Deadly Dust: The Silicosis Epidemic

 

In response to a growing epidemic of an occupational lung disease that has killed dozens of California stonecutters and sickened hundreds more, public health experts are urging state regulators to ban engineered stone commonly used for kitchen countertops. But a potential ban faces pushback from the industry, which argues that stricter enforcement of the state's workplace safety standards is enough to protect workers.

Reporter: Semantha Norris
Producer: Semantha Norris, Cerise Castle
Camera: Jeremy Lindenfeld
Editor: Jeremy Lindenfeld

 

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s vote to adopt a petition to ban fabricating engineered stone marked a victory for workers who cut, grind and polish quartz and are at risk of contracting the incurable lung disease, silicosis.⁠ Sickened workers called into the May 21 hearing from job sites, hospitals and their homes to describe the physical pain and emotional toll silicosis has inflicted on them and their families. ⁠The decision is only the first step in a lengthy rulemaking process, and public health experts warn that cases and deaths will keep rising among California workers until a ban is in place and adequately enforced by regulators.⁠
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Reporter: Semantha Norris
Producers: Semantha Norris, Cerise Castle
Camera: Ben Bishop
Editor: Myles Kramer

 

Read the Articles:

‘My Lungs Had Nothing Left.’ Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters.

A new California law aims to protect workers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has killed 29 people in the state and sickened hundreds. Experts say it isn’t enough.
March 13, 2026

As Worker Silicosis Deaths Mount, GOP Moves to Shield Companies From Liability

Republicans in Congress want to ban lawsuits against quartz manufacturers, including a company whose CEO is a major Trump donor.
April 13, 2026

California Could Be the First State to Ban Quartz Countertops

A governor-appointed state board weighs whether to ban the use of engineered stone to protect workers from a deadly lung disease.
May 6, 2026

California Moves to Ban Quartz Countertop Fabrication to Combat Silicosis Epidemic

The incurable lung disease has killed 31 countertop workers and sickened 560, numbers that are expected to keep climbing while regulators draft emergency rules.
May 27, 2026