Toxic tort in rural America

This article talks about the lung ailments in people who work with the butter flavoring on microwave popcorn. It is not entirely focused on rural areas, but the doctor who helped identify the problem noticed that he had multiple cases in Jasper, MO, with people who worked at the microwave popcorn plant there. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21423866/. While not all the cases are in rural plants, given the way that a single plant can impact an area, it is clear that this tort will have a great impact on Jasper and its surroundings.