California Doctors Push for Emergency Ban on Deadly Countertop Material

The Human Cost of Beautiful Kitchens

Lopez, a 43-year-old father of four, can barely walk a few steps without stopping to catch his breath. The once-active father of four now awaits a double lung transplant. He can no longer support his family or walk a few steps without pausing to catch his breath. Confined to his East Bay home and tethered to an oxygen machine, he represents the devastating human cost of America's love affair with engineered stone countertops.

After years of making kitchen countertops from engineered stone, the 43-year-old was diagnosed with silicosis, an often deadly lung disease linked to inhaling toxic dust the material releases when powercut. His story is far from unique. Two stonecutter friends died after working with the man-made material, also known as artificial stone or quartz. Three others are on a waitlist for lung transplants, he said.

Now, a medical association has petitioned California to follow Australia's groundbreaking lead and ban this popular construction material entirely. A medical association has petitioned California to prohibit the use of a popular countertop construction material linked to an aggressive lung disease disabling and killing stoneworkers.

A Silent Epidemic Unfolds

The numbers paint a grim picture of an industry in crisis. Between 1,000 to 1,500 stoneworkers in California could develop silicosis within the next decade, leading to roughly 285 deaths, according to California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA. The state is home to about 5,000 countertop fabrication workers, predominantly Latino immigrants.

In California, health authorities have tracked about 260 silicosis cases among mostly Latino countertop fabrication workers since 2019, with Los Angeles County's San Fernando Valley as the epicenter of the outbreak. At least 15 people have died. Dozens underwent lung transplants. The true scope may be even worse. "It's just like every month, my mailbox is full of more referrals of silicosis cases," she said. "The number of cases is exploding. It's insane."

The material's danger lies in its composition. Artificial stone in the U.S. market often contains more than 90% pulverized crystalline silica, far more than natural stones such as marble and granite. When workers powercut, polish and grind slabs of the material, tiny silica particles are released. If inhaled, they can lodge in the lungs and cause tissue scarring that progressively impedes breathing.

Australia Shows the Way

While California debates action, Australia has already taken decisive steps. Australia is set to become the first country to prohibit the use, supply, and manufacture of all engineered stone from July 1, 2024. The world-first ban was based on a recommendation by Safe Work Australia in response to the rise of silicosis cases, particularly in engineered stone workers.

The report concluded that no level of silica was safe in engineered stone and that the material should be prohibited in its entirety. The Australian experience offers a stark warning: A subsequent report by the national policy body Safe Work Australia found that engineered stone workers were significantly over-represented in silicosis cases and were being diagnosed with the disease at much younger ages than workers from other industries, with most being under the age of 35.

The Challenge Ahead

The timing couldn't be more complicated for California. In California, sales are expected to increase even more due to efforts to rebuild the more than 16,000 homes and buildings destroyed by January wildfires in Los Angeles. Consumers prefer the stain-resistant material because it's often cheaper than natural stone and offers diverse colors and designs. But many consumers are unaware of the hazards that artificial stone dust poses to the workers who shape and install their countertops.

Medical experts argue that current safety measures aren't enough. "We've tried all these regulations, but we still are seeing that the cases are going up," Gandhi said. "We need to move towards the more effective strategies of elimination or substitution, where we really go for safer alternatives." Even if exposure stopped today, Pulmonologists predict silicosis cases will keep rising, even if exposure to silica dust stopped immediately. By the time workers feel symptoms, the disease has often advanced, Hoy said.

California stands at a crossroads where consumer preferences, economic interests, and worker safety collide. Australia's bold action demonstrates that protecting workers' lives can take precedence over industry profits. The question now is whether California will follow suit, or continue to allow a generation of workers to pay the ultimate price for America's kitchen renovations.