On the cover of the Seattle P.I. this morning (above the fold) is the headline, Cooks: Additive puts us at risk. It’s about a chemical called diacetyl, a butter flavoring added to cooking oils, such as Pam, and Butter-Flavor Crisco. According to a study the P.I. funded: The highest levels if diacetyl were found in the testing of butter flavored pan, grill and saute oils used by professional cooks. An extrapolation of the toxic vapors released over a typical four hour brunch rush matched or exceeded the diaectyl found in some microwave popcorn plants where hundreds of workers were sickened. The deaths of at least three from bronchiolitis obliterans-inflammation of the small airways in the lungs-were attributed to exposure to the chemical butter flavoring. For what OSHA is (and is not) doing about this, read the article here.