(NaturalNews) The only known consumer to have developed the health condition known as "popcorn lung" is suing the stores that sold him his microwave popcorn, saying that they failed to warn him that he could become ill from using the product as intended.
Wayne Watson of Centennial, Colorado was diagnosed with a rare lung disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans, or popcorn lung. The disease is most common among workers in microwave popcorn factories, who are regularly exposed to the flavoring chemical
diacetyl.
Diacetyl, a naturally occurring compound that gives
butter its flavor, is known to damage the lungs when inhaled. After
popcorn lung and diacetyl were linked, popcorn manufacturers instituted new
safety measures to isolate workers from the chemical's fumes. But no safety measures for consumers were put in place.
Upon learning that Watson regularly consumed two bags of
microwave popcorn per day, researchers at National Jewish Hospital tested the air inside his home for diacetyl. While factory workers have been known to develop popcorn lung from exposure to between 0.75 and 4 parts per million (ppm) of diacetyl, the concentration of the chemical in Watson's kitchen varied between 0.5 and 3 ppm.
After news of Watson's case emerged, the four largest
microwave popcorn makers in the United States announced that they were phasing out nearly all use of diacetyl in their
products.
While many lawsuits have been filed in the past by workers against popcorn manufacturers for the damaging effects of diacetyl, Watson instead has chosen to sue the stores that sold him the popcorn. Named in the
lawsuit are grocery chain The Kroger Company; Dillon Companies Inc., parent of grocery
store King Soopers; and food distributor Inter-American Products Inc.
These
companies "failed to warn that preparing microwave popcorn in a microwave oven as intended and smelling the buttery aroma could expose the consumer to an inhalation hazard and a risk of lung injury," the lawsuit says.
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