Date commenced of granite and stone expo3/15/2024 ![]() They identified a 38-year-old man who had died of silicosis in 2018 after working for a countertop manufacturer. More cases were then discovered in California when public health workers did a routine search of hospital discharge records for a diagnosis of silicosis. That was a 37-year-old Hispanic man who had worked at a countertop company and had been exposed to dust, including dust from engineered stone, for about a decade. Many are small-scale operations that might not understand the dangers of silica or how to control it.Ĭlusters of silicosis cases, some requiring lung transplants, had already occurred among workers who cut engineered stone in Israel, Italy and Spain when doctors saw the first North American case in 2014. Officials estimate that there are more than 8,000 stone fabrication businesses in the United States. These cases were predictable, and they were preventable.ĭavid Michaels, former head of OSHA, U.S. It's disappointing that OSHA hasn't done anything to stop these cases from occurring. Those cases, and the new cases in the United States, have public health experts now wondering about the nearly 100,000 U. One recent study in Australia found that at least 12% of workers who cut stone countertops had silicosis. Still, Heinzerling believes that "the fact that all of our affected workers worked with engineered stone, as did many of the workers reported internationally, is really important." ![]() What's more, the statement goes on, engineered stone surfaces "are totally safe in their fabrication and installation if it is performed according to the recommended practices." Manufacturers, according to the trade group, have been working to educate fabricators about these practices. World-wide, sent NPR a written statement, noting that dust-related diseases can come from unsafe handling of many different materials and that "these risks are not specific to engineered stone." Shots - Health News Tighter, Controversial Silica Rules Aimed At Saving Workers' LungsĪ spokesperson for a trade organization that represents major manufacturers of engineered stone, A.St.A. Companies make their engineered stone by embedding bits of quartz in a resin binder, and that means it's almost entirely composed of crystalline silica. Manufacturers say the material is preferable to natural stone because it's less likely to crack or stain. From 2010 to 2018, imports of the material rose about 800%. Amy Heinzerling, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is assigned to the California Department of Public Health.Įngineered stone took off as a popular option for countertops about a decade ago and is now one of the most common choices for kitchens and bathrooms. "I am concerned that what we may be seeing here may just be the tip of the iceberg," says Dr. ![]() The workers were nearly all Hispanic, almost all were men, and most had "severe, progressive disease." His experience is just one of those described in a new report on 18 cases of illness, including two deaths, among people who worked principally with engineered stone in California, Colorado, Texas and Washington. Engineered stone typically contains over 90% silica.
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