Dangerous Flavorings

In mid-March, a married couple was awarded $20 million for lung damage that the husband claims was due to exposure to butter flavoring at a microwave-popcorn plant where he worked from 1997 to 1999. The man was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, which is characterized by inflammation and scarring in the smallest airways of the lungs, which leads to severe and disabling shortness of breath. The specific claim was that the manufacturer of the butter flavoring (International Flavors and Fragrances Inc.) failed to warn their customers about the dangers of chemicals contained in the butter flavor. The case was the first of 30 lawsuits filed against the company by plant workers.

A spokesperson for the plaintiff’s lawyer stated that the lung damage was probably caused by diacetyl, which is a component of the flavoring. An important part of the case was that International Flavors and Fragrances required all of its own workers to use respirators when working with butter flavoring, but did not warn its customers of the dangers of the butter flavoring or recommend that its customers afford their workers the same protections that it was using with its own workers.

The EPA has recently announced that it will investigate the safety of diacetyl when contained in products for consumers. The Agency hopes to complete the first phase of a study this fall identifying a wide range of volatile organic compounds that may be emitted when microwave popcorn is popped and opened. Work will then begin on quantifying the amounts of these indoor air pollutants. (Chemical Regulation Reporter, 3/22/04).

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