Brew: This video is brought to you by NordVPN.
When it comes to junk food, there’s
no shortage of unhealthy side effects.
You’ve probably heard all about the health concerns
of eating too many chips or candies, but many of us
wouldn’t necessarily expect that certain snacks could
leave us with shortness of breath or coughing fits.
But what if there was a salty snack that could make
you sick just from breathing in the air around it?
(TV playing in the background)
Grill: Hey, sauce me some of that popcorn.
Brew: Popcorn!
A buttery, salty treat for your home movie nights?
Or a dangerous and deadly threat that
could leave you struggling to breathe?
Grill: DAMNIT!
Brew: So come along and let’s learn a tale of caution
related to this confection, and how one man’s love of
popcorn left him to develop an irreversible lung disease.
But first...
Today’s episode deals with food and medical conditions.
We’re not doctors.
We’re just looking at a topic from an unbiased position.
If you want to learn about the health effects of your
diet, we encourage you to talk to a licensed dietician.
And with that out of the way, let’s get into it!
Put a movie on, grab a bag of popcorn, throw it in the
microwave, and enjoy both the soothing sound of kernels
popping, and the sweet, sweet smell of melted butter and salt.
It’s a ritual that many of us have indulged in.
But no matter how much you love popcorn, doing that
two to three times a day seems a bit much, right?
Well, not for Wayne Watson, a Centennial, Colorado
man who enjoyed popcorn just a little too much.
Grill: Brew, I appreciate that you have an
episode going on here, but it is movie night.
And this movie night has been made possible by Nord VPN.
Chill: Yeah!
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Anyways, it’s movie night Brew.
Is nothing sacred to you, you monster?
Brew: No!
Chill: Ah man...
Brew: Watson reportedly ate roughly two bags of popcorn
a day for ten years, which would total over 7,300
bags of popcorn when you take leap years into account.
And, as you do, Watson would have been enjoying the
wafting buttery aroma of his fluffy evening snack.
Grill: Well, yeah.
That’s one of the best parts.
But how could someone eat that much popcorn and not get sick?
Brew: Well, that’s the thing.
He did.
Grill: Oh.
Brew: But strangely enough, the problem wasn't an upset
stomach from too much popcorn like you might expect.
Instead, in 2007 the then-53-year-old furniture
salesman found himself developing respiratory issues.
The culprit?
Well, according to the National Jewish Medical and
Research Center in Denver, the issue was a disease
known as “obliterative bronchiolitis”, most commonly
found in factory workers in the food industry that have
prolonged exposure to a chemical known as diacetyl.
Obliterative bronchiolitis is an irreversible
lung disease that affects the smallest
airways in the lungs known as bronchioles.
Causing these airways to become damaged and
inflamed, and can lead to scarring that blocks
the airways, leaving those affected with a dry
cough, fatigue, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
And if this episode is taking your breath away,
please like, subscribe, and ring the bell to get more
Brew— I heard that you’re statistically more likely
to do it if I ask nicely so um, back to the episode…
Let’s walk things back a little.
2000, a mystery was unfurling in Jasper, Missouri…
Eight patients in the town had begun suffering
from breathing problems, and biopsies showed that
all eight had contracted a fairly rare disease—
Grill: That oboe-lation brontosaurus or whatever.
Chill: Oblat Bracchus!
Brew: “Obliterative Bronchiolitis”, but nice try boys.
Proud of you.
Yes, the eight factory workers had managed to contract the
same condition, and what’s more, they all shared a workplace.
Specifically, a microwave popcorn plant.
Which brings us to the other name
of obliterative bronchiolitis!
Popcorn lung.
Chill: Popcorn lung! Popcorn lung!
It comes at night, so stay in the sun!
Brew: Uh- what?
Grill: Chill, are you ok?
Chill: I don’t know what that was
but I guess I just got scared.
Brew: Well, it doesn’t come at night, instead
the culprit is the sweet, buttery flavoring used
for everyone’s favorite snack on movie night.
Doctors researching for the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health discovered that the vapors
coming from the vats of the butter flavoring were causing
the lung damage, likely due to the chemical ingredient
diacetyl, according to Missouri state epidemiologist,
Dr. Eduardo Simoes.
Four of these employees had developed such severe cases
of popcorn lung that they needed lung transplants.
And they weren’t the only ones.
Sixteen current and former employees at the plant filed both
workers’ compensation claims against the Gilster-Mary Lee
Corporation which ran the factory producing Hospitality and
Pops Rite popcorn brands, and a class action lawsuit against
International Flavors and Fragrances, which made the flavours.
Seven of those plaintiffs were still employed at the
Gilster-Mary Lee factory, with some on disability leave.
And, at the time, another 21 workers
showed signs of lung problems.
And according to Amy Powell, a lawyer with the
law firm Humphrey, Farrington, McClain & Edgar,
representing the plaintiffs, the symptoms were severe.
''Some of these people can't even help out with household
chores like mowing the lawn because they're so out of breath,
and things like playing with their kids are hard for them,''
Gilster-Mary Lee denied liability and
for some time, denied benefits as well.
Grill: Are you serious?
These workers are out here with their lung ravioli-
Brew: Alveoli.
Grill: popping like corn and they wanna deny benefits!?
Brew: Unfortunately.
But this number would only rise, with 43 employees of
the Jasper plant winning suits between 2004 and 2007,
with sadly, at least one passing away in that time.
Though, according to the NIOSH doctors, there’s
no threat to people who are eating microwave
popcorn at home once a week for movie night.
Which brings us back to Wayne Watson.
See, microwave popcorn being safe is mostly
accurate, but doesn’t account for extreme cases.
Chill: Like eating two bags of
popcorn a day for ten years straight?
Brew: Yeah.
That one specifically.
Doctors tested Watson’s home and found that
the buttery smooth flavoring additive diacetyl
levels in his home were equal to those found in
popcorn plants, according to the Washington Post.
When Watson was first admitted to
the hospital, lung specialist Dr.
Cecile Rose at the National Jewish Medical and Research
Center in Denver asked him if he had eaten a lot of popcorn.
"his jaw dropped and he asked me how
I would possibly know that about him,"
Watson had become the first known non-factory
worker to develop popcorn lung, a discovery that Dr.
Rose shared with federal agencies, saying,
"We cannot be sure that this patient's exposure
to butter-flavored microwave popcorn from daily
heavy preparation has caused his lung disease.
However, we have no other plausible explanation."
In the end, Watson went the same route as
all those workers who developed the disease.
Grill: He sued them?
Brew: Oh, you bet he did.
Homie popped off.
His suit targeted both Gilster-Mary Lee
Corp, and the supermarket chain Kroger Co.
Both companies claimed that his lung disease was more
likely caused by working with furniture cleaners, and
that he misled the court about his daily popcorn intake.
A federal jury found Gilster-Mary Lee Corp
liable for 80% of damages, and Kroger Co.
liable for 20%, awarding Watson $7.2 million,
though both companies planned to appeal the rulings.
Watson also sued flavoring company FONA
International, but they settled out of court.
At the end of the day, it’s good to take things
in moderation - though, that doesn’t help the many
factory workers who had been exposed to diacetyl
and developed popcorn lung while just being at work.
Which is why America’s largest hotel,
restaurant, and kitchen workers’ union has been
calling for the removal of diacetyl, writing:
"It could pose a serious health risk to commercial
cooks and UNITE HERE is calling for fast action
by the food industry to cease the use of diacetyl
flavoring in commercial and home cooking products,"
It’s also worth noting that there’s no set amount
of diacetyl exposure that is safe, even by OSHA,
according to an NPR article written in 2012.
In their description of diacetyl in 2020, the FDA put no limit
on the flavoring except for “current good practice”, though
the CDC did publish a report from the NIOSH recommending
specific exposure limits for factory workers in 2016.
It’s also worth noting that diacetyl isn’t just a
flavoring additive used to make popcorn taste more buttery.
It can also be found naturally in butter and
milk, used in butterscotch and caramel, and can be
created through the roasting process
of coffee… Huh.
I’m okay with this.
According to an article on Web MD from 2007, some of
the largest microwave popcorn producers, including Con
Agra, General Mills, American Pop Corn Company, and Pop
Weaver, have stopped using diacetyl in their products.
Their brands include Orville Redenbacher, Act
II, Pop Secret, Jolly Time and Pop Weaver.
You’ll also likely see some kind of warning label
on your popcorn, advising you to open the bag
away from your face or not breathe in the fumes.
But as for Watson?
Well, he doesn’t eat much popcorn anymore.
That bubble has… popped.
Grill: Ok, boo, but what about that coffe-