Diacetyl Replacement Poses Respiratory Hazard

While the butter flavoring used on popcorn may taste good, it is made using dangerous chemicals that may be putting the workers who manufacture it at a higher risk of developing respiratory illnesses.

The distinct butter flavor in microwave and movie theatre popcorn is a product that is created using 2, 3-pentanedione (PD), a chemical that can cause respiratory hazards and has altered the gene expression of brain in rats. PD was created as a replacement to diacetyl, another butter flavoring chemical that was found to cause bronchiolitis obliterans - a severe and irrevocable lung disease - in workers at manufacturing plants.

Exposure to PD has respiratory toxicity that is comparable to diacetyl in laboratory animals, as per the study by The American Journal of Pathology. A group of rats was exposed for six hours to various concentrations of PD along with a comparable concentration of diacetyl and filtered air.The airway epithelium is damaged by PD exposure to similar extent as in diacetyl. The study indicates that this damage is the underlying cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, Eureka Alerts reported.

The investigators concluded that respiratory epithelial injury in the upper nose for both was similar, if not same.

If you or someone you know has been harmed at the workplace, contact Sokolove Law today for free legal consultation and to find out if a chemical exposure lawyer may be able to help you. For legal help, call (800) 581-6358.

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