'Safe' alternatives to engineered stone bench tops may not be so safe after all, study finds
1 year, 3 months ago

'Safe' alternatives to engineered stone bench tops may not be so safe after all, study finds

ABC  

In short: A new study has found silica is not the only component in engineered stone products that can damage lungs. It's been widely publicised that engineered stone products contain deadly silica dust, but new research suggests there isn't a safe alternative. Now, researchers from the University of Tasmania and the University of Adelaide have found silica isn't the only component in engineered stone products that's a cause for concern. "Silicosis due to engineered stone dusts is a far more severe form of disease, developing over shorter time frames and rapidly progressing," Professor Zosky said. "It's not just about the silica, it's something specific about the engineered stone products that's causing such a significant issue in workers fabricating these products."

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History of this topic

Shocking new warning over trendy quartz worktop as 18 cases of deadly lung disease emerge - and two die
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Shocking new warning over trendy quartz worktop as 18 cases of deadly lung disease emerge - and two die

Daily Mail  

A popular type of worktop seen in kitchens up and down the country should be banned due to its deadly effects on lung health, union leaders have demanded. Trendy quartz worktops have been linked to 18 UK cases of a lethal lung disease called artificial stone silicosis, which develops when those manufacturing the worktops breathe in toxic silica dust. It …

California bill calls for certification for stonecutting shops amid worker deaths from silicosis
3 months, 2 weeks ago

California bill calls for certification for stonecutting shops amid worker deaths from silicosis

LA Times  

New legislation in Sacramento aims to address a rise in countertop cutters suffering an incurable and fatal disease by imposing new requirements on businesses, including safety training for workers. Senate Bill 20, introduced this week by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, would set up a certification system for the fabrication shops where workers cut, grind and polish stone slabs to fashion …

Caesarstone alleged to be hiding behind Israel's war in Gaza to slow silicosis compensation claim
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Caesarstone alleged to be hiding behind Israel's war in Gaza to slow silicosis compensation claim

ABC  

Joshua Bucklow is 42 and has been given about 20 years to live. "The war in Gaza … has apparently caused them not to be able to discover digital documents in Israel for the benefit of an Australian proceeding," Mr Walsh told 7.30. "Engineered stone, it was dusty … you'd look like Casper after cutting it," Mr Bucklow told 7.30. …

The former stonemason fighting for silicosis compensation
3 months, 2 weeks ago

The former stonemason fighting for silicosis compensation

ABC  

JOSHUA BUCKLOW: I was playing football, Oz Tag, and I just couldn't run around like I used to anymore, and I just thought it was my age. ANGELIQUE DONNELLAN: Joshua worked as a stonemason for 17 years and regularly installed kitchen benchtops made from engineered stone. ANGELIQUE DONNELLAN: Lawyer Jonathon Walsh says Josh’s case is likely to go to trial …

New concerns about trendy quartz worktops - as 48-year-old man reveals he's DYING after being exposed to toxic material
4 months, 2 weeks ago

New concerns about trendy quartz worktops - as 48-year-old man reveals he's DYING after being exposed to toxic material

Daily Mail  

A 48 year-old stonemason told he has weeks to live after developing an incurable lung disease linked to kitchen worktops is taking legal action against his former employers. Father-of-three Marek Marzec, who has lung disease silicosis, says the dust he inhaled while cutting trendy quartz kitchen worktops has left him 'unable to breathe' and 'in terrible pain'. Mr Marek Marzec …

Safer stone? New countertop options emerge amid concerns over silicosis and worker deaths
5 months ago

Safer stone? New countertop options emerge amid concerns over silicosis and worker deaths

LA Times  

A Cosentino store in West Hollywood. But amid legal battles and calls to ban engineered stone, some companies have also begun offering newer products that are lower in crystalline silica. Dr. Ryan Hoy, senior research fellow at Monash University’s Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health in Melbourne, said that many of the new products are made with a form of …

Silicosis-causing fake stone imports to be banned from January 1
6 months ago

Silicosis-causing fake stone imports to be banned from January 1

ABC  

Fake stone products will be stopped at the Australian border from next year, marking the final step in a national ban on the once-popular building material, which can cause the deadly dust disease silicosis. Engineered stone, a popular material often used for kitchen benches, has been linked to a surge in deadly lung disease among stonemasons due to its high …

Why silica dust could become the 'new asbestos' health risk
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Why silica dust could become the 'new asbestos' health risk

Hindustan Times  

If inhaled, silica dust from cut or drilled stone, can cause a fatal lung disease. Daily exposure to silica dust, released from cement and stone, can lead to silicosis, which is a scarring and hardening of the lungs New limits to a person's daily exposure to silica dust in the construction, mining, dentistry and other industries could save about 13,000 …

I developed incurable lung disease after five years of working with toxic stone worktops - now I can't walk more than a few steps
7 months, 2 weeks ago

I developed incurable lung disease after five years of working with toxic stone worktops - now I can't walk more than a few steps

Daily Mail  

A stonemason who developed an incurable lung disease after making quartz kitchen worktops has shared the devastating impact it's had on his life. A stonemason who developed an incurable lung disease as a consequence of working quartz kitchen worktops has shared the devastating impact it's had on his life Silicosis, via the fine particles workers inhale, causes internal scarring and …

Trendy quartz kitchen worktops should be BANNED as they raise risk of incurable lung disease, doctors warn - after eight cases in the UK
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Trendy quartz kitchen worktops should be BANNED as they raise risk of incurable lung disease, doctors warn - after eight cases in the UK

Daily Mail  

Strong yet elegant, quartz kitchen worktops have become a staple in millions of homes. ‘We believe that this proposal is proportionate and would protect the health of European workers and other workers from across the globe, while encouraging the industry to continue to develop safer products.’ Lung disease expert Dr Johanna Feary said there is 'no good treatment' for the …

TAFE instructor says legacy engineered stone remains silicosis risk for workers
8 months, 1 week ago

TAFE instructor says legacy engineered stone remains silicosis risk for workers

ABC  

The building and construction sector has compared so-called legacy stone benchtops to lead paint and asbestos as tradies risk exposure to silica dust for decades to come. Australia's world-first ban on engineered stone products has prevented new benchtops from being installed but workers were still allowed to do renovation or demolition work on existing material. Master Builders Victoria acting chief …

As engineered stone ban comes into effect, war on silicosis far from over, doctor warns
8 months, 3 weeks ago

As engineered stone ban comes into effect, war on silicosis far from over, doctor warns

ABC  

In short: The manufacture, supply and installation of engineered stone benchtops is banned from July 1. Dr Edwards was part of the National Dust Diseases Taskforce established in 2019, which recommended a complete ban of the product by July 2024 if safety regulators and the industry couldn't protect workers. For the Shine Lawyers dust diseases national practice leader, silicosis seemed …

California embraces emergency rules to protect countertop workers from incurable silicosis
1 year, 3 months ago

California embraces emergency rules to protect countertop workers from incurable silicosis

LA Times  

The deaths of young workers who cut kitchen and bathroom countertops prompted a state board to back emergency safety measures Thursday aimed at preventing silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has risen along with the booming popularity of engineered stone. “Something really needed to be done.. It’s a toxic epidemic.” State regulators estimated that as many as 800 of the …

ACT government prepared to 'go it alone' in banning engineered stone if national agreement isn't reached
1 year, 4 months ago

ACT government prepared to 'go it alone' in banning engineered stone if national agreement isn't reached

ABC  

The ACT government has thrown its full support behind the push for a national ban on the use of engineered stone, and says it will implement its own prohibition if the federal government doesn't take action. Key points: A Safe Work Australia report found engineered stone poses an 'unacceptable risk to workers' and should be banned The ACT government says …

Damning silicosis report calls for world-first ban on deadly engineered stone — will governments listen?
1 year, 4 months ago

Damning silicosis report calls for world-first ban on deadly engineered stone — will governments listen?

ABC  

The resounding message of the Safe Work Australia report is simple: Ban engineered stone benchtops and save worker lives. Parker's words are even more pointed: "Engineered stone benchtops are straight up killing people and the only way to stop it is to ban it." "There is no toxicological evidence of a 'safe' threshold of crystalline silica content, or that the …

Commentary: No one should have to die for our fancy countertops
1 year, 5 months ago

Commentary: No one should have to die for our fancy countertops

LA Times  

Leobardo Segura Meza, 27, who suffers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has been afflicting workers who cut and polish engineered stone high in silica, is photographed with his son Leo Gael Segura, 4, at his home in Pacoima. At no time did we talk about the hidden costs of the option, specifically that the people — mainly young …

Engineered stone counter tops are killing workers at high rates. What can consumers do about it?
1 year, 5 months ago

Engineered stone counter tops are killing workers at high rates. What can consumers do about it?

LA Times  

A construction worker sands a kitchen counter. Gandhi’s co-author Dr. Jane Fazio, a pulmonary critical care physician at UCLA Medical Center, said engineered stone has dominated the market in the last 10 to 15 years primarily because of its affordability. “Our study demonstrates that there is no other cause of the type of lung disease that they have other than …

What is silicosis? The incurable disease sickening young California workers who cut countertops
1 year, 5 months ago

What is silicosis? The incurable disease sickening young California workers who cut countertops

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. People get the disease after inhaling tiny pieces of silica, a mineral, while working with …

Lawmakers Seek Protections For Workers Against Lung Damage Tied To Making Countertops
5 years, 5 months ago

Lawmakers Seek Protections For Workers Against Lung Damage Tied To Making Countertops

NPR  

Lawmakers Seek Protections For Workers Against Lung Damage Tied To Making Countertops Enlarge this image toggle caption CNRI/Science Photo Library/Getty Images CNRI/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Lawmakers in Congress are calling on the Department of Labor to do more to protect workers who may be unsafely cutting "engineered stone" used for countertops. Even though adequate dust control can completely eliminate the …

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