[CH] On the topic of extracts...
Tina Brooks (shoestring_louise@yahoo.com)
Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:51:46 -0700 (PDT)
I run a gourmet food forum and have occasion to post
articles of news from various angles of the food
industry.
I am posting this news story today...
Note that one of the "flavorings" mentioned in the
article is "jalapeno"...
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Flavor Factory Workers Develop Lung Disease, Says US
CDC
Source: Reuters
27/04/2007
Washington, Apr. 26 - Workers at factories that make
food flavorings are at risk of a rare and
life-threatening lung disease called bronchiolitis
obliterans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said on Thursday.
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
is not yet paying proper attention to the issue, an
expert focusing on the cases said.
The hard-to-treat condition causes vague symptoms such
as cough and shortness of breath, but steadily
worsens, the CDC said in its weekly report on death
and disease.
It "is known to be caused by exposure to noxious gases
in occupational settings and has been described in
workers in the microwave-popcorn industry who were
exposed to artificial butter-flavoring chemicals,
including diacetyl," the report read.
The CDC described the cases of two California workers,
a 29-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman, who became
progressively sicker. The woman eventually had to quit
her job because of illness. Neither smoked.
Both were eventually diagnosed with bronchiolitis
obliterans. Diacetyl, which produces a butter flavor,
was the main suspect although the CDC team said other
flavorings may have played a role.
"Neither worker was employed in the microwave-popcorn
industry; both were workers in the flavor
manufacturing industry, which produces artificial
butter flavoring and other flavors such as cherry,
almond, praline, jalapeno and orange," the report
reads.
Since then, five other workers in the same industry
have been found to have the lung disease.
OSHA said this week it was starting a program to deal
with the problem in popcorn workers.
David Michaels of the George Washington University
School of Public Health and Health Services, who has
closely tracked the issue, said the CDC had already
helped popcorn factories deal with the problem.
"So two days ago OSHA issued a press announcement that
they are making a national emphasis program on popcorn
factories, which I think is quite cynical because the
popcorn factories are one of the few places that
probably have successfully addressed the problem,"
Michaels said in a telephone interview.
Safe occupational exposure levels for diacetyl and
many other flavoring chemicals have not been
established, the CDC noted.
"Because the manufacture of flavorings involves more
than 2,000 chemicals, workers in the general
flavor-manufacturing industry are exposed to more
chemicals than workers in the microwave popcorn
industry, which primarily uses butter flavorings," the
report adds.
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Just one more reason to avoid such things.
T
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Tina Brooks
VP Marketing, Peppermaster Hot Sauces
www.peppermaster.com
Brooks Pepperfire Foods Inc.
Phone: (514) 393-3430
26 St. Jean Baptiste, East
Rigaud, Quebec, Canada
J0P 1P0
Network with me on www.gourmetbusinessforum.com -- The premier online business community for food professionals