Popcorn Lung!

(Colorado) A man who microwaved and ate two to three bags of extra-buttered popcorn a day for a decade has come down with a dangerous lung disease, apparently the first public case of "popcorn lung". Popcorn lung, or broncheolitis obliterans, permanently scars airways, eventually leaving victims fighting for breath and dependent on oxygen. Safety experts identified the disease in workers in popcorn factories in 2002. After treating a Colorado furniture salesman, 53, earlier this year, doctors at the National Jewish Medical and Research Centre in Denver warned federal agencies. "We cannot be sure that this patient's exposure to butter-flavoured microwave popcorn has caused his lung disease," wrote the hospital's Cecile Rose."However, we have no other plausible explanation."

In response to the news, the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers Association on Tuesday recommended that members who made butter flavours with diacetyl consider cutting its concentration. The association made it clear there was no suggestion of risk from eating popcorn. "No, it's inhalation," Dr. Rose said. "This patient described enjoying the smell so much he was actually inhaling the steam." Dr. Rose said she had been surprised by the man's condition. "So I turned to him and apologised and said, 'This is a really weird question. But are you around a lot of popcorn?' His jaw dropped, and he said, 'How did you know to ask me that? I am popcorn.' He described himself as a two-pack-a-day user. Sometimes more." “When he broke open the bags, after the steam came out, he would often inhale the fragrance because he liked it so much,” Dr. Rose said. “That’s heated diacetyl, which we know from the workers’ studies is the highest risk.” Dr. Rose measured levels of diacetyl in the man’s home after he made popcorn and found levels of the chemical were similar to those in microwave popcorn plants. She asked the man to stop eating microwave popcorn. “He was really upset that he couldn’t have it anymore,” Dr. Rose said. “But he complied.” Six months later, the man has lost 50 pounds and his lung function has not only stopped deteriorating but has actually improved slightly, Dr. Rose said. “This is not a definitive causal link, but it raises a lot of questions and supports the recommendation that more work needs to be done,” Dr. Rose said.

What if someone liked the smell of spotted dick so much that she ate several cans a day and inhaled the aroma? Can you get Spotted Dick Lung?

Cheetos Asault! A 22-year-old man has been arrested for assaulting his father with a bag of Cheetos. Patrick Hamman started arguing with his father, Michael, on Sunday night. Patrick, who lives with his father in Iowa, picked up a bag of Cheetos and threw it at him, hitting him in the face, the Des Moines Register reported. The bag hit Michael in the glasses, causing a cut to the bridge of his nose. The police report , which listed the bag of Cheetos as an assault weapon, said: "Michael's T-shirt was also covered in Cheetos dust."

Has anyone ever been addicted to this?