What Are the Health Risks Associated with Artificial Flavoring, Diacetyl? (0:42)
A major health risk associated with an artificial butter flavoring called Diacetyl is "popcorn lung," which can be very dangerous and toxic to the lungs. In this video, pediatrician Alan Greene, MD, explains the health concerns about this flavoring.
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Diacetyl is an artificial butter flavoring, tastes delicious, it smells great but a few years ago we learnt that workers who were in the factories where it was being produced, developed something now called popcorn lung, it's actually a serious condition called bronchiolitis obliterans.
It obliterates the small airways in the lung, it's a deadly lung disease. And now we know that getting exposed even consumers who get that a couple of times a day and inhale it up close, can end up with popcorn lung. So it's at the very best an irritating fume to have around and there are other ways to have delicious buttery taste of flavour.
Alan Greene, MD, is a practicing pediatrician, author, speaker, children’s health advocate, and father of four. He is the founder and CEO of DrGreene.com and the Chief Medical Officer of Scanadu.
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