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California has become the first state in the country to implement safety standards for employees who work with diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavoring.

The new standard, set by Cal/OSHA, a division of the California Department of Industrial Relations, requires affected employers to create a regulated area for each process using diacetyl, unless the process is enclosed. Employers must also provide safeguards for employees who work with diacetyl at certain concentrations.

“Diacetyl, a chemical that is harmless when it occurs naturally or as an ingredient in many of the foods we eat, can be dangerous in industrial settings where flavorings or foods are manufactured because it is used in much higher concentrations that allow it to get into the air that workers breathe,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh in announcing the new standard. “Cal/OSHA has issued citations in the past related to exposure to diacetyl, but this comprehensive standard will allow us to better target our enforcement efforts.”

A number of employees nationwide who have been exposed to diacetyl have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans – inflammation and scarring of the small airways that can result in permanent and life threatening narrowing of the airways. Symptoms include persistent dry cough, shortness of breath and wheezing, and some cases have resulted in patients being placed on lung transplant lists or dying.

Juries in Iowa and Illinois have rendered big verdicts in favor of workers harmed by diacetyl exposure.

- Tony Ogden

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