Settlement Reached in Popcorn Lung Diacetyl Lawsuit

A man from Sioux City Iowa who had filed a lawsuit against International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. after being exposed to diacetyl (a buttery flavoring for microwave popcorn) has reached a settlement.
John Weimer Jr. filed the lawsuit in 2005 in U.S. District Court claiming that his lungs were damaged through exposure to diacetyl which has been linked to a respiratory disease known as popcorn lung. Weimer was exposed to diacetyl while he worked as a manager at the Snappy Popcorn Company plant in Breda, Iowa.
The National Institute of Health has linked exposure of vapors from butter flavoring to lung damage in popcorn plant workers. Health investigators have determined that the flavorings pose no danger to people who eat microwave popcorn.