Quote from lil chick on July 25, 2025, 12:01 pm

Ok, this has never happened to me, until yesterday, although I'm not sure why it hasn't.  I react to lots of artificial scents.   And that seems to be what is going on here.   Interesting fact:   I ate no popcorn.   

Last night I sat down next to my husband at the movie theater.    He had a big box of hot "fragrant" movie theater popcorn and he put it between us.    The scent made me feel awful.    I tried to ignore it and finally I couldn't.   So I moved to the nearest empty seat, but the crazy thing is you can't just move to another seat anymore in the theater.   People sign up for specific seats.   Husband instead threw his popcorn away, so that I could move back, and I felt bad about that.   But then later, when I decided to look into what the problem could be,  I decided that it probably was better to chuck it than eat it, LOL.    I ended up feeling asthmatic for about 6 hours.   In fact, I still feel a bit weird.  

There is a condition called "popcorn lung" and it is seen in movie-popcorn workers.  It isn't supposed to affect consumers, LOL.   (OMG that is magical thinking isn't it?).   

from the AI and slightly edited to condense:"

AMC movie popcorn typically consists of popcorn, oil, salt, and a butter-flavored topping. The oil used is often coconut oil, and the butter flavoring may contain natural and artificial flavors, along with coloring agents.Some locations also offer a butter-flavored topping at self-serve stations. 

• Popcorn:  AMC uses a unique blend of kernels grown in the Midwest. 

   
• Oil:  Coconut oil is a common choice for popping the kernels, offering a rich, buttery flavor

   
• Salt:  Movie theater popcorn is known for its finely ground salt, which helps it adhere to the kernels. 

   
• Butter Flavoring:  This is often a combination of natural and artificial flavors, along with ingredients like maltodextrin and food starch. 

   
• Butter Topping (Optional):Some locations, including AMC, offer a self-serve butter-flavored topping that contains soybean oil, natural flavors, and beta carotene. "
   

The beta carotene thing kind of scares me.    Have some of us here (including myself) reached a level in which beta carotene is actually an allergen?   Beyond being ubiquitous naturally it is a common food additive.    Are we reacting only to the artificial food-additive carotene... or what?     And where are the allergies?   I don't seem to react in my gut to carotenes, but has my breathing apparatus become sensitized?

Perhaps I just react to artificial perfumes in my air, as I already know.    Sleeping away from home is a crap shoot, if the linens are perfumed it's going to be a bad night.   Once, when waiting for a doctor, all the nurses behind the desk sprayed perfume on one another... and I almost passed out.   You'd think they'd know better.