Quartz cutting leading to increase in irreparable lung damage, study reveals

The natural stone is popular not only for design, but for its wide availability, durability, and ability to withstand high temperatures, making it increasingly popular in home kitchens.

A study of just over 100 stone cutters in Spain has found they are being exposed to silica dust, which can lead to an incurable condition called silicosis.

Cutting quartz it releases dust which, if inhaled over a long period of time, can cause irreparable lung damage.

According to the NHS, silicosis can cause people to have difficulty climbing stairs or to be confined to their homes. It can also lead to other serious conditions including lung cancer.

Researchers said there had been an “ominous resurgence” of silicosis.

The study, published in Chest, began in 2009, where 99% of the male patients already had simple silicosis and seven had progressive massive pulmonary fibrosis (PMF), a lung disease with damaged and scarred organs. Within the next two years, 40 men developed PMF. They continued to be tested every year where their illnesses multiplied and would progressively grow worse.

Dr Antonio Leon-jimenez, lead investigator and a lung specialist at Puerta del Mar University Hospital in Spain, said: “While 6.6% of the artificial stone workers were initially diagnosed with massive pulmonary fibrosis, 37.7% had more advanced disease at the follow-up exam, even though they had left their jobs and were no longer exposed to the harmful dust.

“In a quarter of the patients, the rate of decline in lung capacity progressed very rapidly.”

Dr Leon-jimenez added that the findings emphasise the need to maximise protective measures for patients and to find new treatments that could delay or curb the progression of the disease.

Dr Robert Cohen and Dr Leonard Go, of the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, said authorities should consider a ban on artificial stone.

They said: “Given the toxicity of this material and the rising human cost of its use, if engineering controls cannot limit worker exposure to hazardous concentrations of RCS [dust], a ban on artificial stone needs to be considered.

“Colourful countertops are not worth the price paid by these workers.”

The Health and Safety Executive website said that there is a clear regulatory requirement for employers to control the risk of workers being exposed to stone dust. The guidelines state that stone should be cut in a well-ventilated place and workers should wear proper respiratory protective equipment.