Microwave popcorn will come under more study as a possible health hazard. This isn’t about the clogging of arteries from the grease, though the oil put into packets of microwave popcorn is considered a culprit.
Workers who claimed they suffered serious lung illness from butter flavoring chemicals have won lawsuits against Midwestern processing plants. Now the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Food Additive Safety says it’ll look into whether the chemical vapors released when you pop it at home could cause any danger to the casual consumer.
Missouri workers won a 20-million dollar judgment in a suit over on-the-job injury they say the chemicals caused. A worker at a Sioux City Jolly Time plant filed suit against the maker of the chemical, but not his employer. That case hasn’t been settled. A professor of public health who’s been tracking government action on the issue says this is a turnaround for the FDA.