A Los Angeles jury has awarded $25 million to Roland Esparza after finding that years of using butter-flavored Pam cooking spray left him with bronchiolitis obliterans, the irreversible condition widely known as “popcorn lung.” Esparza, 58, is now on 24-hour oxygen and waiting for a double-lung transplant, his attorneys say, a staggering outcome for a man who thought he was just greasing a pan.
Jury rules product warnings were inadequate
The Superior Court jury found Conagra Brands negligent for failing to warn consumers about inhalation risks and assigned the $25 million award, according to reporting by the Chicago Tribune. Conagra told Allrecipes that Pam Butter Flavor spray "is safe and has been diacetyl-free for nearly two decades" and said it intends to pursue all available legal avenues to contest the verdict.
What "popcorn lung" means and where diacetyl shows up
Health agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, link bronchiolitis obliterans to inhaling flavoring chemicals such as diacetyl. The condition has been tied to outbreaks among microwave-popcorn and flavoring-plant workers and can lead to scarring and permanent narrowing of the airways. Public-health groups note that the chemical, along with some substitutes, has turned up in other products, including certain flavored e-cigarette liquids, keeping inhalation risks firmly on the radar for regulators and doctors.
The man at the center of the case
Esparza’s lawyers say he used the butter-flavored spray multiple times a day at his stove starting in the 1990s and that the damage has been life-altering. "Nothing will give him his health back," his attorney told the Chicago Tribune. They describe Esparza as formerly fit and active; today he relies on constant oxygen and faces a high-risk wait for a double-lung transplant.
Legal fallout and precedent
Plaintiff counsel have called the verdict historic and say it is the first time a cooking-spray maker has been held liable for a diacetyl-linked consumer illness, according to a statement from the lawyers and the plaintiff’s team reported online. Conagra says it will appeal, and a judge is expected to decide separately whether punitive damages should be added to the award, per press coverage. The ruling follows earlier consumer verdicts tied to diacetyl exposure, including a 2012 Colorado case that led to multimillion-dollar awards, and could help fuel additional lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny.
What health groups say and what to watch next
Public-health organizations stress that bronchiolitis obliterans is serious and often irreversible, and they continue to warn about inhalation risks from flavoring chemicals, per the American Lung Association. With Conagra disputing the verdict, the $25 million award could be appealed or adjusted, but the case has already turned up the heat on how buttery flavorings are used and labeled in products that sit on millions of kitchen shelves.
