Rare, Deadly Lung Disease Hits Microwave Popcorn Lover
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Sept. 5, 2007 — Inhaled fumes from microwave popcorn may have caused a man’s rare, deadly lung disease, a leading lung expert says.
The expert is Cecile Rose, MD, MPH, head of the division of environmental and occupational health sciences at National Jewish Medical and Research Center and associate professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Rose reported the case in a July 18 letter to the FDA, the CDC, the EPA, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. None of these agencies has yet issued a public health alert. The letter became public when published on The Pump Handle web site, a public health blog.
According to her letter, the man complained of a worsening cough and increasing shortness of breath. Lung function tests and imaging studies show he has bronchiolitis obliterans — obliteration of the tiny airways in the lung.
It’s a rare disease, first seen in 1985 in workers in food-flavor factories. In 2002, the disease was seen in workers making microwave popcorn — in particular, those exposed to a buttery-tasting chemical called diacetyl. There have been many other reports since then, with at least three deaths and many patients awaiting lung transplants.
But Rose’s patient had never been exposed to food-flavoring fumes. His only exposure was to the two or more bags of microwave popcorn he consumed every day.
Rose took a team to the man’s house and tested the air while microwaving some popcorn. Air levels of diacetyl were similar to those in the area of a microwave popcorn factory where workers were affected.
Many foods other than popcorn contain diacetyl. There’s no indication that eating these foods is dangerous. But breathing fumes containing diacetyl appears to be very dangerous.
Microwave popcorn, of course, gives off hot fumes if the bag is opened before the cooked popcorn cools. According to news reports, Rose’s patient liked to inhale the aroma of newly popped microwave popcorn. Rose reports that his symptoms stopped getting worse when he stopped making microwave popcorn.
Retrieved from WebMD.
