Re: Pierce et al. Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione Exposures Associated with Cigarette Smoking: Implications for Risk Assessment of Food and Flavoring Workers Crit Rev Toxicol, 2014; 44(5): 420-435

We were greatly dismayed by Pierce et al.’ s report on the associations between exposure to Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione and cigarette smoking (Pierce et al. 2014). It stated that “ Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione exposures from cigarette smoking far exceed occupational exposures for most food/flavoring workers who smoke. ” Based on this finding, the authors suggested that “ previous claims of a significant exposure – response relationship between diacetyl inhalation and respiratory disease in food/flavoring workers were confounded because none of the investigations considered or quantified the non-occupational diacetyl exposure from cigarette smoke, yet all the cohorts evaluated had considerable smoking histories.