Posted on 03/11/2004 6:06:46 AM PST by nuconvert
EPA Studies Chemicals Emitted From Microwave Popcorn Linked to Lung Disease
Mar 11, 2004
By Connie Farrow/ Associated Press Writer
The Environmental Protection Agency is studying the chemicals released into the air when a bag of microwave popcorn is popped or opened. Exposure to vapors from butter flavoring in microwave popcorn has been linked to a rare lung disease contracted by factory workers in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has said it suspects the chemical diacetyl caused the illnesses.
However, health officials insist people who microwave popcorn and eat it at home are not in danger.
In the first direct study of chemicals contained in one of the nation's most popular snack foods, the EPA's Indoor Environment Management Branch at Research Triangle Park, N.C., is examining the type and amount of chemicals emitted from microwave popcorn bags.
Further research would be needed to determine any health effects of those chemicals and whether consumers are at risk, said Jacky Rosati, an EPA scientist involved in the study.
"Once we know what chemicals are and the amounts, somebody else can look at the health effects," Rosati said Wednesday.
About 50 brands, batches and flavors of microwave popcorn - from super-buttery to sugary sweet "kettle corn" - are being tested, she said.
"Obviously, we are looking at diacetyl because it is a known compound that will come off this popcorn. But we're not looking at that alone," Rosati said.
The EPA study began last fall and is expected to be completed this year. It likely will be submitted for peer review before being made public, Thompson said.
Rosati started the study after hearing a presentation on popcorn workers who became sick at the Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. plant in Jasper, Mo.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has linked diacetyl to the respiratory illnesses found in workers who mix the microwave popcorn flavorings. Investigators believe the chemical becomes hazardous when it is heated and there is repeated exposure to large quantities over a long time.
Thirty former workers at the Jasper plant have suing two butter flavoring manufacturers.
The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association based in Washington, D.C., said the flavor ingredients in microwave popcorn pose no threat to consumers.
The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates food additives, also considers butter flavoring to be safe for consumer use.
"I haven't seen anything that would give us any reason to suspect this is something we should make a high priority," said George Pauli, acting director of the FDA's office of food additive safety.
United States consumers bought $1.33 billion worth of microwave popcorn in 2000, said Ann Wilkes, spokeswoman for the Snack Food Association.
Toxic Fume Bronchiolitis Obliterans
Toxic fume bronchiolitis obliterans results from exposure to nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other agents that cause a spectrum of symptoms from mild nasal and throat irritation to immediate asphyxiation and death. Mild symptoms usually resolve without residual effects. The irreversible stage of bronchiolitis obliterans begins with a latent period of no respiratory symptoms for several hours after exposure followed by diffuse alveolar damage and respiratory failure four to six hours later. If recovery occurs, in one to three weeks, some patients then develop irreversible airflow obstruction due to constrictive bronchiolitis with an extensive obliterative component. This is a late lesion and lung biopsy shows irreversible scarring of the bronchioles. At this stage, the findings are identical to idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans, early inspiratory crackles, a radiograph that is normal or shows hyperinflation and airflow obstruction.
The use of potentially toxic chemicals in manufacturing processes is increasing through out the world resulting in an increased possibility of exposed workers developing bronchiolar disorders. For example, two workers in a lithium battery factory were accidentally exposed to thionyl-cholride, and one of them developed a prolonged clinical course and findings consistent with bronchiolitis obliterans (41). This acidic compound is used in the manufacturing process and produces SO2 and HCL fumes when in contact with water.
A 1992 study of 20 patients with silo filler's disease in New York (42) confirmed that the irreversible constrictive bronchiolitis lesion is rare; however, the mortality from the acute process remains high, 20 percent died within the first 24 hours from acute alveolar injury and massive pulmonary edema. Among these 20 patients, exposures occurred during September and October, and corn silage was the exposure source in 90 percent. All were young men with an average age of 32 years. Dyspnea was the most common symptom; two of the 16 survivors had persistent respiratory complaints. One patient presented with delayed onset bronchiolitis. This patient became ill in November with five days of fever and progressive dyspnea and a chest radiograph that showed bilateral small nodular opacities. Six weeks previously, he had entered a silo the day after it was filled with corn silage. After three or four breaths, he was nearly overcome, climbed out of the silo and had moderate shortness of breath for several days. He was treated successfully with corticosteroid therapy and had no residual radiographic or clinical effects.
A possible occurrence of bronchiolitis obliterans was described in a 39 year-old truck driver who delivered fly ash and developed acute respiratory failure requiring hospitalization (43). The chest radiograph showed bilateral infiltrates, and this episode rapidly improved with corticosteroid therapy. After two weeks, he returned with significant dyspnea. The vital capacity was normal at 5.44 liters (102% predicted), but the FEV1 was decreased to 2.13 liters (52% predicted) and the FEV1/FVC ratio was severely decreased to 39 percent. It was not known whether the direct effect of the fly ash particles, or whether toxic agents such as nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide adsorbed to the fly ash particle caused the injury.
Smoke inhalation bronchiolitis obliterans was described in a 23 year-old man who was in a fire while sleeping in his newly constructed house (44). He was unconscious when rescued. He had black sputum production containing soot. There was cough and mild dyspnea after recovery; however, he returned three years later because of persistent dyspnea. He had finger clubbing, an FEV1 of 0.90 liters, and an FEV1/FVC of 34 percent. Transbronchial biopsy showed chronic inflammatory changes in the bronchioles. The synthetic structural materials utilized to build his house produced gases that contained acrolain, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, NO2, and SO2 when burned. ....................................END....................
The name itself means the destruction of the bronchioles; quite a serious condition but a very low-incidence presentation.
This part from above shows how much air the patient could suck in and little he could blow back out:
After two weeks, he returned with significant dyspnea. The vital capacity was normal at 5.44 liters (102% predicted), but the FEV1 was decreased to 2.13 liters (52% predicted)
This what makes this type of lung disease so serious even when not fatal. Needs further study.
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