Diggs v. M&J Painting & Wallcovering Inc.

34 Pa. D. & C.4th 397, 1996 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 110
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedSeptember 17, 1996
Docketno. 22 S 1993
StatusPublished

This text of 34 Pa. D. & C.4th 397 (Diggs v. M&J Painting & Wallcovering Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Diggs v. M&J Painting & Wallcovering Inc., 34 Pa. D. & C.4th 397, 1996 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 110 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1996).

Opinion

EN BANC, TURGEON, HOOVER AND CLARK, JJ.

TURGEON, /.,

— On January 5, 1993, plaintiffs Victor and Anna Diggs filed a complaint against defendants M&J Painting & Wallcovering and ChemRex Inc. Plaintiffs seek damages against ChemRex on a theory of products liability. The defendants subsequently joined Federal International Chemicals/Valspar Corporation and Lord Corporation (both manufacturers), J.C. Budding (distributor), Ritter Brothers (general contractor), and Holy Spirit Hospital. All parties, including M&J Painting, have since settled except ChemRex, which has filed a motion for summary judgment. Oral argument on this motion was held before an en banc panel of this court on May 23, 1996. For the reasons set forth below, ChemRex’s motion is denied.

FACTS

At approximately 7:20 a.m. on October 2, 1991, two employees of M&J Painting began spraying a concrete sealant in the basement of a new addition to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Both employees were wearing respirator protection. Unbeknownst to the M&J employees and their project manager, James Lawrence, plaintiff Victor Diggs had begun work in the basement at approximately 8 a.m., installing a medical records dumbwaiter in a stairwell for his employer, General Elevator Company. It is alleged that plaintiff inhaled fumes from the sealant and by 9:30 a.m., became ill. Plaintiff was ultimately hospitalized and diagnosed with toxic hepatitis and toxic [400]*400encephalopathy. Defendant ChemRex was the distributor of the sealant, which was sold under the label Sonothane. On the date of the accident, Lawrence had delivered four five-gallon cans of Sonothane to the worksite. ChemRex designs warning labels for Sonothane. The cans contained two different labels. An April 1989 label contained the following warning:

“WARNING

HARMFUL OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED.

VAPOR HARMFUL

See warnings elsewhere on label.

FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY”

The additional warnings on the April 1989 label state, “DANGER FLAMMABLE, use only with adequate ventilation, reseal partially used containers, store away from sources of ignition and keep out of the reach of children.” The label recommended certain safety equipment — “Use of impervious gloves, goggles and if applied in areas of poor or inadequate ventilation, use NIOSH/MSHA approved organic vapor respirator.” Furthermore, the label indicated Sonothane could be applied by brush, spray or lamb’s wool applicator. The label also provided as follows:

“May cause injury to skin or eyes following repeated or prolonged contact. Prevent contact with skin and eyes. If contact occurs, flush affected area(s) thoroughly with plenty of water. Remove and wash contaminated clothing before reuse. May cause respiratory irritation and intoxication with central nervous system depression. Repeated overexposure may cause central nervous system or kidney damage. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. [401]*401If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. If not breathing, administer artificial respiration. May cause irritation or injury to liver or kidneys if ingested. DO NOT take internally. If ingested, DO NOT induce vomiting. Liquid aspirated into lungs may cause serious lung injury. Give water or milk if victim is conscious and not drowsy. This product contains TDI which has been determined to be carcinogenic by the National Toxicology Program in a laboratory animal feeding study. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed the same study and concluded that the evidence was inadequate to classify TDI as human carcinogen. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR ALL OVEREXPOSURES.”

A June 1991 label provided the following warning:

DANGER — COMBUSTIBLE

The additional warnings on the June 1991 label provided: “WARNING DANGER — COMBUSTIBLE, use only with adequate ventilation, reseal partially used containers, store away from sources of ignition, keep all used and unused containers out of the reach of children and seek medical attention for all overexposures.” This label recommended personal protective equipment: “Impervious gloves, goggles, and, if used in areas of poor or inadequate ventilation, use NIOSH approved organic vapor cartridge respirator in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.130. Refer to Material Safety Data Sheet for further recommendations.” Furthermore, Sonothane was to be applied by lamb’s wool applicator. No mention was [402]*402made that application could be by spray. In addition, the label provided as follows:

“May cause injury to skin or eyes following repeated or prolonged contact. Prevent contact with skin and eyes. If contact occurs, flush affected areas thoroughly with plenty of water. Remove and wash contaminated clothing before reuse.
“May cause respiratory irritation and intoxication with possible central nervous system depression. Repeated overexposure may cause central nervous system or kidney damage. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If breathing is difficult give oxygen. If not breathing, administer artificial respiration. May cause irritation or injury to liver or kidneys if ingested. DO NOT take internally. If ingested, DO NOT induce vomiting. Liquid aspirated into lungs may cause serious lung injury. Give water or milk if victim is conscious and not drowsy.
“This product contains less than 1 percent of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) which has been determined to be carcinogenic by the National Toxicology Program in laboratory animal feeding study. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed the same study and concluded that the evidence was inadequate to classify TDI as human carcinogen.” (Pendegrast affidavit, exhibits C and D.)

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) provided by ChemRex for Sonothane and referred to in the June 1991 label was not provided to M&J Painting. (Lawrence N.T. 14; M. Van Wagner N.T. 168; W. Van Wagner N.T. 12.)

Plaintiff’s labeling expert, E. Patrick McGuire, stated the ingredients within Sonothane would likely produce significant hepatic and neurological insults to workers unprotected with respiratory apparatus and that such damage could occur within a relatively short time period. [403]*403He noted that use of spray application, as opposed to roller application, would produce a greater vapor concentration, that vapors would settle in low-lying areas and that an exhaust ventilation system was a necessity in areas where the product was being applied. He concluded the labels were defective for failing to indicate what constituted “adequate ventilation,” leaving the decision up to applicators who will likely be unable to determine what is adequate; that overexposure will cause target organ damage instead of may cause such damage; that damages to the central nervous system and hepatic system are irreversible and permanent; and that non-applicator personnel should be evacuated from areas where Sonothane might be concentrated. (Diveglia affidavit, exhibit 4.)

Catherine Griffith, a ChemRex employee who developed the “warning” portion of the label, agreed spraying increases the vaporization and that the product may accumulate and travel to a lower level. (Griffith N.T.

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34 Pa. D. & C.4th 397, 1996 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/diggs-v-mj-painting-wallcovering-inc-pactcompldauphi-1996.