Federal occupational health experts have worried about the hundreds of popcorn workers diagnosed with a sometimes fatal, lung-destroying disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. The Seattle PI was concerned that the users ofproducts containing diacetyl could also be exposed to dangerous levels. In lab testing commissioned by the PI, diacetyl was released when 23 margarines, sprays and cooking oils were heated. The levels of diacetyl vapors to which professional cooks could be exposed matched doses that some ofthe ill popcorn workers received.
