Popcorn lung

Everyone loves the smell of popcorn and many people get the desire to lick all of the butter off their fingers after eating the fluffy snack, but is popcorn becoming a health concern for Americans?
A few popular brands that come to mind are Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Pop Secret, and Jolly Time.  Today these are these are also the brands you should be most concerned about. In the past twelve months, these four companies have had an 80 percent market share of the microwave popcorn market and sell 498,000 tons of popcorn every year to snackers around the world.   
However, the same buttery taste and smell that makes popcorn such an appealing snack for so many people also poses a health threat to those who consume it on a regular basis. Diacetyl, a chemical used in the artificial butter flavoring can cause bronchiolitis obliterans. This is a serious lung disease which has now taken on the name “Popcorn Worker’s lung” after several workers that work with the chemical became diagnosed with the disease. Aside from a lung transplant there is no cure for the disease which causes inflammation and scarring of the airways of the lungs and leads to serious breathing problems.
“I love the smell of popcorn! Either when it’s still inside the microwave or even when it’s down the hall it  gives you cravings, ” said junior Ava Blennerhasset. “Now that I am hearing about all these problems I am definitely going to think twice when I smell the goodness of popcorn”
Since both the popcorn manufacturer and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have determined that one must inhale a significant amount of diacetyl before acquiring the disease, they have declared that it poses no significant threat to the average consumer.
Recently, the companies who  manufacture popcorn met and discussed the situation. They came to the conclusion that a recipe change to butter-flavored popcorn would eventually be necessary. However, they are still unsure of when this will be done.
“I am really concerned because if the makers of microwave popcorn did not know they were harming their consumers it is a scary thought. I think I’m going to watch my popcorn eating habits in the next few months until I know that all the problems with it are gone,” said sophomore Desmond Lee
These recent problems are not the first to effect the popcorn industry. A few years ago, popcorn companies were having problems with the coating on the inside of the bags becoming a hazard upon being heated, but they have since been rectified.