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 a disease of a bygone era until a flood of cases came across his desk from 2015. "For many workers the ban has come too late — it can take many years for the disease to become apparent and young lives will continue to be destroyed," he said. CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith says rebranded engineered stone still poses a risk.

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History of this topic

California bill calls for certification for stonecutting shops amid worker deaths from silicosis
3 months, 3 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, 3 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, 3 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 …

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, 1 week 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 …

TAFE instructor says legacy engineered stone remains silicosis risk for workers
8 months, 2 weeks 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 …

Confusion surrounding ban on engineered stone crippling building industry, say builders and suppliers
1 year ago

Confusion surrounding ban on engineered stone crippling building industry, say builders and suppliers

ABC  

In short: Queensland's builders say a lack of detail on the upcoming ban on engineered stone has left them in limbo and is crippling business. Queensland's builders say a lack of detail on the upcoming ban on engineered stone has left them in limbo and is crippling business. Engineered stone decision Photo shows Kitchen bench top Australia's workplace ministers have …

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 …

'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 …

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 …

Action on silicosis stalled as surveillance program estimated to miss 200 workers with deadly disease
1 year, 7 months ago

Action on silicosis stalled as surveillance program estimated to miss 200 workers with deadly disease

ABC  

As calls to ban engineered stone kitchen benchtops grow louder, a surveillance program in NSW is estimated to have missed a staggering 200 workers who have developed the crippling work-related lung disease silicosis but have not been diagnosed. Hobby potters warned of silicosis risk Photo shows Woman trimming a bowl on a pottery wheel The incurable lung disease, caused by …

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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