A potential health hazard unknown to the foodservice industry until just a few months ago is drawing the attention of federal and state authorities who are trying to determine whether kitchen workers exposed to an artificial butter flavoring used in some cooking oils and sprays might be at risk.
Federal health researchers and Washington state regulators are in the preliminary stages of gauging the flavoring’s effects on restaurant workers in kitchens on the East and West coasts. Washington state has issued an alert to restaurateurs describing the chemical’s dangers, while the American Culinary Federation is calling on the government to step up tests in restaurants.
Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, carried out tests in three Manhattan foodservice locations to measure the level of diacetyl—a chemical used in microwave popcorn that has been linked to lung disease—and determine whether it poses any threat to employees. The three kitchens serving the offices of JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and One New York Plaza are operated by the Philadelphia-based contract feeder Aramark.
Similar tests are expected to be conducted on two other Aramark locations in Seattle by Washington state’s Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention agency in the coming weeks.
Kristine Grow, a spokeswoman for Aramark, said NIOSH told the company that it found nothing of concern in preliminary tests. However, the institute said it is conducting a more thorough analysis of the samples.
Dr. Rachel Bailey, epidemic intelligence service officer and medical officer for Morgantown, W. Va.-based NIOSH, said the federal agency also “is interested in evaluating other [foodservice] sites.”
“There are no firm plans right now,” she said, “but we’re looking into it.”
Studies of diacetyl, which poses a danger to individuals when inhaled over a period of time, have linked the chemical to a rare and sometimes fatal lung disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as “popcorn lung.” It is associated with flavorings used in microwave popcorn, but also is an ingredient in butter-flavored cooking oils and sprays used in restaurants. Previously, the disease has been identified only in a few locations in the manufacturing environment.
Diacetyl also can be found in such products as unsalted butter, cheeses and flour mixes, although authorities are chiefly concerned with the threat of airborne exposure through heated vapors during the cooking process.
While researchers have yet to determine whether the use of oils containing diacetyl has any negative impact on restaurant employees, federal and state officials have voiced concern about workers’ exposure to diacetyl in popcorn manufacturing and food flavoring facilities since the ingredient was linked to lung disease in August 2000.
Last September, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act, which directs OSHA to issue standards regulating worker exposure to diacetyl in manufacturing facilities. A companion bill introduced in the U.S. Senate has not been voted on yet.
Meanwhile, published reports say California’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration is looking to set curbs on workers’ exposure to diacetyl and that the standards could apply to restaurant employees.
However, Steve Smith, health program manager for Cal/OSHA, said the proposal is still in the advisory stage of development and is focusing primarily on manufacturers. He added there has not been much discussion about including the restaurant industry at this point.
But while most diacetyl-related action currently focuses on the manufacturing sector, some officials are cautioning restaurateurs about possible dangers associated with its use.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer commissioned a study last year indicating that professional cooks working over hot griddles or sauté pans and who use large amounts of butter substitutes might be at risk. Dr. Richard Kanwal, a medical officer with NIOSH, was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “Without a comprehensive evaluation it’s impossible to assess the actual risk, but there is no doubt that this group of workers should be studied.”
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has posted information on the Internet alerting foodservice operators to the potential risks of diacetyl and suggesting ways to reduce employees’ exposure to it.
Diacetyl has yet to emerge as a hot-button issue for restaurants, however. Ed Frechette, senior vice president of marketing for Boston-based Au Bon Pain, said he was aware of the diacetyl-popcorn connection but had not yet begun to hear any negative rumblings about its use in the restaurant industry. He confirmed, however, the fast-casual chain does not use any products containing diacetyl.
Nevertheless, it is beginning to register on the industry’s radar. The American Culinary Federation recently urged the Federal Drug Administration and OSHA to step up the investigation of the chemical. ACF president John Kinsella said, “It is imperative that the government investigate the dangers of diacetyl, as well as impose regulations, until conclusive evidence can be obtained as to the hazardous effects, extent of exposure and association with…bronchiolitis obliterans.”
The National Restaurant Association also is recommending that additional research be conducted, said Christine Andrews, director of health and safety, regulatory affairs.
The investigation of Aramark-managed facilities was prompted by a request from Local 100 of UNITE HERE, a hotel, motel and hospitality workers union that has been attempting to organize employees at the contractor’s domestic foodservice operations since last summer.
According to Bailey, three teams from NIOSH visited the Manhattan sites and took environmental, ventilation and air samples. Researchers also took bulk samples of oils and sprays.
She said that NIOSH plans to return to the locations and conduct a full medical survey, which includes breathing tests. All employees will be asked to fill out questionnaires as well.
NIOSH, which is responsible for researching potential occupational health hazards, is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Aramark has replaced most butter-flavored sprays and oils containing diacetyl, and is currently working to find a substitute for its last remaining oil containing the chemical, Grow said.