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A Los Angeles man has won a huge payout after developing a chronic lung disease linked to an ingredient in a popular cooking spray.
A jury in Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that 58-year-old Roland Esparza developed “popcorn lung” as a result of inhaling diacetyl, an ingredient used in PAM cooking spray.
Diacetyl was once used to flavor microwave popcorn, hence the name “popcorn lung.”
The condition was originally noted among workers who made microwave popcorn, but the condition—which causes scarring and narrowing of the airways, leading to breathing difficulties—is now increasingly associated with vape users.
Although Conagra, the maker of PAM, said the ingredient was phased out of its cooking spray in 2009, Esparza’s attorney said he had used the spray obsessively since the 1990s, believing it to be a healthy option.
“He was a big health nut, bodybuilder, martial artist,” his attorney, Jacob Plattenberger, told the Chicago Tribune.
“He was eating a lot of protein, eating a lot of eggs, and he cooked everything on his stove top. And so he was using it multiple times a day.”
Esparza filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging diacetyl was the cause of his breathing difficulties.
Esparza’s attorney said his client is hoping to have a lung transplant “soon.”
“We feel that it was a correct verdict,” Plattenberger said.
“Our client’s a really good guy who didn’t do anything wrong and got a raw deal, and hopefully this helps. Nothing will give him his health back, and even if he gets the transplant, it’s not a great life, but it will give him a few more years.”
Successful suits had previously been brought against popcorn makers, but this is the first time a verdict has been reached against a company using diacetyl in a cooking spray.
