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A second round of lawsuits for workers and neighbors of a microwave popcorn packaging plant in Jasper has been reduced to 11 remaining plaintiffs. Initially (in 2006), 44 plaintiffs had filed lawsuits in Jasper County Circuit Court against the manufacturers of diacetyl-containing butter flavorings used at the Jasper Popcorn Co. plant, which has functioned as Gilster Mary Lee Corporation since 1999. Diacetyl is an aromatic compound that gives butter its typical taste and flavor. Exposure to diacetyl causes a potentially terminal lung disease known as “bronchiolitis obliterans” or “Popcorn Workers Lung”. International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. (IFF), Bush Boake Allen (BBA), and Givaudan Flavors, all manufacturers of flavorings; and Aldrich Chemical Co. and Sigma-Aldrich Inc., were the original defendants in the second round. Aldrich Chemical Co. and Sigma-Aldrich Inc were the suppliers for IFF and BBA of acetaldehyde, a chemical ingredient in the flavoring that is believed to make diacetyl exposure all the more deadly. In the second round, Aldrich Chemical and Sigma-Aldrich have been dropped as defendants. The lawsuits of 33 of the plaintiffs were dismissed because of a failure to prove that any diseases they may have contracted were related to work at the plant or residing close to it. Neither these plaintiffs nor the remaining 11 plaintiffs were part of the first round of lawsuits filed against IFF and BBA that ended up in either verdicts or settlements in favor of 43 plant employees in the 1990s. An attorney representing IFF and BBA was unwilling to comment regarding the lawsuits.
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Acanthamoeba keratitis
