Our attorneys have been assisting the Riverside community for over 40 years.
For over thirty years, the diacetyl lung injury attorneys at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, Riverside have been helping lung and respiratory injury patients win their legal cases and are awarded the maximum possible compensation under the law. We are troubled by how prevalent diacetyl is in certain factories, industries, and food processing plants. We are even more saddened by how slow the food processing has been to prevent diacetyl lung injuries. Call us right away to set up a free initial consultation and case evaluation to discuss your diacetyl exposure case. Given our vast experience with diacetyl, we believe it is important for you to get medical help no matter how much exposure you have had to it. We are considered by some to be the best Riverside lung injury attorneys and we strive daily to live up to those standards.
We know how badly diacetyl exposure affects the lungs and the ability to breathe in California. No paycheck is worth that and no worker should be subjected to that. Our Riverside workers’ compensation attorneys are prepared to utilize their expert knowledge to take the stress of this case off of your shoulders.
Diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical substance that produces a buttery odor and flavor. It is used widely as an ingredient to impart buttery flavors and odors to a broad variety of manufactured foods and manufactured flavors. Diacetyl is also used in “natural” and artificial flavorings, such as butter-flavored candy, microwave popcorn, baked goods and cake, and bread mixes. It is also commonly used as an ingredient by flavoring manufacturers for use in flavorings that require a buttery flavor or odor, such as buttermilk, caramel, and butterscotch.
Food processing workers may be at risk of developing respiratory injuries, severe lung disease or being afflicted by asthma due to the “natural” butter flavoring diacetyl. This includes employees in snack factories, microwave popcorn factories, flavoring companies, popcorn factories, bakeries, and mass food production plants.
The Riverside work accident lawyers at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo is ready to investigate and research your claims for work comp diacetyl lung injury. We have helped many people who have developed injuries at work including the so-called “popcorn lung” from diacetyl. Workers’ compensation laws are there to keep injured workers protected after an injury on the job. This includes the fact that employers cannot penalize or fire employees for filing a workers’ compensation claim. The workers’ comp insurance held by your employer has the potential to provide financial compensation to you and your family for disability, income, death benefits, medical benefits, permanent disability compensation, medical expenses, and vocational rehabilitation (when the circumstances of the job injury warrant such payments).
Diacetyl has been identified as a substance that can cause severe respiratory injury. Studies have shown that inhalation of diacetyl vapors damages the cell linings of the respiratory airway tracts of animals that were used in testing. Additionally, studies have also shown that the lungs of mice exposed to diacetyl vapors show similar damage to that of bronchiolitis obliterans in human beings. A study by a European diacetyl manufacturer also identified workers with respiratory injuries similar to those of food workers exposed to diacetyl. Food processing industry employees exposed to food flavorings containing diacetyl have developed serious respiratory illness, which may present with persistent wheezing, shortness of breath upon exertion, dry cough, and fixed airways obstruction on spirometry.
One other possible condition that exposure to diacetyl could lead to is bronchiolitis obliterans. It is a severe form of obstructive lung disease which occurs when small airways become inflamed and scarred, resulting in the thickening and narrowing of the airways. This obstructs the proper flow of air through the lungs. The symptoms and the extent of airway obstruction can range from mild to severe. It is a permanent condition, and lung function does not improve when exposure is stopped. To make matters worse, the condition also makes the lungs more susceptible to lung infection, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to seek medical help and call us right away.
Our firm is one of the few around that has a vast amount of experience with cases that involve diacetyl exposure. We are passionate about helping those who have already been exposed to it and working to get rid of its use as a food ingredient. The free initial consultations and case evaluations have always been an effective way for our potential clients to get to know our team of quality lawyers and staff and learn about the legal merits of their cases. Our law firm operates all of its cases on a contingency basis where you will not owe or pay us anything unless we win your injury case with a positive trial verdict or settlement. Contact us today at (951) 977-7787.
The Riverside diacetyl lung injury lawyers at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo will come to you at your house or hospital room if you are unable to come to our office. We will also be available by appointment for meetings on the weekend and evening if you do not have the time to see us during the normal times of Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. We wish you the best possible recovery.