A leading London doctor has called upon the UK government to consider a ban on artificial stone worktops, following a rise in identified silicosis cases.
The incurable disease has been linked to those working with engineered or artificial stone products – commonly used in KBB projects as a worktop material – who are exposed to harmful dust when the products are cut into.
The first case of silicosis in the UK was recorded last year, but doctors have now identified eight more stonemasons who are now suffering with the condition, which was confirmed in a newly-released scientific paper.
“Artificial stone silicosis: a UK case series”, published in medical journal Thorax, found that all of those currently diagnosed in the UK were men aged between 27 to 56. The median length of time that suffererers was exposed to silica dust is 12.5 years. One of the suffers has reportedly died since their diagnosis.
Following the paper’s release, its author, Dr Jo Feary, a senior clinical research fellow at Imperial College London, has warned that its findings suggest that the situation is only going to worsen in years to come.
She said: “The global prevalence of AS [artificial stone] silicosis is not known (and likely to be underestimated) but has increased exponentially in the last decade. In the UK, the number of AS-exposed workers is unknown but based on global experience, cases of AS silicosis are likely to increase significantly in the coming years.”
She also called for “a concentrated effort” to regulate artificial stone “to prevent the epidemic seen in other countries”. Last year, Australia’s government voted to ban engineered stone products from the country after a rise in cases, which officially came into effect last month.
Dr Feary advised that the UK should consider “a legal requirement to report cases of AS silicosis, implementation of health and safety regulation with a focus on small companies, and a UK ban on AS”.
Interestingly, all eight of the individuals identified in Dr Feary’s research were stonemasons involved in the “finishing” process of fabrication, cutting and polishing the stone worktops before installation.
Acording to the research, all eight reported “that this was done without consistent water suppression, without what they felt was appropriate respiratory protection and that even where workshop ventilation was present, they stated that the system had not been serviced or cleaned regularly. None were aware of airborne dust monitoring in the workplace”.
Dr Feary commented: “The cases we present illustrate the failure of the employer to take responsibility for exposure control in their workplaces. National guidelines are urgently needed, as well as work to enumerate the at-risk population and identify cases early.”
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive officially advises that the products are safe to use, but specifies that fabricators must take precautions such as “wet cutting” the products, and wearing adequate respiratory protection.
A retailer in the UK made headlines earlier this year for their similar belief that engineered stone should be banned by the government. However, a range of industry experts have pushed back against the idea, firmly arguing that the products are safe to fabricate and install, so long as health and safety protocols are followed by employers.
In December, Caesarstone said that they disagreed with Australia’s engineered stone ban, stating that “the safety of Caesarstone’s installed products to its end consumer was never an issue”, and stressed that “the products are safe to fabricate under safe working practices”.
Similarly, the UK’s Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) has said it believes there is no need for a total ban on the surfaces. It said there “is no health risk in handling, shipping, installing or using engineered stone worktops”, and that the risk of respirable silica dust is “purely to do with factory management in the fabrication process”.
Speaking to kbbreview in February, Andy Phillips, director and co-founder of the WFF said that he thought the chances of an artificial stone ban in the UK were “very slim”, and said that “any risks from crystalline silica dust occur only when the surface is cut”, and not when the product is installed within consumers’ homes.
