Rumors abound about microwave popcorn and safety. For example, you may have heard that it causes lung cancer or other lung diseases. While there's no link between microwave popcorn and lung cancer, there is the remote possibility it could increase your risk of non-cancer lung disease.
Popcorn Rumors
The most common rumor about microwave popcorn is that it causes lung cancer. There's simply no established link between microwave popcorn -- or the chemicals used to produce it -- and lung cancer. There is a link between a chemical used in producing the nonstick coating for popcorn bags and cancer, however, explains a September 1993 article in the "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine." However, the cancers involved the prostate and liver, not the lungs.
"Popcorn Lung"
There is a potential link -- though not one involving cancer -- between microwave popcorn and lung disease. According to a September 2007 article in "Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine," diacetyl -- a chemical used in microwave popcorn flavoring -- has been linked to increased risk of developing bronchiolitis obliterans, which is an obstructive lung condition that results from inhalation of chemicals and irritants and leads to scarring of the lung tissue.
Considerations
Generally, while there are links between some of the chemicals used in the production of microwave popcorn and negative health outcomes, you're probably safe consuming microwave popcorn in reasonable quantities. The negative health outcomes noted in research papers were observed in factory workers who were exposed to large quantities of the chemicals in question regularly -- not casual consumers of microwave popcorn, which contains much smaller amounts of the compounds.
Other Concerns
Apart from cancer and lung disease risk, there are other reasons not to overdo the microwave popcorn. While popcorn itself has a small amount of fiber and is low in calories, many microwave popcorns contain large quantities of fat -- often heart-unhealthy trans fat. Furthermore, popular popcorn brands can contain large quantities of salt, which increases blood pressure. Finally, kettle corn and sweetened popcorns contain added sugar, which isn't healthy in large quantities.
References
- "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine"; Mortality Among Employees of a Perfluorooctanoic Acid Production Plant; Frank Gilliland et al; September 1993
- "Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine"; Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in Chemical Workers Producing Diacetyl for Food Flavorings; Frits van Rooy et al; May 2007
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
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