It may now be time to ban artificial stone-; a firm favorite for kitchen worktops in the UK-; to ward off the incurable lung disease caused by its manufacturing and fitting, say a team of doctors in the journal Thorax after treating the first 8 cases of artificial stone silicosis reported in the UK. Silicosis is caused by breathing in crystalline silica dust, and millions of people around the world are at risk of developing it as a result of their jobs in mining, quarrying, stone-cutting and construction, they note. Made from crushed rocks bound together with resins and pigments, artificial stone, also known as engineered or reconstituted stone, or 'quartz', has surged in popularity over the past 20 years, particularly for use in kitchen worktops, they explain.
It has aesthetic appeal. It is easier to work with due to the absence of natural imperfections, and it's more resistant to damage than natural stone, they add. But its increasing popularity has been accompanied by the emergence of a severe and rapidly progressive form of silicosis (artificial stone silicosis), largely driven by its high (more than 90%) silica content compared with marble (3%) and granite (30%), and the fine dust it generates when cut.
When worktops are 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, explain the authors. Cases of artificial stone.