Emergency Petition Assails OSHA's Refusal to Take Action on Lethal Popcorn

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69804



Emergency Petition Assails OSHA's Refusal to Take Action on Lethal Popcorn Flavoring; Unions Petition Department of Labor

7/26/2006 1:00:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Jill Cashen of UFCW, 202-728-4797, or Noa Oren of Teamsters, 202-437-8484

WASHINGTON, July 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On July 26, two affiliate unions of the Change to Win federation -- the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters -- began petitioning the Department of Labor (DOL) to immediately issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to stop the continued risk of diacetyl exposure to workers. In 2002 and 2003, OSHA's own scientists studying diacetyl unsuccessfully urged their leaders to take broader action to protect workers. There are currently no OSHA standards requiring exposures to be controlled.

Diacetyl is a hazardous chemical that has been connected to a potentially fatal lung disease that has been experienced by food industry workers across the nation. There have been dozens of cases of what has become known as "popcorn workers lung," or bronchiolitis obliterans -- a severe, disabling, and often-fatal lung disease experienced by factory workers who produce or handle diacetyl.

"Three workers have died and hundreds of others seriously injured," said Jackie Nowell, UFCW safety & health director. "It's time for action. We will not let food processing workers continue to be the canaries in the coal mine while waiting for the industry to regulate itself."

More than 8,000 workers are employed in the flavorings production industry and may be exposed to the dangers of diacetyl and other similar chemicals. Tens of thousands of food processing workers are involved in the production of popcorn, pastries, frozen foods, candies and even dog food that use these chemicals. It is not clear whether consumers are at risk from exposure to diacetyl but certainly the workers who deal with high concentrations of the flavoring chemical are at risk of developing serious and irreversible lung damage.

[gumby]

1. The Free Market at work.

If you die, you don't have to work there. See? Market forces work every time they're tried.

[Hekate]

2. KnR. Even the name of the disease is ghastly: bronchiolitis obliterans

Their lungs are obliterated.

Hekate

[MountainLaurel]

3. Artificial butter.

Will definitely have to start looking up that on my food labels in addition to HCFS and various other chemicals that shouldn't be in foods.