爆谷帶來牛油味的化學物質丁二酮（diacetyl），會導致生產工人肺部受到嚴重損害嗎？由於大量生產爆谷的工人患上這種肺病，這種病被名為「爆谷肺（爆米花肺）」（popcorn lung，學名為縮窄性細支氣管炎，obliterative bronchiolitis）。這種肺病會令細支氣管縮窄或閉塞，現在沒有任何方法能醫治。患者會因而縮短壽命，可能要進行肺部移植。
丁二酮同樣在咖啡中自然地出現。與爆谷進食者一樣，喝咖啡的人患上「爆米花肺」的風險很低。但對於長期接觸咖啡的人來說，這是需要注意的問題。
「咖啡導致爆谷肺」這個問題在德州咖啡烘焙坊突然有許多工人患病後曝光。這公司在咖啡中加入丁二酮及α-二酮（α-diketones）這兩種人造奶油調味料。但隨後的調查發現即使處理未加入調味料的咖啡，其他工序亦令工人暴露在高水平的危險化學物中——尤其是剛烘焙完、等待包裝的咖啡儲存區域，以及磨咖啡的區域。在那裡，由於咖啡粉的表面積增加了，其釋放化學物質的速率亦會增加。
如果你烘焙或研磨新鮮咖啡時，請確保房間的空氣流通。如果你要沖大量咖啡，例如在小店工作時，你要注意疾病控制中心（the Center for Disease Control，CDC）和美國國家職業安全及健康研究所（National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health，NIOSH）正在進行調查。在調查結束後，會推行措施保證工人能夠在一個安全的環境下工作。這或許會令咖啡的價錢上升一點，但能夠保障到工人的健康這是值得的。
It turns out that the same chemical occurs naturally in coffee, probably accounting for a small part of the incredibly rich aroma we enjoy in a strong cup of java. As was the case for consumers of microwave popcorn, the risk of getting popcorn lung is low for the average coffee consumer. But people working for extended periods where coffee is roasted and ground, or for connoisseurs roasting and grinding for themselves and friends, care is indicated.
The issue came to light after a spike of popcorn lung cases related to a roaster in Texas. The company flavored their coffee with the artificial butter flavoring (diacetyl or alpha-diketones), but subsequent investigation indicated that the workers were exposed to high levels of dangerous chemicals even in the areas where unflavored coffee was handled—especially where the fresh roast was stored before packaging and in the grinding areas where the larger surface area of the freshly ground coffee results in a higher rate of emission.
小編評：阿…烘焙咖啡也會有爆米花肺的問題…關於爆米花肺可以參考下列舊聞喔～