A California man’s decades-long trust in a household cooking spray destroyed his lungs and left him needing a double transplant, exposing how corporate negligence can turn everyday kitchen products into silent health hazards.
Story Highlights
- Roland Esparza awarded $25 million after PAM cooking spray caused irreversible “popcorn lung” disease requiring double lung transplant
- Conagra Brands failed to warn consumers about toxic diacetyl ingredient used in butter-flavored spray from 1990s until 2009
- Health-conscious consumer unknowingly inhaled dangerous fumes multiple times daily for years while believing he was making nutritious choices
- Jury found corporation negligent despite company claims product has been reformulated for nearly two decades
Corporate Negligence Destroys Consumer’s Health
Roland Esparza, a 58-year-old fitness-focused California man, won a $25 million verdict against Conagra Brands after developing bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as “popcorn lung.” The Los Angeles Superior Court jury determined Conagra failed to adequately warn consumers about health dangers from inhaling fumes from PAM butter-flavored cooking spray. Esparza used the product multiple times daily beginning in the 1990s, believing it was a healthy cooking option. Instead, he unknowingly exposed himself to diacetyl, a toxic chemical that caused severe, irreversible lung damage requiring a double lung transplant.
Decades of Dangerous Exposure Without Warnings
Conagra continued selling PAM butter spray containing diacetyl throughout the 1990s and 2000s without proper consumer warnings about inhalation risks. The company only removed diacetyl from its formula in 2009, years after occupational health studies in the microwave popcorn industry documented that workers inhaling diacetyl vapors developed severe lung damage. By the time Conagra reformulated its product, Esparza had already suffered irreversible respiratory disease. His attorney, Jacob Plattenberger, emphasized that while monetary compensation provides some measure of justice, nothing will restore his client’s health or eliminate his desperate need for transplant surgery.
Company Disputes Liability Despite Jury Verdict
Conagra responded to the verdict by stating it “disagreed with the decision and was disappointed with the outcome.” The corporation asserted that PAM Butter Flavor cooking spray is currently safe and has been diacetyl-free for nearly two decades, indicating its intention to pursue all available legal avenues to contest the verdict. This response ignores the fundamental issue: the company’s failure to protect consumers during the years when the toxic ingredient was present. The jury’s decision holds Conagra accountable for inadequate warning labels on a household product that posed serious inhalation hazards, even when used as intended for its primary cooking purpose.
Broader Implications for Consumer Product Safety
This verdict establishes important precedent for holding manufacturers accountable when they fail to disclose chemical exposure risks in everyday consumer products. The case raises serious questions about regulatory oversight and corporate transparency regarding ingredient safety. Other consumers who used PAM butter spray during the diacetyl period may now pursue similar legal action. The substantial monetary award signals that juries will not tolerate corporations prioritizing profits over consumer safety. This outcome should prompt industry-wide changes in how manufacturers approach chemical ingredient disclosure and warning label requirements, particularly for aerosol products with inhalation exposure risks.
Time Running Out for Transplant Victim
Esparza now faces a race against time as he hopes to be placed on a lung transplant list for the double transplant surgery he requires to survive. His attorney noted that time is a critical factor in his medical prognosis. The severity of Esparza’s condition demonstrates the devastating real-world consequences when corporations fail their basic duty to warn consumers about known health hazards. What began as a health-conscious choice to use cooking spray instead of traditional fats became a decades-long exposure to toxic fumes that destroyed his respiratory system, forever altering his life and leaving him dependent on finding donor organs.
Sources:
US Man Awarded Rs 226 Crore Over Chronic Lung Disease Linked To Popular Cooking Spray
