Pass (on) the Popcorn

There’s nothing like the smell of the buttery box of freshly-popped popcorn that you swear you won’t buy but then you do and proceed to eat half of it before the previews are over at the movie theatre. Every afternoon, someone in my office pops a bag of Orville Redenbacher’s and boy, it smells good.

But an often overlooked article came out in 2007 in the New York Times about how workers in flavoring factories of popcorn were treated with a life-threatening lung condition which there is no cure or treatment. Their airways were being destroyed, yet none of them smoked or had a family history of lung disease. What was the cause?

The cause: diacetyl.

The yellow flavoring that gives popcorn that amazing flavor.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor also put out a report about the chemical and its link to lung damage. I don’t understand all this scientific data, but there seems to be more than enough evidence that the fake (but oh so good) butter carries more risk than I’m willing to take.

So next time you’re in the movie theatre or want a late afternoon snack, pour on the real butter, skip it, make sure the chemical is not on the list of ingredients, or just go for the Goobers.

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