Woman Sues Over "Popcorn Lung"

A Queens woman has filed a suit against ConAgra, the makers of microwaveable Act II popcorn, claiming she came down with "popcorn lung" after inhaling the vapors from the buttery snack. Agnes Mercado says she consumed the popcorn twice a day for 16 years, and is just one of many consumers suing over exposure to the additive biacetyl (or diacetyl), which gives the popcorn a buttery taste. She told the Daily News, "I was eating two or three bags of popcorn a day. I didn't know it would destroy my lungs."

Though ConAgra stopped using the additive in 2007, many factory workers have also sued the company for exposure to biacetyl in the workplace, which has cost them over $100 million in settlements. Mercado says inhaling the vapors from 1991 to 2007 resulted in her bronchiolitis obliterans, an airway obstruction that does not respond to any medicine. She now must carry an oxygen tank with her at all times, and has been confined to a desk job at a nursing home in Far Rockaway. Lawyer Wendy Fleishman said, "She just had a horrible reaction to this. It should never have been added to microwave popcorn or any other food." The suit also claims she is likely to require a lung transplant.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on May 8, 2010 12:40 PM

Comments [rss]

DEFIANTROA

You deserve to die eating anything that has to be microwave every time. Dump baatch!

juliec

Too bad she doesn't have an air popper. I have 2-3 bowls a day and only suffer from Having to floss a lot.

crabbapple

While I agree that all excess can be unhealthy, isn`t this is what the FDA is supposed to regulate? Toxic chemicals in foods that make them "tasty"? Just like the Polygrip denture cream loaded with zinc that was only recently taken off the market even though scientists and doctors have known since the 1950`s that zinc overdose can cause permanent nervous system damage, which it did in consumers of the cream. No, Instead what the FDA actually does is get lobbied by corporations to keep dangerous items on the market and their competitors items off the market. Corrupt and rotten to the core.

Christine Quinn's SIush Fund

Yes, but TWO to THREE times a day for 16 years of ANY single thing can probably cause SOMETHING to go wrong.

Guest

+1. hahahahahahaha

that actually makes sense!

Guest

that was a reply to zincink's post.

zincink

This lawsuit is laughable, however if they do decide to settle in court, Act II should give her a lifetime supply of the popcorn so she can end her miserable life.

Spirit of 76

Is it? Wayne Watson, the man with the first non-worker case of popcorn lung (also because of eating way too much microwave popcorn like this woman) sued in 2008 and his case wasn't thrown out of court. It was eventually settled, though.

NannyState

After a while, couldn't she just pop plain popcorn and then cough on it?

june

What a jerk; if you didn't know it would kill your lungs, at least you knew it would kill the waistline and give you other serious health problems that are associated with eating this kind of crap. Sounds just like those two girls that sued McDonald's after their weight reached 300lbs.

robingee

Actually popcorn is really good; it's got fiber and low-fat. Or fat-free if you don't slather it with crap.

nicemarmot

Good lord. Are people not aware that consuming too much of any one thing is bad for you? Hell, you can even kill yourself drinking too much water.

bobchadwick

What about asparagus? I ask because I was home by myself last night and I ate the whole bunch of asparagus I had in my fridge. It seemed like it might have been too much.

Guest

That's fine, unless stinky pee is carcinogenic.

Jesse

I can't wait to see popcorn packages with the same stuff on packs of cigarettes LOL

Spirit of 76

Read the post above again. The major companies removed diacetyl from microwave popcorn years ago. I'm not sure if any bargain off-brands still use it.

Microwave popcorn is a waste anyway. If you're going to eat that much popcorn, buy a microwave or hot air popper and a big jar of kernels. They'll pay for themselves quickly compared with the overpriced bags. At 2 bags a day, you'd break even inside of a month.

inoyourider

No shit- if she were that much of a popcorn-a-holic you'd think she would have graduated from the cheap microwave stuff a long time ago.

Guest

ALL-CAPS engaged:

HOLY MOTHER OF FUCKING SHIT!!! 2 TO 3 BAGS A DAY FOR 16 YEARS??? WHAT THE FUCK??!!?? WHAT THE FUCK??!??! WHAT THE FUCK!!!?

ps are we going to have warning labels on popcorns now too?