The nation's largest organization for professional chefs today called for increased government investigations into the cause-and-effect relationship between the chemical butter flavoring diacetyl and the sometimes fatal lung disease that has destroyed the lungs of hundreds of workers in flavoring and popcorn plants.

The American Culinary Federation also urged the Food and Drug Administration to remove its "generally recognized as safe" designation from the chemical combination of diacetyl that is used to impart a butter flavoring to thousands of food products. This must be done, the federation said, "until a conclusive determination is made" on the danger of the food additive.

"Compelling evidence exists that exposure to and inhalation of diacetyl, especially in oils, butters, margarines and popcorn, does have a direct correlation to harmful health effects," John Kinsella, president of the federation said in a statement released today. "It is imperative that the government investigate the dangers of diacetyl, as well as impose regulations, until conclusive evidence can be obtained as to the hazardous effects, extent of exposure and association with the fatal lung disease, bronchiolitis obliterans."

In December, the Seattle P-I reported on the results of laboratory analysis it commissioned of almost two dozen cooking products and found that when heated in cooking simulations, diacetly was released into the air. The testing showed that the oils, sprays and butters used by professional cooks released levels of diacetyl that match what was found in some of the Midwest plants where popcorn makers were severely injured.

On Tuesday the P-I reported that the worker safety research arm of the Centers for Disease Control - the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health - was examining the diacetyl hazard to cooks in three New York institutional restaurants and that Washington State officials are doing the same at least two sites in Seattle.

"Investigations of diacetyl by OSHA and NIOSH concluded that diacetyl is toxic and does pose a hazardous health threat to workers where products containing the chemical are regularly prepared. This includes manufacturing plants, commercial kitchens and restaurants, " said the organization, which represents 20,000 chefs throughout North America and has ties to the World Association of Chefs Societies, with more than eight million members globally.

In response to the commercial kitchen investigations, the Environmental Working Group yesterday told the P-I that the health impacts of diacetyl on workers has been known for 20 years.

"Diacetyl should be replaced due to these studies alone, instead of proving that individual exposure scenarios are harmful or safe," said Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst for the public interest research group.

" It is pretty pathetic that we can't ban an unnecessary chemical that is proven to destroy human lung tissues based on the existing evidence alone. added Lunder.

"Furthermore, the use of diacetyl as a preservative for real butter is very unsettling, since it indicates widespread exposure for the general population as well."

In the December analysis, the newspaper found that artificial diacetyl is routinely added to pure unsalted butter.

Government investigators were requested to do the New York City and Seattle inspections by Unite Here, North America's largest union for restaurant, hotel and institutional food workers. The food service operations are run by Aramark, but investigators and some cooks believe that sites selected by the union - such as the Seattle Convention Center and Key Arena - are not representative of the diacetyl exposure that cooks face in most restaurants. It's far too limited, some cooks and investigators say, because the Seattle locations have only a limited menu, are open only sporadically and the cooks usually work in many oother places.

Cooks from the Hilton and Doubletree Hotels and the King County Jail discuss what diacetyl-containing products may be used in their kitchens with a representative from the Seattle Unite Here local. P-I Photo

Union officials tell the P-I that they may add some hotel restaurants tor "more representative kitchens" to the request for a Health Hazard Evaluation that it submitted to state occupational health experts.