
"Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn" The poison gas phosgene, first used extensively as a chemical warfare agent during World War I, can cause a horrific lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans in which your small airways are essentially obliterated, a generally irreversible fatal condition that may also be caused by... butter-flavored microwave popcorn. I've warned previously about diacetyl, the artificial butter flavor, linked to a condition known as popcorn lung in workers who had been exposed to it and started dying from it. Turns out the industry knew about the dangers for decades, but covered it up. Even when workers started dying, the company swore the chemical was safe for consumers though, that it was only an occupational health hazard. In fact, they even had ads with Orville Redenbacher telling consumers to breathe deep, but I quipped in my last video that any ingredient requiring the use of a gas mask is probably not something you want to feed your family. I wanted to err on the side of caution, and I'm glad I did. A series of cases of consumers of butter-flavored microwave popcorn developing bronchiolitis obliterans. 47 year old woman who consumed 3-5 bags a day and now can't even walk without getting out of breath. She's currently awaiting a lung transplant. A 56 year old man, another lifelong nonsmoker, but ate 2-3 bags a day before he started coughing up blood. His doctor alerted the FDA, but it remains on the market to this day. A third, just 1-2 bags a day and her Jolly Time pop secret was ending up with lungs so scarred they had what's called honeycombing and patches with the appearance of ground glass. Now, the chemical is found in real butter too, but is heavily concentrated when added as an additional flavoring, and remains legal on store shelves to this day. The "regulation of health hazards from food additives" "has simply fallen between the regulatory and health surveillance cracks." They recommend a series of steps to protect consumers, such as allowing the bag to cool completely before opening... (but who wants cold popcorn?) and then opening in a well-ventilated area away from the face. One solution they didn't mention that would also eliminate the risk of lung disease- don't buy it.