Conagra Must Pay $25 Million to PAM Spray User With Popcorn Lung

A Los Angeles jury awarded $25 million to a man who said his use of PAM cooking spray caused a debilitating lung condition, assigning maker Conagra Brands Inc. full responsibility for his injuries.

Roland Esparza alleged that Conagra’s butter-flavored PAM cooking spray contained diacetyl and other harmful flavor chemicals that created inhalation hazards. He said he developed the chronic lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as popcorn lung, from using the spray.

A jury in the Superior Court of California for Los Angeles County found that the cooking spray failed to perform as safely as customers would have expected and ...