"If we don't stop it now, we're going to have hundreds if not thousands of more cases," study co-author Dr. The findings could even be considered a call-to-action to ban engineered stone completely, according to the statement. Based on these findings, the researchers said it is crucial that health authorities take action to improve protective measures and that clinicians ensure early diagnosis of the disease. On average, these men had been working for around 15 years before they were diagnosed and almost half continued to work with artificial stone afterward.įewer than half of the men reported that their shops used water suppression techniques to reduce the amount of dust 12 noted that they "always" used masks, while the rest said they "sometimes" did. At the time of diagnosis, nearly 4 in 10 had advanced disease, meaning that they had large masses of scar tissue in their lungs. Almost 60% experienced a delay in diagnosis, often because their symptoms were confused with other respiratory diseases, such as bacterial pneumonia or tuberculosis. They considered working hours and any protective measures used, such as wearing a mask or spraying water to prevent the spread of dust.īetween 20, the authors identified 52 men, whose average age was 45 when they were diagnosed with silicosis. Using California as a case study, the study authors scanned medical records and conducted interviews with people who regularly worked with engineered stone. reported its first case of silicosis associated with engineered stone in Texas, and 18 more cases were identified in California, Colorado, Washington and Texas between 20. However, compared to natural stones, such as marble or granite, it contains a very high concentration of the mineral silica, which gets released as dust particles during manufacturing and can lead to silicosis when inhaled.ĭespite health and safety regulations on workers' exposure, in 2015, the U.S. "Our study demonstrates severe morbidity and mortality among a particularly vulnerable group of young underinsured and likely undocumented Latino immigrant workers," Fazio said.Įngineered stone is the most popular choice of material for countertops in the U.S.
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