California Steps Closer to Ban on Engineered Stone After Silicosis Surge | KQED

California regulators voted to begin rulemaking to prohibit engineered stone countertops associated with silicosis caused by toxic silica dust. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board acted after testimony from physicians, job safety experts, and people with silicosis describing a public health emergency affecting hundreds of stoneworkers. Board members said existing workplace regulations, enforcement, and education have not prevented new cases and that effective action is needed now. The proposal would prohibit engineered stone with more than 1% crystalline silica. Major manufacturers opposed the ban, arguing their factory-made product is not the problem and pointing to fabrication shops that may not use adequate dust-suppression measures such as wet cutting.

"California regulators voted Thursday to take a key step toward banning a popular countertop material linked to a surging lung disease that is disabling and killing hundreds of stoneworkers. The decision by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board came after dozens of physicians, job safety experts, and people gravely ill with silicosis testified that artificial stone's unique toxicity is causing a public health emergency. Current workplace regulations, enforcement and education are insufficient to save lives, they said."

"“We as a board have to recognize that we do not know better than the scientists, the physicians, the workers that we're hearing from. And we have to take effective action to prevent further cases now,” said board member Derek Urwin, a UCLA chemistry professor and Los Angeles County Fire Department engineer. “Control measures are not working, and it's not the fault of the workers.”"

"For months, major manufacturers of artificial stone, opposed to the move, argued that their factory-made product is not the problem, but countertop fabrication shops that fail to follow proper safety measures, such as covering stone slabs with water while cutting to suppress dust. Representatives for Minnesota-based Cambria, Cosentino, headquartered in Spain, and other companies in the multi-billion dollar industry sought to cast doubt on the need for a prohibition, proposing a fabricator"

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