The manufacturers of engineered stone have known for years that their product causes silicosis, an epidemic of lung disease among workers. This knowledge was well established in medical publications, health authority alerts, and news stories long before it became widely known to the public. The manufacturers of engineered stone have put profits ahead of the health of their workers. They have known for years that their product causes silicosis, but they have chosen to do nothing to protect workers from this deadly disease.
Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. It has been known since ancient times, with cases documented as far back as 2500 BC, when slaves in Egypt who cut the stones for the pyramids died from the disease. Similarly, workers who built temples in Greece around 550 BC also died from silicosis. In the 1500s, miners were well documented as dying from silicosis. The disease was also included in medical treatises in the 1700s. In 1917, case studies were written on Vermont granite workers who had died from silicosis. In the 1930s, a disaster occurred at the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel in West Virginia. 2000 out of 2900 tunnel workers died from silicosis as a result of the inadequate ventilation and dust control measures in place at the time. This event led to the Department of Labor launching anti-silicosis campaigns in the 1930s. Silicosis has killed more workers than any other occupational disease. It is a serious and preventable disease, but it is still a major problem in many countries around the world.
Engineered stone was invented in the 1970s in Italy by Marcello Toncelli. He developed a process for combining quartz crystals with resins and pigments to create a solid, durable material that could be used for countertops and other applications. In 1987, Caesarstone began manufacturing engineered stone in Israel. They were the first company to mass-produce engineered stone, and they quickly became the leading manufacturer in the world. In 1990, Cosentino began manufacturing engineered stone in Spain. They are now the second largest manufacturer of engineered stone in the world. In 2000, Cambria began manufacturing engineered stone in the United States. They are now the third largest manufacturer of engineered stone in the world. Many other manufacturers have followed, and engineered stone is now a popular material for countertops and other applications around the world.
In addition to the well-known general risk of chronic silicosis from cutting natural stone, manufacturers and suppliers of engineered stone have known for decades that their unfinished commercial product, when used as intended by fabricators in accordance with their instructions for use, causes deadly accelerated and acute silicosis.
As far back as 1997, the manufactures of engineered stone knew they caused the first engineered stone epidemic. Researchers at the National Lung Transplant Center in Israel published the first case study of a worker who developed silicosis from exposure to engineered stone. Later, in 2012, Dr. Mordechai Kramer and others published a study titled Artificial Stone Silicosis: Disease Resurgence Among Artificial Stone Workers in the journal Chest that looked at 25 Israeli workers over the period of 1997 to 2010, who had developed silicosis from exposure to engineered stone. The study found that all of the workers had been exposed to Caesarstone, a popular brand of engineered stone.
The second engineered stone epidemic started in Spain in 2010. In that year, Dr. Cristina Martinez and colleagues published a case study in the International Journal of Spanish Respiratory Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery entitled Silicosis, Una Enfermedad con Presente Activo about three young workers who had developed severe silicosis from exposure to Cosentino stone. The workers had been employed at a factory that manufactured Cosentino stone, and they had been exposed to the stone for an average of two years. This case study was quickly followed by a study published by Dr. Silvia Pascual and colleagues in Arch Bronconeumol entitled Prevalence of Silicosis in a Marble Factory After Exposure to Quartz. This study looked at 11 workers who had developed severe silicosis from exposure to Cosentino stone. The workers had been employed at the same factory as the workers in the case study by Dr. Martinez and colleagues. The studies by Dr. Martinez and Dr. Pascual were the first to document an epidemic of silicosis among Spanish workers who were exposed to engineered stone. The studies raised concerns about the safety of engineered stone and led to calls for stricter regulations on the use of the material. In 2011, the Spanish government issued a decree that banned the use of engineered stone in public buildings. The decree also required employers to take steps to protect workers from exposure to silica dust from engineered stone.
A third engineered stone epidemic was reported in Italy in 2012. That year, Dr. Dusca Bartoli and colleagues published a study in the Italian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene entitled – Silicosis in Employees in the Processing of Kitchen, Bar, and Shop Countertops Made From Quartz Resin Composite about seven workers out of twenty-nine from the same fabrication shop who had developed severe silicosis from exposure to engineered stone. The study by Dr. Bartoli and colleagues was the first to document an epidemic of silicosis among workers who were exposed to engineered stone in Italy. The study raised concerns about the safety of engineered stone and led to calls for stricter regulations on the use of the material. Dr. Bartoli and colleagues found that: the workers in the study were all young men, with an average age of 27 years; they had all been employed at the same shop for an average of two years; the workers had developed silicosis at a much faster rate than workers who had been exposed to other types of silica dust. This is because engineered stone contains a high concentration of silica dust, and the dust is very fine and easily inhaled. The study’s findings led to calls for stricter regulations on the use of engineered stone. In 2013, the Italian government issued a decree that banned the use of engineered stone in public buildings. The decree also required employers to take steps to protect workers from exposure to silica dust from engineered stone.
The current epidemic of silicosis among engineered stone workers in the United States was foreshadowed in 2015 by Dr. Gary Friedman and Dr. Robert Harrison, et al. in Silicosis in a Countertop Fabricator – Texas, 2014 published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report described a 37-year-old engineered stone worker in Texas who developed acute silicosis with progressive massive fibrosis after just 10 years of working with engineered stone. The worker had been employed at a countertop fabrication shop for 10 years, where he was responsible for cutting, drilling, and sanding engineered stone countertops. He had never been provided with a respirator or any other personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect him from exposure to silica dust. The worker’s health began to deteriorate after 5 years of working with engineered stone. He developed shortness of breath, a cough, and chest pain. He also lost weight and his energy levels decreased. In 2014, the worker was diagnosed with acute silicosis with progressive massive fibrosis. This is a severe form of silicosis that is characterized by the formation of large areas of scar tissue in the lungs. Progressive massive fibrosis is often fatal. The worker’s case was the first to be reported in the United States of a young person who developed acute silicosis after just 10 years of exposure to engineered stone. The case raised concerns about the safety of engineered stone and led to calls for stricter regulations on the use of the material.
In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers – California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, 2017-2019 that described 18 more cases of acute and accelerated silicosis in engineered stone workers in California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington. The cases were reported between 2017 and 2019. The workers in the study were all young and had been working with engineered stone for an average of 3 years. They had all developed severe silicosis, a progressive and often fatal lung disease. The study found that the workers had been exposed to high levels of silica dust while cutting, drilling, and sanding engineered stone.
Between 2021 and 2022, nearly 1,000 cases of severe silicosis were reported in Australia among engineered stone workers. This is a significant increase from the previous year, when only 200 cases were reported. Australian health authorities predict that over 100,000 Australian engineered stone workers will die from silicosis and another 10,000 from lung cancer. This is a staggering number of deaths, and it is a clear indication that the use of engineered stone is a serious health hazard.
Despite the centuries-long history of silicosis, a deadly lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust, and the two-and-a-half decades of evidence that engineered stone causes acute and accelerated silicosis, manufacturers and suppliers have continued to make and sell this deadly product. This is not just an epidemic; it is a pandemic.
Thousands of cases of silicosis have been reported in Italy, Spain, Israel, China, Australia, and the United States. In Australia alone, nearly 1,000 cases of severe silicosis were reported in 2021 and 2022. Australian health authorities predict that over 100,000 Australian engineered stone workers will die from silicosis and another 10,000 from lung cancer.
The manufacturers and suppliers of engineered stone have known for decades that their product causes silicosis, but they have chosen to put profits ahead of the health of workers. They have lobbied against regulations that would protect workers from exposure to silica dust, and they have misled workers about the dangers of engineered stone. The silicosis epidemic is a global crisis. It is a preventable disease, but it is only preventable if we take action to stop the manufacturers and suppliers of engineered stone from putting workers at risk.
Here are some things that we can do to stop the silicosis epidemic:
Boycott engineered stone. If you are considering having engineered stone countertops installed in your home, choose a different material.
Support organizations that are working to protect workers from silicosis.
Contact your elected officials and demand that they take action to ban the use of engineered stone.
Educate yourself and others about the dangers of engineered stone.
We can all play a role in stopping the engineered stone silicosis epidemic. Together, we can make a difference.
If you are a fabricator or other worker of engineered stone countertops and you have been diagnosed with silicosis or lung cancer, or you believe you may have silicosis, contact an attorney for a free case evaluation, we recommend that you call 866-809-5178 or complete a contact form today.
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