Strong yet elegant, quartz kitchen worktops have become a staple in millions of homes.
But the trendy countertops could soon join the ranks of asbestos as a banned building material amid growing concerns over its safety.
Cheaper than granite or marble, its surge in popularity is being blamed for the rapid rise of a deadly lung condition – artificial stone silicosis.
In the last year, there have been 11 UK cases including one death from the progressive disease, caused by breathing in crystalline silica dust during manufacturing or fitting.
This has led to calls for officials to follow Australia’s example and ban the material to protect workers.
Expensive quartz worktops are made from one of the hardest minerals on earth which, when processed, results in the release of potentially harmful particles of fine dust.
Until then, all possible control measures should be legally enforced to minimise workers’ exposure to the harmful crystalline silica dust generated during its manufacture and fitting, experts say.
Engineered from one of the hardest minerals on earth, the worktops are typically composed of about 90 per cent ground quartz, and 10 per cent resins and pigments.
When prepared for installation, they are also often ‘dry’ cut and polished with an angle grinder or other hand tools without the use of water to suppress dust generation, further boosting the volume of fine dust.
Last year, eight men were referred to a specialist occupational lung disease clinic, aged between 27 and 56 at the time of diagnosis.
Two were being assessed for lung transplants, three for an autoimmune disease and two for opportunistic lung infection caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria when the disease was uncovered.
Exposure to stone dust averaged 12.5 years but was anywhere between four and 40 years, with all men working for small companies of under ten employees.
Although none worked in worktop manufacture or installation they all carried out the ‘finishing’ process, specifically cutting and polishing the worktops before installation.
The risks are thought to be mainly a concern for those manufacturing the worktops. Pictured: Raw, clear quartz.
They all reported that this was done without consistent water suppression and without what they felt was appropriate respiratory protection.
Even where workshop ventilation was present, the men stated that the system had not been serviced or cleaned regularly. None of them was aware of active airborne dust monitoring in the workplace.
Six were born outside the UK and seven smoked or used to smoke, according to doctors writing in the BMJs Thorax journal.
Doctors treating them said more needed to be done to regulate dust exposure and urged officials to consider an outright ban.
They wrote: ‘Onset of disease is likely to relate to exposure levels, suggesting levels, at least for some of the UK cases…were extremely high and implying that employers failed to control dust exposure and to adhere to health and safety regulations.
‘The market is dominated by small companies in which regulation has been shown to be challenging to implement. Furthermore, at least some worktop manufacturers may fail to provide adequate technical information relating to potential risks.
‘Even with cessation of exposure, disease progression has been noted in over 50 per cent of cases over [an average] of 4 years. Prevention of disease is therefore critical.’
These calls are backed by a second study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, which states the substance could be gradually phased out.
They write: ‘In the meantime, all possible control measures should be taken to keep exposures to [respirable crystalline silica] as low as possible.
‘We believe that this proposal is proportionate and would protect the health of European workers and other workers from across the globe, while encouraging the industry to continue to develop safer products.’
In a statement, a spokesperson from the Government's Health and Safety Executive said: ‘Our sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones to any work-related disease.
‘Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework in place to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances.
‘We continue to work with industry to raise awareness of managing the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and we are considering options for future interventions to ensure workers are protected.’
A HSE spokesperson said: ‘Our sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones to any work-related disease.
‘Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework in place to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances.
‘We continue to work with industry to raise awareness of managing the risks of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and we are considering options for future interventions to ensure workers are protected.’
