vampire@philabs.philips.com (Rich Hemmer) (04/28/89)
I have an allergic reaction problem which involves only microwave popcorn or packaged popcorn. I have cross posted this article inorder to give many 'experts' in medicine, bio and chem a chance to help. So please, NO FLAMES. Every time that I have microwave popcorn or most package popcorns, I have had a severe allergic [anaphylaxic] reactions and they appear to be getting worse. I am however able to eat regular popcorn made by hot air or by hot vegetable oil. I am also able to eat regular corn without a problem. I subjected myself to a series of RAST tests all of which were rather negative for corn and other foods. (Dust mites and cats were the major ones.) My question is what is the nature / treatments done to microwave popcorn as opposed to regular popcorn, and why would one have a reaction only to microwave popcorn. I have tried to compare labels but that is useless. I have approached the companies involved and they tell me that the processes are confidential. I know that the solution is to not eat popcorn, however there must be some components (or reaction product of some component) that causes this reaction, and it must also be present in other foods. I need to find out the cause or probable cause inorder to avoid these reactions. Thanks in advance. I will summarize all e-mail responses. - Rich ARTERY: uunet!philabs!vampire or vampire@philabs.philips.com VEIN : PL-B,345 Scarborough Rd.,Briarcliff Manor,NY 10510 CNS:914-945-6341 PARAMEDICS STILL MAKE HOUSE CALLS.... Better Living Through Chemistry
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer) (04/29/89)
In article <51030@philabs.Philips.Com>, vampire@philabs.philips.com (Rich Hemmer) writes: > I have an allergic reaction problem which involves only > microwave popcorn or packaged popcorn. I have cross posted > this article inorder to give many 'experts' in medicine, bio > and chem a chance to help. So please, NO FLAMES. Perhaps it's from the artificial color added to the popcorn. I just looked at my never-to-be-opened again box of "Orville Reddenbacher's Cheddar Cheese Microwave Popcorn" and noticed that the popcorn itself (not the cheese pouch) contains F. & D. Color #5. Now, that particular food color is also known as tartrazine, which is a known allergen; usually it shows cross-sensitivity with aspirin in aspirin-allergic individuals. I don't know off-hand whether this color is frequently found in other microwave popcorns or not. I'd recommend that you write to the manufacturers of the brands which you known to have caused you trouble and relate to them why it's important that you find out what is causing it so you can avoid it in OTHER foods (presumably having given up microwave popcorn.) Your experience isn't too far-fetched. I'm not prone to food allergies, but I experienced a VERY strange reaction to the brand I mentioned above. There's this cheese pouch (okay, well, orange powdery stuff) which you shake over the hot cooked popcorn. Within minutes of eating the popcorn, my lips and chin were itching, which was not helped by the fact that I have a beard, which was now festooned with the orange powdery stuff. Yucch. It took a thorough washing and a night's sleep to get rid of the itch. Steve Dyer dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer dyer@arktouros.mit.edu