<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Sorry, folks,

    but no clear pattern of responses.  I guess I was not clear enough that
it is the <<smell>> that makes me sick because several responders seemed to
assume I was eating the popcorn and suggested that there was hidden gluten or
that I was developing a corn sensitivity. For clarity, I am not sensitive to
corn, and I can eat GF popcorn without problems.  I am not in a situation
where I can demand that other people switch to the "old fashinioned" method,
but I was able to suggest that they try other microwave brands.  Here are the
results of my not-scientific experiment:

Act III brand:         Gave me an instant headache and nauseousness (yuck!).
Pop Secret brand:      Maybe a  very slight reaction, but certainly tolerable.
Orville Reddenbacher:  No problem.

The label on Act III did not give me a clue as to why I reacted so strongly
to that specific brand.  Now here are some of your comments.  I think that
the comment about the packaging is very interesting.  I have read that people
with GI problems often develop an increased sensitivity to chemicals.

                                    Robb in Maryland

 <<Lots of snips:>>

Popsecret microwave popcorn is not gluten free.  I checked with the company.

there are all kinds of preservatives in it and they usually use canola oil
which is a problem for many of us.

Those symptoms sound more like an allergic reaction, not an intolerance.

I seem to have the same problem. I also get stuffy when I fry or saute`
with any oil but olive oil. Alot of those popcorns have soy, cottonseed, or
palm oil. Perhaps it's an oil thing?

maybe a cross- contamination in the ingriedients in the ready to pop
popcorn????

I use this list because my daughter is celiac I am not and I often have a
reaction to the smell of the fake butter in microwave popcorn.  I
personally think is smells repulsive and it bothers me.  We only use the no
butter types and the smells are much better.

Possibly it's a reaction to something used in the packaging or the ink on the
package.  The bags do have a plastic (?) liner that keep the oil from coming
through.

Perhaps the heat of the microwave is releasing chemicals in the air from
either the packaging or the popcorn itself...Where I work, popcorn was banned
because the smell bothered too many people (not allergic, so far as I know,
just bothered)