California Stoneworkers With Silicosis Struggle to Get Workers' Comp | KQED

"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."

"Resendiz Cortes, who was diagnosed with silicosis in 2024, fears a similar fate. The 38-year-old can no longer work. He pursued workers' compensation insurance benefits that are meant to support people injured on the job, but has received no payment after two years."

"Two of the men in their 50s needed oxygen machines to breathe before they had lung transplants, he said. Resendiz Cortes, a Bakersfield resident who ran out of savings and has no income, told KQED in Spanish. "It's terrible. As a worker, one wants to improve oneself. But then you are the one who gets sick, you are the one who ends up suffering and struggling.""

"California's silicosis epidemic is exposing deep failures in the state's workers' compensation system. As hundreds of countertop fabrication workers become gravely ill from inhaling dust generated by a factory-made stone, many say insurers are delaying or denying benefits meant to cover lost wages and medical care. The disputes are leaving some workers destitute while taxpayers shoulder the cost of expensive treatments, including lung transplants, even as state regulators consider restricting the material linked to the disease's spread."

Many California countertop fabrication workers diagnosed with silicosis from inhaling dust generated by engineered stone cannot obtain workers’ compensation benefits. Insurers delay or deny claims for lost wages and medical care, leaving some workers without income for years. Several workers report severe illness requiring oxygen and lung transplants, while others fear the same outcome. Some families run out of savings and face destitution during disputes. Taxpayers fund expensive treatments, including lung transplants, through Medi-Cal. State regulators are considering restricting the material linked to the disease’s spread as the workers’ compensation system’s failures become more visible.

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