A stonemason who was diagnosed with terminal lung disease after making quartz kitchen worktops has told of the devastating impact it had on his life.
Malik Al-Khalil, 31, was first hired to make the trendy counters six years ago and remembers coming home covered in dust from cutting the material.
He had no idea that the dust he was also breathing in was slowly but surely destroying his lungs. Today, he has difficulty breathing and can no longer walk without help.
His body is ravaged by silicosis, a terrible disease that doctors say could kill him.
Mr Al-Khalil, who is originally from Syria, is one of the few public faces of the scandal that has already left one British stonemason dead and almost a dozen others seriously ill with silicosis.
A stonemason who was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease as a result of working with quartz kitchen worktops has shared the devastating impact it has had on his life (stock image)
Silicosis, via the fine particles that workers inhale, causes internal scarring and inflammation of the lungs. Silicosis of the lung tissue shown under magnification
However, doctors warn that the known cases are likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Concerns are so great that doctors this week called on the government to ban quartz countertops to protect contractors and stonemasons.
Popular quartz countertops are made up of 90 percent crushed quartz and 10 percent resins and pigments.
When processed into their final worktop form, potentially harmful particles of fine silica dust are released into the air.
These countertops are cheaper than granite or marble and are a staple in kitchen renovations, but workers like Mr. Al-Khalil pay the price.
“This silicosis, once it starts in your body, it won’t stop,” he said i.
“I want to let all the people working on this know what happens to this material.”
Mr Al-Khalil claims When he worked with quartz, no precautions were taken, such as ‘wetting’ the stone to suppress dust.
He and his colleagues were not given any special equipment to prevent inhalation, other than using standard masks, he adds.
Last August, he developed a bad cough and sought hospital help, but was told it was likely a flu-like illness.
But his condition worsened and he started experiencing vomiting, joint pain and shortness of breath.
He sought help again and doctors suspected he had the bacterial infection tuberculosis.
However, Mr Al-Khalil’s condition deteriorated rapidly: he could no longer eat or drink and his weight dropped dramatically.
In September last year, tests revealed he had silicosis, and doctors warned him the disease could be fatal.
He was out of hospital until April after undergoing surgery for lung collapse, after which he required more intensive care.
After the diagnosis, Mr Al-Khalil discovered that two colleagues also had silicosis.
‘I now know nine people who have the same silicosis. They all work in factories, they all work as stonemasons, they all have the same job.’
Silicosis, which is caused by the fine particles that workers inhale, causes scar tissue and inflammation in the lungs.
This puts the lungs at greater risk of infection, reduces their overall effectiveness, and can even lead to fatal organ failure.
Breathing problems can also place a potentially fatal burden on the heart.
Silicosis is not a new disease. It has affected the lives of miners, builders and stonemasons in the UK before.
The UK’s health and safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), estimates that 12 people die each year as a result of exposure to silicosis.
According to HSE, this is probably an underestimate.
Expensive quartz countertops are made from one of the hardest minerals on earth. Processing them can release potentially harmful fine dust particles.
In the past year, 11 cases, including one death, have been reported in the UK from the progressive disease, which is caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust.
British doctors reported that eight men aged between 27 and 56 were diagnosed with silicosis last year after attending an occupational lung disease clinic.
Two of them were being investigated for lung transplantation, three for autoimmune disease, and two for opportunistic lung infection caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria when the disease was discovered.
The average exposure to the dust that causes the disease was 12.5 years, but the number of exposures ranged from 4 to 40 years. All the men worked for small companies with fewer than 10 employees.
Of the cases, six were born outside the UK and seven were smokers or had smoked, doctors said in the BMJ journal Thorax.
Doctors treating the patients said more needed to be done to regulate dust exposure and urged authorities to consider an outright ban.
Dr Joanna Feary, a pulmonologist at the Royal Brompton, is currently treating patients with stone-induced silicosis.
They wrote: ‘The onset of illness is likely to be related to exposure levels, suggesting that levels, at least for some cases in the UK… were extremely high and that employers failed to control dust exposure and comply with health and safety regulations.
‘The market is dominated by small companies, where regulations have proven difficult to implement. In addition, at least some worktop manufacturers may fail to provide sufficient technical information regarding potential risks.
‘Even when exposure is stopped, disease progression has been observed in more than 50 percent of cases [an average] of 4 years. Prevention of disease is therefore crucial.’
The problem isn’t just a British one. Earlier this year, Australia became the first country to ban the type of worktops that have been linked to a new wave of silicosis, after a spate of 579 cases among stonemasons in the country.
Lung disease expert Dr Johanna Feary said there was “no good treatment” for the deadly disease.
“Diagnoses 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.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the government’s Health and Safety Executive said: “Our condolences go out to those who have lost loved ones to work-related illness.
‘The UK 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 of how to manage the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and consider options for future interventions to ensure workers are protected.’
A HSE spokesperson said: ‘Our condolences go out to those who have lost loved ones to work-related illness.
‘The UK 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 of how to manage the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and consider options for future interventions to ensure workers are protected.’
Mr Al-Khalil still hopes to recover. He wants to move to a coastal town and continue taking driving lessons there.
