A deadly lung disease is affecting hundreds of workers involved in cutting kitchen and bathroom countertops. This situation has led regulators on both sides of the United States to consider different responses.
In California, workplace safety regulators are discussing a proposed ban on cutting engineered stone, also known as quartz. This material generates significant amounts of lung-damaging silica dust during cutting and polishing, exceeding that produced by natural granite or marble.
Conversely, a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee in Washington discussed a bill that would prohibit workers from filing lawsuits against companies that manufacture and sell the raw engineered stone slabs.
Attorney Raphael Metzger, who represents numerous countertop workers, stated that the stone slabs should be banned because they are deadly and cannot be fabricated safely. He noted that hundreds of lawsuits are currently ongoing.
Cambria, a primary U.S. manufacturer of engineered quartz slabs, claims that its own fabrication shops operate safely by controlling dust through ventilation and wet cutting techniques. Rebecca Shult, Cambria's chief legal officer, stated that this demonstrates quartz can be fabricated safely and that their workers are protected. She attributed the problem to countertop businesses that cut raw slabs without proper protections, stating, "It's outrageous that these American sweatshops are not being shut down." Shult added that while Cambria faces approximately 400 lawsuits from workers employed by other companies, they do not control these third-party businesses and their conditions, suggesting the wrong parties are being sued.
Workers' advocates contest this position. David Michaels, an epidemiologist and former director of OSHA, stated that he has not observed an industry claim to sell a dangerous product without responsibility once it leaves the factory, while simultaneously seeking protection from lawsuits rather than protecting workers.
Since 2019, nearly 500 workers in California who cut stone for countertops have developed a serious and irreversible lung disease. Over 50 of these workers have required lung transplants, and 27 have died. Most affected individuals are Hispanic men, often in their 30s or 40s. Cases have also emerged in other states, including Texas, New York, Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts.
Leobardo Segura Meza, a sickened worker, expressed concern in 2023 about the availability of lungs for all the transplants needed within this industry, which employs about 100,000 people nationwide.
Despite the implementation of stricter workplace standards in California, Alice Berliner, director of the Office of Worker Health & Safety for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, reported low compliance among small and medium-sized fabrication shops. Her team observed no workers wearing appropriate respiratory protection during high-risk cutting and polishing tasks in over a hundred visited shops. Additionally, her office estimates that at least 25% of shops continue to dry-cut stone, a dangerous practice.
The Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Association (WOEMA) has petitioned California's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to ban cutting engineered stone with high silica content. Dr. Robert Blink, a specialist in work-related medical problems and former WOEMA president, stated that the number of new serious illnesses and deaths is unacceptable. He also noted that researchers have measured unsafe silica levels even in shops with dust controls. Blink highlighted that approximately 12% of California's estimated 4,000 countertop workers have developed serious illnesses, nearing the figures seen in Australia, which completely banned engineered stone after a similar crisis.
Cambria's Shult maintained that the quartz product is not the issue, but rather unsafe cutting processes. She stated the company is working with regulators to promote worker safety.
During the congressional hearing, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) questioned why Congress would grant legal immunity to manufacturers and suppliers of countertop material. He suggested the proposed legislation might benefit a political donor.
Gary Talwar, vice president of Natural Stone Resources, reported that his distribution company faces dozens of lawsuits despite not cutting, grinding, or polishing stone. He stated that distributors are increasingly named in lawsuits for injuries related to cutting engineered stone, leading to significant defense costs and insurance challenges. Talwar expressed a desire to refocus accountability on workplace safety, OSHA compliance, and parties controlling fabrication practices.
Michaels emphasized that there are insufficient workplace inspectors to monitor compliance in thousands of countertop fabrication shops, noting OSHA faces funding cuts. He opposed the proposed legislation to ban worker lawsuits, calling it a "death sentence for workers" and asserting that without manufacturer and distributor obligation for product safety, silicosis cases, lung transplants, and deaths will continue to increase.