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Experts in California are calling for a ban on the use of materials associated with silicosis – Telemundo 52
Silicosis, a disease that makes it difficult for them to breathe, has also caused the death of 30 people in the state.
Read MoreCalifornia Stoneworkers With Silicosis Struggle to Get Workers’ Comp
Many California countertop workers diagnosed with silicosis from engineered stone are struggling to obtain workers’ compensation benefits as insurers deny claims and taxpayers fund costly lung transplants through Medi-Cal.
Read MorePHW Executive Director Interviewed on LAist’s ‘AirTalk’ About California Silicosis Epidemic
Public Health Watch Executive Director Jim Morris appeared Monday on “AirTalk,” an interview program produced by LAist, the NPR affiliate in Los Angeles, to discuss a potential ban on artificial stone countertops in California. WOEMA Member Dr. Sheiphali Gahndi is quoted as well as reference to the petition.
Read MoreThousands of U.S. countertop workers could have damaged lungs, safety expert says – NPR
On May 21, a workplace safety board in California will vote on whether the state should ban the cutting of high-silica quartz countertop material, as the Western Occupational and Environmental Medical Association has petitioned the state to do. Those doctors say the severity of workers’ disease suggests that it’s caused by exposure to toxic ingredients in addition to silica, like pigments or resins.
Read MoreACOEM House of Delegates Approves Resolution for the Prohibition of Crystalline Silica in Engineered Stone Countertop Manufacturing
At the recent AOHC 2026 meeting in Chicago, the ACOEM House of Delegates approved a resolution submitted by WOEMA member Robert Blink, MD, MPH that ACOEM advocate for several steps to eliminate the epidemic of silicosis caused by engineered stone. These steps include:
Federal prohibition of the manufacture, import, distribution, and processing of engineered stone products containing greater than one percent crystalline silica for use in countertop fabrication …
Read MoreCounter Manufacturers are Killing Workers with Silica Dust, Safety Group Charges – Labor Notes
Counter Manufacturers are Killing Workers with Silica Dust, Safety Group Charges Original story: https://labornotes.org/2026/04/counter-manufacturers-are-killing-workers-silica-dust-safety-group-charges April 28, 2026 / Jenny Brown For Workers Memorial Day, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health…
Read MoreAfter Decades of Quiet Rumbling, an Epidemic Is Erupting Among California Stoneworkers – In These Times
The engineered stone industry is worth nearly $30 billion. But the workers at its core are falling sick and dying from an illness called silicosis. Now these workers—most of whom are young immigrants—are suing manufacturers…
Read MoreCalifornia May Ban Artificial-Stone Countertops
California is considering prohibiting the fabrication and installation of artificial-stone countertops — effectively banning the products — in response to an epidemic of the fatal lung disease silicosis among workers who cut, grind and polish countertop slabs before they are fitted into homes and businesses…
Read More‘Nobody told us it was dangerous’: Quartz countertop boom linked to incurable lung disease among Bay Area workers
‘Nobody told us it was dangerous’: Quartz countertop boom linked to incurable lung disease among Bay Area workers Ethan Baron San Jose Mercury News PUBLISHED: March 16, 2026 at 4:05…
Read MoreCBS News: Disease once linked to mining hits workers in countertops industry
Disease once linked to mining hits workers in countertops industry March 12, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / KFF Health News Add CBS News on Google César Manuel González,…
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