You know that Orville Redenbacher extra-buttery movie theater microwave popcorn you ate while watching your DVD rentals this weekend? Turns out that that very bag of yumminess is causing “popcorn lung” for the workers at ConAgra. Yep, that butter flavor is made possible by the chemical diacetyl and is responsible for severe lung disease – bronchiolitis obliterans to be exact – in workers. The buttery aroma may even be toxic to consumers, too.

Matter of fact, lung specialist Dr. Cecile Rose recently diagnosed a consumer with “popcorn lung”.  When Dr. Rose notified the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, advising them of the possibility that people who pop microwave corn at home can be at risk, the news apparently fell on deaf ears. So much so that the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) says that the failure of these agencies to respond lickety-split to this report indicates a “disturbing decline in our nation’s public health system.”

Consumers have the right to eat food that won’t make them sick. Unfortunately, the food industry often seeks to produce food in the cheapest and fastest way possible, but their methods can spread disease. What can you do about this phenomenon? For starters, you can peruse our information on food safety. And if you’re feeling particularly lively, go ahead and check out our action alerts to promote safe food and water. Sign up on our activist list to get notified of important decisions as they happen.

The good news is that ConAgra has decided to follow in the footsteps of Pop Weaver and eliminate the use of this ewey-gooey “butter” chemical. (But do check out our farm bill report for one or two other issues with the agribusiness giant, like how much they paid farmers for the corn.)