Man Who Ate Microwave Popcorn Daily for Years Wins $7.2M After Developing ‘Popcorn Lung’

Watch Man Who Ate Microwave Popcorn Daily for Years Wins $7.2M After Developing ‘Popcorn Lung’ - Rizzle on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Man who ate microwave popcorn daily for years wins $7.2 million after developing popcorn lung.

00:08Most of us enjoy the occasional bowl of popcorn while watching a movie or sports match on TV.

00:13While air-popped popcorn is healthy and high in antioxidants and fiber,

00:17microwave popcorn may be harmful to your lungs, not from eating it but from inhaling its fumes,

00:23leading to an irreversible condition called popcorn lung.

00:26In 2012, Wayne Watson from Colorado won a $7.2 million lawsuit after developing bronchiolitis obliterans

00:33from his habit of consuming two bags of microwave popcorn daily for 10 years.

00:38He habitually inhaled the steam after opening the bags.

00:42The lawsuit argued that he developed the condition from inhaling harmful vapors from diacetyl flavoring.

00:48Popcorn lung narrows and scars small airways, causing chronic cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

00:54These symptoms persist even after treatment, often requiring transplant or oxygen therapy.

01:01Diacetyl is safe to consume, but dangerous when inhaled.

01:04This issue was discovered in the early 2000s among workers at a microwave popcorn facility in Missouri.

01:11By 2007, major popcorn brands removed diacetyl from their ingredients.

01:16Today, most modern microwave popcorn no longer uses it.

01:19To stay safe, let popcorn bags vent before consumption and avoid directly inhaling the steam.

01:25Unless you regularly inhale microwave popcorn vapors, your risk is minimal.

01:30While popcorn lung is irreversible, it can be prevented with caution.