Lawsuits Claim Cooking Spray Can Design Is Prone To Explosion

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- You probably don't think twice when spraying cooking spray onto a dish or pan, but several people now claim the maker of sprays like "PAM" put their lives in danger.

Six lawsuits were filed against Conagra, the maker of PAM and other generic store-brand cooking sprays, in Chicago Tuesday. They claim Conagra designed and made faulty, dangerous cans that were prone to explosion.

Shocking video shows a restaurant cook in Houston becoming engulfed in flames after a can of PAM cooking spray placed on a shelf in front of a grill exploded without warning. The explosion ignited a full-scale kitchen fire.

In Indianapolis, a medical student was severely burned while cooking dinner in his apartment. The cooking spray he was using burst into flames. He and his girlfriend were able to put out the fire, but he suffered severe burns to his face, neck, arms and hands. His injuries required surgeries and skin grafts.

According to the lawsuit, Conagra began using a new kind of aerosol can in 2011 to save money.

The new cans contain four U-shaped score marks on the bottom of the can, designed to let the can vent. The lawsuit alleges the can design is to blame for these explosions.

Conagra responded to the suits, saying, "When PAM is used correctly, as instructed, it is a 100% safe and effective product."

They also say, however, the can design in question is no longer in production.

Those who have filed the lawsuits, including the restaurant kitchen cook who caught fire, say the company put consumers in danger.

It's estimated cooking sprays are used in 95% of U.S. households.