Quartz countertops are sturdy yet elegant and have become an essential part of millions of homes.
But the trendy countertops could soon be among the banned asbestos building materials amid growing concerns about their safety.
It is cheaper than granite or marble and its increasing popularity is blamed for the rapid rise in a deadly lung disease: artificial stone silicosis.
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 during manufacturing or assembly.
This has led to calls for government officials to follow Australia’s lead and ban the material to protect workers.
Expensive quartz countertops are made from one of the hardest minerals on earth. Processing them can release potentially harmful fine dust particles.
Until then, all possible controls must be legally enforced to minimize worker exposure to the harmful crystalline silica dust created during manufacturing and assembly, experts say.
The countertops are made from one of the hardest minerals in the world, typically consisting of approximately 90 percent ground quartz and 10 percent resins and pigments.
When ready for installation, they are often also ‘dry’ cut and polished with an angle grinder or other hand tool, without the use of water to reduce dust generation, which further increases the amount of fine dust.
Last year, eight men were referred to an occupational lung disease clinic. They were between 27 and 56 years old at the time of diagnosis.
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 stone dust was 12.5 years, but the number of exposures varied from 4 to 40 years. These were small businesses with fewer than ten employees.
Although none of them worked in the production or installation of countertops, they all carried out the ‘finishing process’, namely cutting and polishing the countertops before installation.
The risks are seen primarily as a concern for those who manufacture the countertops. Pictured: Raw, clear quartz.
They all indicated that this occurred without consistent water suppression and without what they considered appropriate respiratory protection.
Even where there was workshop ventilation, the men stated that the system had not been regularly maintained or cleaned. None of them were aware of any active monitoring of airborne dust in the workplace.
Six of them were born outside the UK and seven smoke or have 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.
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.’
These calls are supported by a second study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, which suggests the substance could be phased out gradually.
They write: ‘In the meantime, all possible control measures should be taken to reduce exposure to [respirable crystalline silica] as low as possible.
‘We believe this proposal is proportionate and will protect the health of European workers and other workers worldwide, while encouraging industry to continue developing safer products.’
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.’
