Diacetyl: The Buttery Flavor Chemical That Damages Your Lungs

Diacetyl is used to flavor candy, chips, coffee and e-cigarettes. It also has been linked to hundreds of injuries – and five deaths – of people who worked at popcorn factories and flavoring companies. Scientists have been warning about the dangers associated with diacetyl for years, particularly the risks to the lungs when it is inhaled, writes Raquel Rutledge, staff reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her article, "Gasping for Action," looks at the dangers of diacetyl and why it is in many e-cigarette flavor cartridges .