Hate it or love it, the scent of microwave
popcorn attracts everyone’s attention. What
you need to know is the level at which this experience has the danger of being toxic.
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You have done at one time or other: Pulling the corners of a hot ready-to-eat bag
of popcorn fresh out of the microwave, and a stream of fragrance immediately
emerges. The bad news is that such hot
puff contains 48 chemicals. What are the
origins of these chemicals you ask? According
to the U.S.’s
EPA, they include the ink and adhesives used on the bag, and the buttery
flavours added. It is not very clear if
all of these chemicals may be detrimental at the levels emitted, but one of
them is a known menace.
Diacetyl, the substance responsible for
providing the buttery taste to this popular snack, made the news recently when
an individual developed bronchiolitis
obliterans, a.k.a. “popcorn lung”, a severe respiratory ailment related to inhaling
large amounts of it. This situation is known to have occurred with workers in
popcorn manufacturing facilities. Though
diacetyl is present in dozens of foods, it is harmless when ingested. It only becomes a problem when heated at high
temperatures, as happens when you cook microwave popcorn: The substance turns
into a toxic vapour.
The concern is in the dosage. The person reported to have been effected
with “popcorn lungs” had an average of two bags of extra-butter-flavoured microwave
popcorn….per day….for over ten years. The
best part of this routine was to linger over the steaming-hot bag in order to
get the full extent of its buttery aroma.
Although the individual was a single case,
the people who treated the person would not dismiss their concern over this
occurrence.
Many popcorn manufacturers have taken that
concern to heart. Some no longer use
diacetyl in their product’s formulations.
So what can be said about the remaining
chemicals in microwave popcorn? An
expert in the fumes produced by microwave popcorn recommends a simple safety
measure: Wait for the bag to cool down
before opening it. This allows the
potential toxic vapour to condense. Also, open the bag under the kitchen’s exhaust
fan.
Better yet, you should try making popcorn
the old-fashioned way….over the stove. I
pop it in 100% melted butter, and before serving sprinkle salt and herbs du Province
to taste. Yummy !!!!
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