Overview
- California clinicians and safety experts say the state’s strict rules will not prevent widespread illness and urge phasing out hazardous engineered stone from fabrication shops.
- Cal/OSHA projects 1,000 to 1,500 silicosis cases and about 285 deaths among California stoneworkers over the next decade.
- Australia banned the use, supply and manufacture of engineered-stone benchtops in July 2024, while manufacturers insist the products are safe if fabrication protocols are followed.
- In the UK, the family of stonemason Marek Marzec, 48, who died in November last year, is calling for a ban, with his proposed death certificate citing “Artificial Stone Silicosis.”
- UK clinicians report at least 45 cases since mid-2023 with an average patient age of 31, and doctors warn engineered quartz often contains higher silica and drives faster, more lethal disease progression than many natural stones.