We are all aware of that nice-smelling, delicious buttery flavor that you can find in many food and drink products in the market. You love having microwave popcorn, don’t you? After all, microwave popcorn is a handy solution to your needs. It makes parties more fun, and you can also emulate the experience of going to the theaters with simply a bowl or two of microwave popcorn. But you probably do not know that, for the price of that buttery flavor you are enjoying, factory workers are developing a debilitating disease called “Popcorn Lung Disease.”
The buttery flavor in microwave popcorn is brought about by the artificial food flavoring called diacetyl. Now, people can be exposed to diacetyl in two ways: inhalation and by imbibing the chemical through eating food products that has in its ingredients food flavoring containing diacetyl or FFCD. On the other hand, one can inhale diacetyl in a factory setting. In fact, it was a case of eight factory workers that have caused the surfacing of health issues regarding the use of and consumption of FFCD’s. Diacetyl has since been discontinued, but several cases have surfaced over the past decade.
Let us put it this way. Continued exposure to diacetyl and FFCDs will cause your air flow to become constricted. This will make it very difficult for you to breathe. Specifically, diacetyl will, over time, cause small airways in your lungs to become inflamed and it is this inflammation that can lead to the constriction of your airways. The manifestations of this disease include chronic dry cough, shortness of breath and a wheezing sound similar to asthma. In fact, it is these similarities that lead to misdiagnosis. The real name of the disease is bronchiolitis obliterans. Sadly, this condition is irreversible.
There is even a study in 2012 by the Chemical Research in Toxicology, carried out by scientists in the University of Minneapolis. This research also claimed that, aside from the now-recognized respiratory problems associated with exposure to both inhaled and consumed diacetyl, the chemical can also bring about the development of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain via its effects on the nerves of the body that lead to the brain. According to the scientists, diacetyl could possibly attack and weaken nerve cells by preventing the effects of glyoxalase I. It is to be noted that glyoxalase I protects the nerve cells from damage so, without it, the nerves are sitting ducks for chemical compounds to attack.
Because it is a compound found in most commodities out in the market, anyone who suspects that he or she has contracted Popcorn Lung Disease should always approach a lawyer that specialize in cases involving that disease. It has become quite an issue these days, even though diacetyl has already been discontinued as an artificial food flavoring.
Last year, a man named Wayne Watson won a case against Gilster-Mary Lee Corp., The Kroger Co. and Dillon Companies Inc. and was awarded $7.2 million in damages. The case had successfully established that the defendants were negligent and failed to warn against the health dangers of diacetyl in its product packaging, acts which resulted to Watson’s respiratory problems.
If you think that you or someone you love has developed respiratory problems as a result of consuming diacetyl, you need to approach only two people: your doctor, and then a qualified Popcorn Lung Disease lawyer.
An experienced product liability lawyer and a writer for AttorneyOne.com, James Stein has developed an intimate knowledge of cases involving chemicals like asbestos and, over the past decade, diacetyl. He is a private practitioner based in California. Aside from fighting cases in court, James loves to fish and enjoys what he calls the “substance-free” environment of the outdoors.
Image credit: flickr.com/photos/escritorio47/8662866725/
Image credit: flickr.com/photos/pulmonary_pathology/3931156757/
A Brief Background
The buttery flavor in microwave popcorn is brought about by the artificial food flavoring called diacetyl. Now, people can be exposed to diacetyl in two ways: inhalation and by imbibing the chemical through eating food products that has in its ingredients food flavoring containing diacetyl or FFCD. On the other hand, one can inhale diacetyl in a factory setting. In fact, it was a case of eight factory workers that have caused the surfacing of health issues regarding the use of and consumption of FFCD’s. Diacetyl has since been discontinued, but several cases have surfaced over the past decade.Let us put it this way. Continued exposure to diacetyl and FFCDs will cause your air flow to become constricted. This will make it very difficult for you to breathe. Specifically, diacetyl will, over time, cause small airways in your lungs to become inflamed and it is this inflammation that can lead to the constriction of your airways. The manifestations of this disease include chronic dry cough, shortness of breath and a wheezing sound similar to asthma. In fact, it is these similarities that lead to misdiagnosis. The real name of the disease is bronchiolitis obliterans. Sadly, this condition is irreversible.
There is even a study in 2012 by the Chemical Research in Toxicology, carried out by scientists in the University of Minneapolis. This research also claimed that, aside from the now-recognized respiratory problems associated with exposure to both inhaled and consumed diacetyl, the chemical can also bring about the development of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain via its effects on the nerves of the body that lead to the brain. According to the scientists, diacetyl could possibly attack and weaken nerve cells by preventing the effects of glyoxalase I. It is to be noted that glyoxalase I protects the nerve cells from damage so, without it, the nerves are sitting ducks for chemical compounds to attack.
What Legal Remedies Can Be Obtained for Popcorn Lung Disease?
Because it is a compound found in most commodities out in the market, anyone who suspects that he or she has contracted Popcorn Lung Disease should always approach a lawyer that specialize in cases involving that disease. It has become quite an issue these days, even though diacetyl has already been discontinued as an artificial food flavoring. Last year, a man named Wayne Watson won a case against Gilster-Mary Lee Corp., The Kroger Co. and Dillon Companies Inc. and was awarded $7.2 million in damages. The case had successfully established that the defendants were negligent and failed to warn against the health dangers of diacetyl in its product packaging, acts which resulted to Watson’s respiratory problems.
If you think that you or someone you love has developed respiratory problems as a result of consuming diacetyl, you need to approach only two people: your doctor, and then a qualified Popcorn Lung Disease lawyer.
About the Author:
An experienced product liability lawyer, Richard Hanson has developed an intimate knowledge of cases involving chemicals like asbestos and, over the past decade, diacetyl. He is a private practitioner based in Memphis. Aside from fighting cases in court, Richard loves to fish and enjoys what he calls the “substance-free” environment of the outdoors.An experienced product liability lawyer and a writer for AttorneyOne.com, James Stein has developed an intimate knowledge of cases involving chemicals like asbestos and, over the past decade, diacetyl. He is a private practitioner based in California. Aside from fighting cases in court, James loves to fish and enjoys what he calls the “substance-free” environment of the outdoors.
Image credit: flickr.com/photos/escritorio47/8662866725/
Image credit: flickr.com/photos/pulmonary_pathology/3931156757/
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