An American court has awarded substantial damages to a man who claimed he became ill after years of breathing in the fumes of microwave popcorn, reports Yahoo!
The 59-year-old from Colorado was diagnosed with a respiratory condition known as 'popcorn lung' in 2007, after eating the microwave popcorn on an almost daily basis for a number of years. A few previous cases, brought by popcorn factory workers, have linked the condition to diacetyl, which is contained in the butter flavouring added to some popcorn.
The court found that the liability for the man's injury was shared between the manufacturer of the popcorn (80%) and the supermarket where he bought it (20%) for failing to warn of the alleged dangers of diacetyl, and awarded him compensation amounting to $7.2 million. According to Yahoo! both organisations intend to appeal against the ruling.