$2.6 Million Awarded In Popcorn Lung Case

A California state jury has awarded a 38-year-old man $2.6 million for workplace exposure to the butter flavor chemical diacetyl. Plaintiff Tanu Vatuvei developed bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare lung disease that causes shortness of breath and, ultimately, death, as a result of his exposure to diacetyl over 10 years on the job at flavor maker Mission Flavors & Fragrances, his attorneys contend. Until now, most diacetyl cases involved popcorn factory workers. The California jury found diacetyl supplier Citrus & Allied Essences responsible for failing to pass on information about the danger of inhaling diacetyl and found Mission responsible for creating an unsafe workplace.