Shocking new warning about trendy quartz countertop as 18 cases of fatal lung disease emerge – and two die

A popular type of worktop found in kitchens across the country should be banned due to its deadly effects on lung health, union leaders have demanded.

Trendy quartz worktops have been linked to 18 British cases of a fatal lung disease called artificial stone silicosis, which occurs when the manufacturers of the worktops inhale toxic silica dust.

The latest case occurred in a stonemason who was only 24 years old.

Two British men under the age of 50 – both stonemasons – have already died from the disease.

The risk of working with the material is such that the Australian government banned the use, supply and manufacture of the stone in July last year.

Now the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which represents around 5.5 million workers, has said in fresh calls for a UK ban The me that ending quartz production in Britain would ‘prevent hundreds of deaths’.

Shelly Asquith, health and safety policy officer at the trade union federation, said current exposure limits for silica dust are set ‘far too high’.

‘Research shows that if we halved the amount of dust to which workers are legally allowed to be exposed, this could prevent hundreds of deaths.

‘Britain must go even further in putting workers’ health first and ban the use of artificial stone with high silica content, which, as the tragic and avoidable deaths show, can be fatal.’

Last month, father-of-three and stonemason Marek Marzec, 48, died after months of receiving end-of-life care for silicosis.

Mr Marzec said the dust he inhaled while cutting trendy quartz kitchen worktops left him ‘unable to breathe’ and ‘in total pain’.

Meanwhile, Wessam al Jundi, 28, died in hospital in May while waiting for a lung transplant. This is believed to be the first confirmed death from silicosis linked to quartz countertops.

The countertops, popular in kitchen renovations, are cheaper than granite or marble.

They are made from one of the hardest minerals on earth and are typically composed of about 90 percent ground quartz and 10 percent resins and pigments.

When prepared for installation, they are often ‘dry’ cut and polished with an angle grinder or other hand tools without the use of water to suppress dust generation, further increasing the amount of particulate matter.

Last year, eight men were referred to a specialist clinic for occupational lung diseases, aged between 27 and 56 at the time of diagnosis.

Two were assessed for lung transplants, three for an autoimmune disease and two for opportunistic lung infection caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria when the disease emerged.

Exposure to rock dust lasted an average of 12.5 years, but ranged anywhere from four to forty years, with all men working for small businesses with fewer than ten employees.

Although none worked in the production or installation of countertops, they all performed the “finishing” process, specifically cutting and polishing the countertops before installation.

All reported that this occurred without consistent water suppression and without what they felt was appropriate respiratory protection.

Even where workshop ventilation was present, the men stated that the system had not been regularly maintained or cleaned. None of them were aware of active dust monitoring in the workplace air

Now the total number of patients has reportedly reached 18.

The head of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), the chartered association for workplace protection, has described the workshops where the stone is made as ‘sweatshops’, which he said were putting workers at risk by ignoring safety rules .

In August, doctors treating the rising number of patients at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital called for a ban on the material.

They wrote in the Thorax of the British Medical Journal: ‘The onset of the disease is likely to be related to exposure levels, suggesting that levels, at least for some of the cases in Britain, were extremely high and implying that employers failed to control and adhere to dust exposure. to health and safety regulations.

‘The market is dominated by small companies, which have proven to be difficult to implement. In addition, at least some countertop manufacturers may fail to provide adequate technical information regarding potential risks.

‘Even if exposure is stopped, disease progression is observed in more than 50 percent of cases for (on average) four years. Disease prevention is therefore crucial.’

These calls are supported by a second study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, which said the substance could be phased out gradually.

The researchers wrote: ‘In the meantime, all possible control measures should be taken to keep exposure to (respirable crystalline silica) as low as possible.

“We believe this proposal is proportionate and would protect the health of European workers and other workers around the world, while encouraging industry to continue developing safer products.”

Lung disease expert Dr Johanna Feary, who is currently treating patients with the condition, said there is ‘no good treatment’ for the fatal disease.

‘A diagnosis can be devastating. It affects young men, many of whom have only been working with this material for a few years,” she told The Sun.

Tragic victim Marek Marzec said from his hospital bed in October: ‘I arrived in Britain hoping to build a better life and ensure my young daughters were financially secure.

‘Instead, the work I was doing cutting quartz worktops left me unable to breathe and in terrible pain.

“I can’t tell you how angry I am that I was allowed to work under these conditions and that my life was cut short just because I was doing my job.

“I am not the only person whose life has been endangered by this deadly dust.

‘It is time for urgent action to end the dangerous working conditions I faced, before other stone workers contract this terrible disease and die.’

In a statement published in August, a spokesperson for the Government’s Health and Safety Executive said: ‘Our sympathies go out to those who have lost loved ones to work-related illness.

‘Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances.

‘We continue to work with industry to raise awareness about managing the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and we are considering options for future interventions to ensure workers are protected.’