The Truth . . . about Popcorn Lung

I just found out that someone I know has popcorn lung, an irreversible lung disease caused by inhaling the buttery aroma of microwave popcorn, or specifically diacetyl, the chemical used to produce the buttery taste in the absence of actual butter. Diacetyl is also found in candies and wines.

[In interests of fairness, I would like to point out that this is not April First.]

Why have you never heard of popcorn lung before? Because of the evial machinations of the Popcorn Lobby, I expect.

I imagine you can continue to safely eat candy, since normal folks generally don’t snort it, but if you look at a wine label and it says “contains notes of cherry, licorice, and the enticing aroma of Jiffy Pop,” you’d better put that sucker back on the shelf.