‘Extremely concerning’: Study finds rise in silicosis among stone countertop workers

Melbourne, Australia — Cases of silicosis among workers in Australia’s stone countertop industry spiked over a recent eight-year period, according to researchers from Monash University.

Silicosis is an incurable, progressive lung disease that stems from respirable crystalline silica. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal health issues.

The researchers looked at two data sources: workers’ compensation claims for silicosis in the Australian state of Victoria between 1991 and 2022 and a clinical registry that recorded new cases of silicosis diagnosed by respiratory physicians from May 2019 through December 2022.

Of the 536 workers’ comp claims for silicosis registered over the 32-year period, 482 (nearly 90%) were submitted from 2015 to 2022.

Health issues related to artificial stone countertops led to Australia becoming the first country to ban the material. 

“The results should be extremely concerning for other countries where engineered stone is popular but there has been no screening of workers,” lead study author Ryan Hoy, a respiratory and sleep physician at Monash, said in a press release. “These results suggest that in those regions, there are highly likely to be a very large number of undiagnosed workers.

“The ban of engineered stone is a very important step in protecting workers; however, there has been two decades of workers being exposed to highly dangerous conditions due to the use of this material. This will result in workers remaining at risk for decades to come.”

The study was published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.