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MS International’s 2021 Safety Data Sheet for Artificial Stone Products

In a recent revelation, MS International's 2021 Safety Data Sheet on "Quartz" products has raised serious concerns regarding the company's commitment to worker safety and transparency. The document, intended to outline the safe handling and usage of quartz as a building material, falls dramatically short of acknowledging the significant health risks associated with its fabrication and installation.

The Safety Data Sheet, while attempting to portray quartz products as non-hazardous, omits crucial information about the dangers of respirable crystalline silica dust generated during the cutting, grinding, and polishing of quartz surfaces. This dust, a known carcinogen, poses a severe risk of silicosis—a deadly lung disease—as well as other respiratory conditions. The claim that the product "poses no immediate hazard to health" is not only misleading but dangerously false, given the well-documented cases of acute and accelerated silicosis among workers exposed to silica dust.
Furthermore, the assertion that "respiratory, hand, and eye protection may be needed" underplays the necessity of stringent safety measures. The reality is that adequate protection requires more than just basic PPE; it demands comprehensive air quality control and rigorous health monitoring to safeguard against the insidious threat of silica exposure.

Adding insult to injury, a letter from MS International's Co-CEO to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors blatantly misrepresents the safety of handling artificial stone products. This correspondence, which seeks to dissuade regulatory action against artificial stone, egregiously ignores the growing epidemic of silicosis cases, particularly among small, under-resourced fabrication shops. The attempt to shift responsibility onto these small businesses, which lack the means to implement costly safety measures, is not only disingenuous but morally reprehensible.

The narrative spun by MS International and echoed by other giants in the industry is one of denial and deflection. By claiming that artificial stone has been "safely manufactured and fabricated for decades," they ignore the stark reality faced by workers and the medical community. The first cases of artificial stone-induced silicosis were documented in the late '90s, with a significant number of affected individuals requiring lung transplants—a fact starkly at odds with the industry's safety assertions.

This situation is not merely a failure of one company but indicative of a broader industry problem. The prioritization of profits over people, the manipulation of safety data, and the shirking of responsibility towards vulnerable workers are systemic issues that demand immediate and decisive action.

As consumers, industry stakeholders, and regulators, we must hold companies like MS International accountable for their actions and the information they disseminate. It is imperative to demand transparency, enforce stringent safety standards, and ensure that all workers are protected from the known hazards of their trade. The cost of inaction is measured in human lives, and the toll is already far too high.