Fixed Obstructive Lung Disease in Workers at a Microwave Popcorn Factory – Missouri, 2000 – 2002

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Kanwal, Richard ; Kreiss, Kathleen ; Maley, R. ; Malone, J. ; Phillips, P. ; Simoes, Eduardo
• Description:
  In May 2000, an occupational medicine physician contacted the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MoDHSS) to report eight cases of fixed obstructive lung disease in former workers of a microwave popcorn factory. Four of the patients were on lung transplant lists. All eight had a respiratory illness resembling bronchiolitis obliterans with symptoms of cough and dyspnea on exertion, had worked at the same popcorn factory (factory A) at some time during 1992 - 2000, and had spirometric test results that were lower than normal for both FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) ratio. Employment durations ranged from 8 months to 9 years. MoDHSS requested assistance from CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in evaluating factory A for respiratory hazards to workers. This report summarizes the epidemiologic findings motivating the technical assistance request and preliminary results. The findings of this investigation indicate that workers exposed to flavorings at microwave popcorn factories are at risk for developing fixed obstructive lung disease. Public health authorities, employers, and health-care providers are collaborating to prevent obstructive lung disease in popcorn factory workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Butanones Food-Processing Industry Food Additives Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Airway-obstruction Food-additives Food-processing-workers Foodstuff Ketones Lung-disease Organic-compounds Pulmonary-system-disorders Region-7 Respiratory-system-disorders Spirometry

  More +
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Missouri ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022647
• Citation:
  MMWR 2002 Apr; 51(16):345-347
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ammonia (CAS RN 7664-41-7) ; Chlorine (CAS RN 7782-50-5) ; Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0) ; Phosgene (CAS RN 75-44-5) ; Sulfur dioxide (CAS RN 7446-09-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3eb942da9d6de5b8b0a87ab2bfe4fe1c90f5043ab2af7ac8abdb3eaca744391237ef9abc1d48b0cd23c1337a150f792d3df21030642443aaccc976bfe8e3f7a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183111/cdc_183111_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 84.88 KB ]