"Popcorn lung" - that is an ailment that a Denver man said he suffered from after eating up to 3 bags of microwave popcorn a day for 10 years and has won a $7.2-million verdict after he sued the popcorn maker.
Jurors agreed with the claims by Wayne Watson, 59, that the popcorn manufacturer and the supermarket chain that sold it were negligent by failing to warn on labels that the butter flavoring, diacetyl, was dangerous.
It's an illness that can be traced back to the chemicals used to give popcorn a buttery flavoring without all the calories. The artificial flavoring, diacetyl, is no longer used in artificial flavoring and some experts see a possible link between diacetyl and Alzheimer's, according to ABC News.
After Wayne Watson developed respiratory problems in 2007, he sued the manufacturer and the store that sold it. "I probably look like a fairly healthy guy but I only have, on a good day, about 53% lung capacity," Watson told ABC News.
'Popcorn lung' is the informal name forbronchiolitis obliterans, an ailment usually associated with factory workers who inhale high levels of diacetyl, the chemical used in artificial butter flavorings. Symptoms include wheezing, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. The condition can require a lung transplant or even be fatal.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)reports that lung biopsies of sick workers from plants that produce microwave popcorn show scarring of the bronchioles, the smallest airways in the lung, which restricts breathing. It recommends that factory workers handling artificial flavorings take precautions such as wearing respirators, keeping chemical containers tightly sealed, and getting regular breathing tests. A June 2012 study in the journal of Chemical Research and Toxicology also linked diacetyl to Alzheimer's.
