For the ones worried about Popcorn Lung...

I have stumbled upon this subject a few times lately and, for some reason, there seems to be a great deal of misinformation on the Internet about "popcorn lung." Some folks seem to think that you get it by simply eating butter-flavored popcorn a few times a week or that you are always at risk when consuming microwave popcorn.

Popcorn Lung is a lung disease that is cause by repeatedly breathing in lots of hot vapor and steam that has diacetyl in it, which is the chemical used to flavor butter popcorn. This started as a major issue with the factory workers at the popcorn plants, several years ago, as they breathed this crap in all the time. There is only one known consumer that was ever diagnosed with Popcorn Lung by merely eating microwave popcorn, and he said he ate 2 bags every night for 10 years and would always stick his head in the bag when he got it out of the microwave so he could deeply inhale the fumes. Yes, that is rather extreme, but it happened, nonetheless. However, there were several factory workers that developed this lung disease.

About 8 years ago, the major brand-name microwave popcorn companies removed the chemical that was responsible for this. You can read more about that, here: www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/18/popcorn_firms_removing_flavoring_chemical/

Even if they replaced the chemical with an equally harmful one, consuming a few bags of microwave popcorn here and there shouldn't even come close to the one reported case from that popcorn-crazy consumer, nor would it closely resemble the factory workers that once worked around diacetyl on a regular basis. Stuff like this and so much more, is what the Internet often turns into a widespread Urban Myth. It wasn't too long ago when a few bloggers got some bad rumors started about baby carrots. It was so ridiculous that they had to air it on the News; the carrot companies showed that it was all a bunch of lies and propaganda that propagated on the Internet.

Anyway, there is a chemical involved with microwave popcorn that could possibly be harmful to our health, and it is used to coat the inside of the popcorn bags. I still eat microwave popcorn, but like most things, moderation is the key. Cheers!

Side Note: I do go through occasional bouts where I simply pop my own popcorn. It is so easy and even cheaper than the microwave type (not that any of it is expensive or anything). I just add some coconut oil to a big pot, popcorn kernels (obviously), apply some seasoned salt and black pepper, then let the popping commence. It is also good for the ones that like to have full control over what type of fat, the amount of salt, etc., that is being used. Some people even air pop their popcorn, but to each their own...

Related Link: www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/009/20/you-need-worry-about-popcorn-lung-from-microwave-snacks/dDkwyN1sf2YoVsyszIIz3O/story.html (link is no longer active)

Image Credit: It is in the Public Domain and is not under copyright protection.

---End of Post "For the ones worried about Popcorn Lung..."

Random Blog Post: Grow your own edibles