PDF VERSION

Popcorn Habit Proves Tough on Lungs

Wayne Watson first noticed difficulties with his breathing during choir practice, when he could no longer hold long notes. Over time, he became shorter and shorter of breath until his lungs were functioning at about half their normal capacity.

The 53-year-old Centennial, Colorado, man sought help from National Jewish. In February 2007, Cecile Rose, MD, sat down with Watson and tried to solve the mystery of his worsening lungs. For an hour and a half she asked him about any  and everything he had been exposed to that might have damaged his lungs. Nothing seemed to stand out.

But just as she was wrapping up the interview, Dr. Rose noticed a similarity between Watson’s case and those of workers in microwave popcorn and flavor manufacturing plants. The workers’ lungs had apparently been damaged by a chemical in the butter flavoring they worked with. Dr. Rose and her colleague, industrial hygienist John Martyny, PhD, had consulted with dozens of companies, screening workers for potential lung damage and recommending changes to reduce workers’ exposure to the chemical diacetyl. So, Dr. Rose asked Watson if he was ever around much microwave popcorn.

“How on earth did you know?” asked a stunned Watson. “I am Mr. Popcorn. I eat two bags of extra-butter-flavored microwave popcorn every day.”

Wayne Watson could be the first known consumer who has developed bronchiolitis obliterans, from exposure to the butter flavoring diacetyl. Since it was only a single case, it was impossible for Dr. Rose to definitively say that the butter flavoring damaged Wayne Watson’s lungs. But six months after Dr. Rose told Watson to stop eating butter-flavored microwave popcorn, Watson’s lung function had stabilized and even improved slightly, probably as a result of the 30 pounds he lost after trading popcorn for healthier fruit and vegetable snacks. 

Given the potential public health implications of the case, she alerted officials at several federal regulatory agencies. The letters eventually became public and news media outlets around the story ran with the story. Within days several of the largest microwave popcorn manufacturers had announced that they would no longer use diacetyl in their popcorn.