NPR: Rise in severe lung disease among workers in countertop manufacturing industry

The cutting of engineered stone, such as quartz, in the countertop manufacturing industry has led to workers breathing in dust particles causing an increase in the lung disease called silicosis. Specifically, the disease currently has no cure and is caused by the dust of stones that contain the mineral silica. Silicosis causes the lungs of patients to become scarred and inflamed eventually causing the patient to suffocate. In the US, eighteen workers have been confirmed to have silicosis. This process of cutting engineered stone may also put the approximately 100,000 workers in the countertop manufacturing industry at risk. For more information click here.