A total of 592 cases of silicosis were identified between January 2019 and June 2026 among California workers who were fabricating engineered stone countertops, with 31 people dying from the illness, according to a public health alert.
Of the 592 cases, 65 workers underwent lung transplantation, said the Aug. 12 public health alert report published in the NEJM Evidence journal. Silicosis is a progressive, incurable lung disease that is caused by inhaling crystalline silica.
Engineered stone slabs, made by mixing crushed quartz powder with polyester resins and pigments, contain high levels of crystalline silica, typically more than 90 percent.
Workers who fabricate engineered stone slabs into countertops can be exposed to hazardous levels of such crystalline silica and other volatile compounds when they cut, grind, and polish the slabs….