Seattle wants to ban microwave popcorn

6-15-2007 @1:50PM Kent Mackey said... ?

Oops, the second sentence was supposed to be a question.
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6-15-2007 @2:33PM Fazal Majid said... I thought microwave popcorn was already banned by the Geneva conventions against the use of chemical and biological weapons...
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6-15-2007 @3:33PM JoJo said... This used to happen all the time at my old work - a lot. To the point that I thought some of the women were doing it on purpose just to flirt with the firemen when they came out to give the all clear to the building.
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6-15-2007 @4:40PM claireellenx said... Besides the fire issue, people are dying at factories where they make bagged popcorn - an ingredient causes a life-threatening form of fixed obstructive lung disease.
I dont want children losing parents so I can eat some popcorn with my movie.
Link is here for anyone interested...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/06/AR2007050601089.html
2007/05/06/AR2007050601089.html
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6-15-2007 @4:45PM Michael P said... Note that they're going to ban it at downtown City buildings. Not every building in downtown, just the ones populated with city employees.
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6-15-2007 @5:52PM imjohnm said... Popcorn isn't food. Like potato chips and candy, you will eat the whole bad. It's a drug and is making the makers rich and the consumers meet their maker earlier than expected. Those 900 pound guys that can't fit through their front door didn't get there by downing veggies. Nuking popcorn changes the molecular structure according to two studies, but don't worry, the tumors will be an insignificant portion of your weight gain. True, you may get the day off when the fire department clears the building.
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6-15-2007 @7:23PM Crabby McSlacker said... Really?

I thought the whole point of microwave popcorn was how easy it was. People can't even make it without setting off smoke alarms? I'm the least talented cook I know, and even I can make microwave popcorn without screwing it up.

(And I believe today is supposed to be some sort of boycott Microwave Ovens day, but for an even dumber reason than smoke alarms: http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/2007/06/microwaved-food-healthy-alternative-or.html
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6-16-2007 @2:18AM k said... Ok. I have to say, on this score, bravo to the city people.

A few years ago, I was laid low in so much pain, I had to be off work for several days, and, was in excrutiating pain ... because of burnt popcorn.

I work at the top of a high rise in a major city. A few years ago, not one, but TWO people burnt popcorn in microwaves, on two different floors, within minutes of one another. The alarms went off ... and while we are used to one false alarm now and then --- two? At the same time? They evacuated my building immediately.

When they evacuate you, you don't get to use the elevators, of course. You take the stairs. You think it isn't hard going down 50 flights of stairs by foot, until the day later, when your legs feel like lumps of stone, hardened and painful. I was literally crippled from it. I was wobbly when I got down to the ground floor, but the next day the act of picking up my feet and stepping over a curb was too much to bear. I had to stay off my feet for days.

Before you think I'm terribly out of shape, I'm not. Your body just isn't accustomed to jumping up and getting down 50 flights of stairs in a big ass hurry, clomping in your high heels, or worse, bare feet.

I hate to sound melodramatic, but I couldn't help but think of those poor people coming down 100 flights, in New York. I don't know how they did it except on pure fear and adrenaline.

Anyway, these two people in our people forced the evacuation of an entire high rise, cost untold thousands of dollars to hundreds of businesses who had employees in too much discomfort, caused that discomfort to hundreds of people. Because they couldn't effing bother to watch a snack being popped for 1.5 minutes.

I say leave the popcorn at home. I've never brought it into the office again because I can't bear the thought I'd inconvenience anyone else in such a major way.
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6-17-2007 @3:15PM swag said... My former employer had so many microwave popcorn evacuation incidents that they finally decided to ban it and hand out free hot-air-popper popcorn instead, and provided the equipment. The pro-microwave was not impressed (I'm guessing they've never seen what a brick of microwavable popcorn and fake lard looks like out of the bag before it's heated). But, not only was it healthier, it was the most rational thing to do.
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6-18-2007 @10:51AM Amy Z said... I've never seen any fires from microwave popcorn. I do believe what's being said, but it seems incredibly difficult to do. Even if you leave it in there 10 minutes, the popcorn burns but I've never seen a fire with flames and everything. Plus, you smell the popcorn burning across the whole building after just a few minutes in the microwave. Wouldn't someone get up and turn the microwave off??? I don't get it. I turn off coffee pots all the time that are empty and burning and left on (and I don't drink coffee, I can just smell the burning). Instead of banning the popcorn, why not fire the morons who are too dumb to know how to microwave their popcorn?
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6-18-2007 @11:36PM Adriane said... ImJohnM- I highly doubt anyone is getting rich off popcorn alone. And eating popcorn is probbaly low on the list for things that are THAT terrible for you(plain). On a slight side tangent, just because you weigh 100 lbs doesn't mean you have any better eating habits/are healthier than someone who is 300lbs...

Amy Z- They're not talking about fires starting from bagged popcorn, but simply the smoke from the overcooked popcorn setting off alarms.

I say good-- popcorn isn't essential in the office and it probably happens frequently enough that it is a huge pain for the fire department to deal with when instead they could be off ACTUALLY saving someones life.
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6-18-2007 @10:53PM Amy Z said... Whether it's smoke or flames, I still don't see how it happens that often. (again, I do believe everyone). I've been in an office environment for 12 years, all had many microwaves and many people made popcorn. Not once did it ever set off the fire alarms nor cause us to be evacuated. I still don't see the need to changes rules for a few stupid people. Plus that still doesn't answer the question of why no-one would stop the microwave once they smell burning popcorn (or burning anything for that matter)?* Even if it's not their popcorn. You smell it WAY before there's smoke or fire. All you have to do is hit the stop button, you can even leave it in there. Like I said, I am often turning off empty burning coffee pots. It's really not that hard or a big deal.

*I'm not saying I think the whole office should look out for other's microwaving. The person who is making the popcorn should just stand nearby and wait. I do hold them primarily responsible. I'm just saying that others should also have noticed long before any alarms were set off. It's more of a "If you smell something burning, do you normally just do nothing?" kind of thing.
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6-21-2007 @12:47PM laura said... In my office, and i have been here for 5 years, we have at least two fire alarms a year due to burnt popcorn. There are also plenty of instances when they have burnt it, and rescued it in time, but the office is permeated by "that" smell. We all have to evacuate, and it sucks because our notes in the computer have a time limit, if you are working on a long note, out of the office for more than 6 minutes, it shuts you down and you lose ALL saved information. I dont understand how you can burn it, but somehow it gets done.
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9-06-2007 @12:40PM Anne said... Well, maybe its just all those companies that haven't gotten rid of all the air poppers from the 70's and 80's, after all it is better for us(but then,again) the butter spray we used to use on IT, wasn't good for the ozone or us either, can we win at anything as long the government has to protect us from ourselves,popcorn lovers of the world UNITE!!!what's that saying:You have to stand for something or you"ll fall for anything. (?)
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9-07-2007 @10:36AM Elle Law said... What a bunch of woosies and wienies!!! Honestly! why do the majority of smart folks have to be put off by the idiots of the world?

We grew up with lead based, toys and we are fine. Right? lol I mean come on. Here in Denver, because some of the kids playing 'tag' got rough they have now banned that game. Once again it;s idiot parents who allow their kids to bully or otherwise over use their physical prowess that are the problem These are parents who dont understand what it takes to be a parent.
Now because some doofus snorted popcorn smell daily, we are all gonna die? geeze I say grow up , get some backbone. And we wonder why our kids are woosies?
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