds like a good idea?

You don't like salt?

Nope. I don't add salt to anything. I had to buy some recently do do some oral rinsing after a procedure, and before that I had not had any in my house for decades. But then, I also don't consume any fast food or soda pop. And I try to avoid refined sugar altogether.

I do like the idea of using olive oil to make popcorn. We need more mono- and polyunsaturated fats because of all the sat and trans fats we eat.

Well yeah, I feel the same way. It's just that as processed foods are easy to avoid, I just don't see the need to pass sweeping laws because other people are lazy.

I'm not overreacting either. There is currently legislation to ban diacetyl in California, even though doing so would destroy the state's own wine and dairy industries (not to mention the fact that diacetyl is wine and dairy is not in any way harmful). It's this kind of kneejerk silliness that kind of gets to me. Hey, let's compare a common and natural food component with lead, mercury, and uranium! :roll:

BTW, the salt example was apt IMO. Salt isn't bad for you unless you consume too much of it. Quite the contrary, you'd die without it. Refined sugar is much the same (white sugar is just raw brown sugar without the mollases). The irony here is that what once (and really not long ago) were luxuries are now abundant, and subsequently many people are over-indulging and feeling the health effects. Moderation, people, moderation.