Woman sues due to 'popcorn lung

m@cc@

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/05/07/2010-05-07_woman_sues_says_16_years_of_inhaling_microwave_popcorn_vapors_gave_her_popcorn_l.html.

A Queens woman is suing a food giant, claiming she got "popcorn lung" by inhaling vapors from microwaved munchies she consumed at least twice a day for 16 years.
Agnes Mercado claims ConAgra, the maker of Act II popcorn, is responsible for irreversible lung disease that will one day require a transplant.
"I've been eating popcorn many years, but now I wish I hadn't. It's made me very sick," she told the Daily News in between coughing fits yesterday.
"I was eating two or three bags of popcorn a day. I didn't know it would destroy my lungs."
The Far Rockaway woman is one of a handful of consumers who has sued over exposure to the additive biacetyl, which gives popcorn its buttery taste.
Several factory workers also have sued the Ohio company and other popcorn makers, resulting in more than $100 million in settlements, lawyers say.
The workers claim the additive has destroyed airways in their lungs.
Mercado learned last month she has a condition known as bronchiolitis obliterans. She says she ate Act II Lite popcorn every day from 1991 to 2007.
Mercado is confined to a desk job at a Rockaway nursing home and carries an oxygen tank with her everywhere she goes, said her lawyer, Wendy Fleishman.
"She has to work in a sedentary job," Fleishman said. "She just had a horrible reaction to this. It should never have been added to microwave popcorn or any other food."
Also named as defendants in the suit filed yesterday in Queens Supreme Court are several biacetyl manufacturers.
In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was reviewing whether consumers are at risk of lung disease through prolonged exposure to the additive.
A spokeswoman for ConAgra could not be reached for comment. The company says it no longer uses biacetyl as an additive.

Feckin' US and their frivolous law suits. "I was eating two or three bags of popcorn a day. I didn't know it would destroy my lungs." - I'm guessing she thought it had medicinal properties. 'Moderation' just doesn't seem to be a word in some people's vocabulary.

MrStuffins

She's from Queens?

I'd have thought she'd be from Manhattan!

M5

Woman who eats junkfood constantly - has health problems shocker!:rolleyes:

Jev/N

Fair enough that the workers are suing, but this tit?! not a chance

What did she do, stick her snout in the bag every time after it came out of the microwave??

WindSock

MrStuffins wrote: »

She's from Queens?

I'd have thought she'd be from Manhattan!

Took me a minute to get that one there

Feeona

So the makers of the popcorn add biacetyl to their product, and biacetyl causes irreversible lung damage. Unless there was a warning on their packaging saying that one of the ingredients causes irreversible lung damage, I think she's right to sue!

Cook!eMonster

for someone who ate popcorn twice a day for sixteen years, i highly doubt shes gonna be giving it up!

ScumLord

A Queens woman is suing a food giant

This is such PC nonsense, back in my day we used to kill Giants not take them to court. This generation... :rolleyes:

bluto63

Ugh, the depressing thing is even though the amount she was consuming was clearly unhealthy and the blame should only be placed on herself, since it was never known to be unhealthy to the lungs, she'll win.

bonerm

I'd love to be in the the courtroom gallery for that case.

Podge2k7

I'm trying to think of a popcorn pun that really pops but I can't think of anything butter than this.:o

Taco Corp

m@cc@ wrote: »

Feckin' US and their frivolous law suits.

Reminds me of this:

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/05/29/if-google-told-you-to-jump-off-a-cliff-would-you/

Google maps on her Blackberry told her to walk across a busy highway....so she did and got hit by a car

ordinary_girl

M5 wrote: »

Woman who eats junkfood constantly - has health problems shocker!:rolleyes:

Exactly! And what about her salt intake after eating all that popcorn? Her heart will probably give in next. I never understand how some people can eat such junk food in large quantities on a daily basis. But, then again, the only time I ever read about such things it's usually American

biko

Even though it seems only overexposure to biacetyl will cause this it's good that companies cannot get away with adding all kinds of crap to food.

"In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was reviewing whether consumers are at risk of lung disease through prolonged exposure to the additive".

Remember the Chinese milk scandal? It hasn't gone away
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8478195.stm

In November 2009, two people were executed for making and selling hundreds of tonnes of melamine-tainted milk products.

CEO taking the ultimate responsibility.

dave 27

america is so fcukd up, apparently thery're now saying that u need to consume 3 portions of red meat a day?!!

idiots..

hal9000

I can't believe its not biacetyl additive microwavable popcorn = Problem Solved

danman

Edit : Sorry, wrong thread.

ItsAWindUp

Simpleton.

FruitLover

hal9000 wrote: »

I can't believe its not biacetyl additive microwavable popcorn = Problem Solved

Not eating 2 bags of popcorn every single day for 16 years in the first place like any normal person = problem solved.

Stupid gluttonous cow, it's a pity it's not fatal.

MickShamrock

dave 27 wrote: »

america is so fcukd up, apparently thery're now saying that u need to consume 3 portions of red meat a day?!!

idiots..

Like Ireland doesn't have more than it's fair share of stupid things.

dave 27

ah come on like, at least were not brainwashing the country to eat meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner..and the thing is americans will actually go out and do it!

punchdrunk

dave 27 wrote: »

america is so fcukd up, apparently thery're now saying that u need to consume 3 portions of red meat a day?!!

idiots..

I've been a strong advocate of this for years!

brekkie roll

ham sambo

steak n' chips

:cool:

hal9000

dave 27 wrote: »

america is so fcukd up, apparently thery're now saying that u need to consume 3 portions of red meat a day?!!

idiots..

Did you not hear? the entire American population has been replaced with lions

kylith

dave 27 wrote: »

america is so fcukd up, apparently thery're now saying that u need to consume 3 portions of red meat a day?!!

idiots..

Are you sure it's not that you should have no more than 3 portions a day. I'd say there are some yanks with bacon hooked up to their veins.

MickShamrock

dave 27 wrote: »

ah come on like, at least were not brainwashing the country to eat meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner..and the thing is americans will actually go out and do it!

Sure, we've never been brainwashed in to believing something. :rolleyes:

P.S. And it's not brainwashing. I'm sure it's just some stupid university study or something like that. People can take it or leave it.

Jumpy

I think this will be resolved biacetyl-ment.

smellslikeshoes

FruitLover wrote: »

Not eating 2 bags of popcorn every single day for 16 years in the first place like any normal person = problem solved.

Stupid gluttonous cow, it's a pity it's not fatal.

Ah here, what ever about the regular health risks of eating popcorn everyday, running the risk of having your lungs destroyed shouldn't be one of them. She can't be blamed for eating popcorn assuming it wasn't going to destroy her lungs.

ScumLord

punchdrunk wrote: »

I've been a strong advocate of this for years!

brekkie roll

ham sambo

steak n' chips

:cool:

I hope the chips are cooked in animal fat.

TPD

kylith wrote: »

Are you sure it's not that you should have no more than 3 portions a day. I'd say there are some yanks with bacon hooked up to their veins.

:eek:
You can hook abcon up to your veins now?

Time to dig out the ole IV kit...

kylith

TPD wrote: »

:eek:
You can hook abcon up to your veins now?

Time to dig out the ole IV kit...

http://www.baconnaise.com/

It's the baby formula that terrifies me most.

take everything

MrStuffins wrote: »

She's from Queens?

I'd have thought she'd be from Manhattan!

Common enough mistake to make.
No correlation between address and favourite snack food brand has ever been shown however.

potterycourse

MrStuffins wrote: »

She's from Queens?

I'd have thought she'd be from Manhattan!

WindSock wrote: »

Took me a minute to get that one there

I don't get it. Help!

MrStuffins

potterycourse wrote: »

I don't get it. Help!

http://www.ballymoreshoponline.ie/prodimages/Manhattan%20-%20Popcorn%2030g_small.JPG

Taco Corp

potterycourse wrote: »

I don't get it. Help!

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=manhattan+popcorn

Sorry couldn't help it !!:)

Indubitable

and I thought smoking was bad for your lungs

potterycourse

MrStuffins wrote: »

http://www.ballymoreshoponline.ie/prodimages/Manhattan%20-%20Popcorn%2030g_small.JPG

Surley wrote: »

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=manhattan+popcorn

Sorry couldn't help it !!:)

Oh.

FruitLover

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

She can't be blamed for eating popcorn assuming it wasn't going to destroy her lungs.

Twice a day for 16 years without thinking any harm could come of it?? Gerroua dat garden. I doubt any normal person (i.e. someone who can control their popcorn urges) would have anything to fear from this chemical, so I don't hold the popcorn company in the wrong.

punchdrunk

ScumLord wrote: »

I hope the chips are cooked in animal fat.

of course!

Capt'n Midnight

http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/BU/2,3-butanedione.html

Toxicology

Harmful if swallowed. Skin, eye and respiratory irritant. (Note that there is some evidence that chronic exposure to this compound may contribute to the development of the potentially fatal condition bronchiolitis obliterans. See, for example Eur. Respir. J., 24: 298-302 (2004).)

Harmful if swallowed :eek:

CrazyRabbit

I couldn't help but laugh at this part:

"She says she ate Act II Lite popcorn every day from 1991 to 2007."

Oh yeah....eating the 'Lite' variety is really gonna help when you're scoffing 3 bags a day!

witnessmenow

kylith wrote: »

http://www.baconnaise.com/

It's the baby formula that terrifies me most.

What is that!? "Vegetarian safe"?

Mike 1972

If the basis of this lawsuit is a unsafe additive (particularly one which the manufacturer has not declared) then she is right to sue and the amount she was consuming was irrelevant.

If I put weedkiller in your pint and am subsequently charged with attempted murder I cant use as a defence the fact that you had been consuming more than the weekly recommended number of units. (Except perhaps as a roundabout attempt at pleading insanity)

Reckoner91

If every person in American sued companies for them eating too much, it'd soon turn into Mad Max

smellslikeshoes

FruitLover wrote: »

Twice a day for 16 years without thinking any harm could come of it?? Gerroua dat garden. I doubt any normal person (i.e. someone who can control their popcorn urges) would have anything to fear from this chemical, so I don't hold the popcorn company in the wrong.

Seriously what planet are you on. The amount of popcorn she ate is irrelevant, there is additives in the popcorn that can destroy your lungs and it wasn't marked or made known in any way. She is dead right to sue and I hope she takes them to the cleaners.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Dead right to sue as the additive should have been declared.

If she had been suing for popcorn related obesity I'd have no sympathy for her though

Mad jesty

Ho ho very funny

MrStuffins wrote: »

She's from Queens?

I'd have thought she'd be from Manhattan!

ScumLord

Reckoner91 wrote: »

If every person in American sued companies for them eating too much, it'd soon turn into Mad Max

I wouldn't think so the companies they sued would probably see their sales go through the roof as the Americans will spend it all on junkfood anyway.

m@cc@

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

Seriously what planet are you on. The amount of popcorn she ate is irrelevant, there is additives in the popcorn that can destroy your lungs and it wasn't marked or made known in any way. She is dead right to sue and I hope she takes them to the cleaners.

But it is relevant. If she only ate say a bag per week, there's a good chance she would have been fine. There grounds for reasonable doubt, imo.

seagull

m@cc@ wrote: »

But it is relevant. If she only ate say a bag per week, there's a good chance she would have been fine. There grounds for reasonable doubt, imo.

The minute you try using that defense, you're admitting that your product caused the problem. Thank you for playing, now hand over the money.

How many people do you know who would routinely have a packet of crisps with their lunch? There's not a whole heap of difference between that and her eating popcorn every day.

Aidric

I ate a wham bar every day for five years. I now get a mild seizure everytime I hear 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go'.

m@cc@

seagull wrote: »

The minute you try using that defense, you're admitting that your product caused the problem. Thank you for playing, now hand over the money.

If that were true, McDonalds, BK and KFC would be bankrupt by now.