A health-conscious California man who trusted a household cooking spray to help him maintain his fitness lifestyle now needs a double lung transplant after inhaling toxic fumes from a product millions of Americans use without a second thought.
Story Snapshot
- Roland Esparza, 58, won $25 million verdict against Conagra Brands for developing popcorn lung from PAM butter-flavored cooking spray
- Los Angeles jury found Conagra failed to warn consumers about diacetyl inhalation dangers from butter spray used since the 1990s
- Esparza requires double lung transplant due to irreversible bronchiolitis obliterans despite Conagra removing diacetyl in 2009
- Verdict establishes precedent for holding manufacturers accountable for inadequate warnings about inhalation hazards in consumer products
The Hidden Danger in Your Kitchen Cabinet
Roland Esparza believed he was making smart choices when he reached for PAM butter-flavored cooking spray multiple times daily starting in the 1990s. The fitness enthusiast thought he was reducing fat intake and cooking healthier meals for himself. Instead, he was inhaling diacetyl, a butter-flavoring chemical that would eventually destroy his lungs. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded him $25 million after determining Conagra Brands failed to adequately warn consumers about the serious health risks lurking in those seemingly harmless sprays.
When Butter Flavoring Becomes a Death Sentence
Diacetyl earned its notorious reputation in the microwave popcorn industry, where workers exposed to the chemical developed bronchiolitis obliterans, a condition that permanently scars and narrows the airways. The disease became known as popcorn lung because of its prevalence among factory workers who inhaled the butter-flavoring fumes day after day. What makes Esparza’s case particularly troubling is that he wasn’t working in an industrial setting—he was simply cooking meals in his own kitchen, doing what millions of Americans do without thinking twice about potential dangers.
Corporate Accountability Comes Too Late
Conagra removed diacetyl from PAM spray in 2009, but this decision came years after Esparza had already sustained irreversible lung damage. The company’s delayed action raises critical questions about when manufacturers knew about diacetyl’s dangers and why warning labels remained inadequate for so long. The jury’s verdict suggests they found Conagra’s failure to warn consumers unacceptable, even though the company now emphasizes that its product has been diacetyl-free for nearly two decades. That timeline offers cold comfort to Esparza, whose health cannot be restored by reformulated products or legal victories.
The Price of Corporate Indifference
Conagra expressed disappointment with the verdict and plans to pursue all available legal avenues to contest the decision. The company maintains that PAM Butter Flavor cooking spray is safe and has been free of diacetyl for nearly twenty years. Yet this defense sidesteps the fundamental issue the jury addressed—whether Conagra adequately warned consumers during the years when diacetyl was present in the product. The $25 million award reflects both the severity of Esparza’s condition and the jury’s assessment that corporate responsibility extends beyond simply removing harmful ingredients after the damage is done.
A Life-or-Death Wait for New Lungs
Esparza’s attorney, Jacob Plattenberger, stated that no amount of money will restore his client’s health. Esparza now faces the prospect of a double lung transplant, hoping to be placed on a transplant list as time becomes increasingly critical. The fitness enthusiast who once believed he was making healthy choices now depends on medical intervention to survive. His case stands as a stark reminder that consumer products Americans trust can harbor serious dangers, and that warning labels matter when they’re the only barrier between routine use and life-threatening illness.
Man awarded $25M after getting lung disease from popular cooking spray: ‘Nothing will give him his health back’ https://t.co/fzlC5it0wF pic.twitter.com/2m7JSVVppt
— New York Post (@nypost) February 14, 2026
The verdict may prompt other consumers with similar exposure histories to pursue legal action and could influence how the entire cooking spray industry approaches warning labels for inhalation risks. Whether Conagra’s appeal succeeds or fails, the case has already accomplished what litigation sometimes achieves—forcing public attention onto a hidden danger that transformed an ordinary kitchen staple into a health hazard that destroyed one man’s lungs and may yet claim his life.
Sources:
US Man Awarded Rs 226 Crore Over Chronic Lung Disease Linked to Popular Cooking Spray – NDTV
