Jury Awards $25 million to Man Who Said This Product Damaged His Lungs

On Feb. 4, a California jury awarded $25 million to a man who claimed the cooking spray, Pam, caused lung damage.

Roland Esparza sued Conagra Brands, the manufacturer of Pam, alleging that the company failed to warn people of the danger of chemicals over time. Esparza used Pam two to three times per day to cook meals.

What the Lawyers Said

In a statement, Esparza’s lawyers wrote: The unanimous decision, delivered in Los Angeles Superior Court, found that Conagra, the manufacturer of PAM, failed to adequately warn consumers about the dangers of inhaling fumes from the cooking spray, which contained diacetyl – a butter-flavoring chemical known to be linked to serious respiratory illnesses, several outlets have reported.

While Conagra claimed that diacetyl was removed from PAM in 2009, the company did not provide sufficient evidence to support this claim.

They later said, “This unanimous $25 million verdict delivers long-overdue justice to Roland Esparza, once a highly active individual who now faces a double lung transplant after Conagra deceptively marketed their PAM cooking spray as safe,” said Jacob Plattenberger and Alan Holcomb.

“The jury saw through decades of corporate wrongdoing and awarded the largest consumer verdict ever in a diacetyl lung injury case, more than triple the previous record and the first of its kind against Conagra for a consumer product. We fought for Mr. Esparza because no individual or family using PAM in their own kitchens should ever have to sacrifice their health for the sake of corporate profits, especially without ever being informed of the product’s dangers.”

Popcorn Lung

In a similar lawsuit, a jury awarded a man $7.2 million in a so-called “popcorn lung” case. Wayne Watson ate two bags of popcorn for seven years and later developed breathing problems, according to National Public Radio.

When in doubt, leave Pam out. We make our popcorn the old-fashioned way on the stove top. It’s more fun!

Occupational Risk

People who work in factories that make these products also face lung problems, studies show. This ingredient, diacetyl, is also in electronic cigarettes, a danger for both manufacturers and users.