I developed incurable lung disease after five years of working with toxic stone worktops - now I can't walk more than a few steps READ MORE: Calls to ban quartz kitchen worktops due to lung disease risk By John Ely Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline Published: 11:41, 7 August 2024 | Updated: 11:48, 7 August 2024 e-mail View comments A stonemason who developed an incurable lung disease after making quartz kitchen worktops has shared the devastating impact it's had on his life. Malik Al-Khalil, 31, was first employed to make the trendy counters six years ago, and recalls coming home caked in the dust created when the material was cut. Little did he know the dust, which he was also inhaling, was slowly destroying his lungs: today he struggles to breathe and is unable to walk unaided.
His body has been ravaged by silicosis, a terrifying disease that medics say could kill him. Mr Al-Khalil, who is originally from Syria , is one of the few public faces of the scandal that has already killed one British stoneworker , with almost a dozen others rendered severely ill from silicosis. A stonemason who developed an incurable lung disease as a consequence of working quartz kitchen worktops has shared the devastating impact it's had on his life (stock image) Silicosis, via the fine particles workers inhale, causes internal scarring and inflammation of the lungs.
Pictured silicosis of the lung tissue under magnification However, doctors have warned that the known cases are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Such is the concern, medics this week called on the Government to ban quartz worktops, in order to protect contractors and stonemasons. Popular quartz worktops are made from 90 per cent ground quartz, and 10 per cent resins and pigments.
When processed into their final worktop form this results in the release of potentially harmful particles of fine silica dust being released into the air. Cheaper than granite or marble, the worktops have become a staple of kitchen revamps, but its workers like Mr Al-Khalil that are paying the price. 'This silicosis, when it starts in your body, it will not stop,' he told i .
'I want to let all the people working in this work know what's happening from this material.' Mr Al-Khalil claims no precautionary measures, such as 'wetting' the stone to suppress the dust, were taken when he was working with quartz. Read More Trendy quartz kitchen worktops should be BANNED as they could cause deadly disease, doctors warn He and colleagues were not provided with any specialist equipment to prevent inhalation beyond standard masks, he adds.
He developed a bad cough last August and sought help from hospital medics but was told it was likely a flu-like disease. But his condition deteriorated, and he started experiencing vomiting, joint pain and breathlessness. Seeking help again he said medics then suspected he had the bacterial infection tuberculosis.
However, Mr Al-Khalil's condition continued to rapidly worsen, and he became unable to eat or drink and his weight plummeted. It was at this point, in September of last year, that tests revealed he had silicosis with doctors warning him that the disease could kill him. He has been in out of hospital until this April after he needed surgery after his lungs collapsed after which he has needed more intensive care.
After his diagnosis, Mr Al-Khalil discovered two colleagues had also been diagnosed with had silicosis. 'I now know nine people that have the same silicosis — all working in factories, all working as stonemasons, all the people working the same job.' Silicosis, via the fine particles workers inhale, causes internal scarring and inflammation of the lungs.
This leads the lungs at increased risk of infection, reduced their overall effectiveness, and can cause potentially fatal organ failure. Struggling to breathe can also put a potentially deadly strain on the heart. Silicosis isn't a new disease, it has blighted the lives of miners, builders and stonemasons in the UK before.
Britain's workplace health and safety watchdog the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimate 12 people are killed each year as a consequence of silicosis exposure. However, HSE says this is likely an underestimate. 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.
In the last year, there have been 11 UK cases including one death from the progressive disease, caused by breathing in crystalline silica dust. British medics said that last year, eight men aged between 27 and 56 were diagnosed with silicosis after visiting a specialist occupational lung disease clinic. 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 the dust that triggers the disease averaged 12.5 years but was anywhere between four and 40 years, with all men having worked for small companies of under ten employees. Of the cases 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. Dr Joanna Feary, a respiratory consultant at the Royal Brompton, is currently treating patients with stone-induced silicosis. 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.' The issue isn't solely a British problem. Earlier this year Australia become the first country to ban the type of worktops that have been linked to a fresh wave of silicosis, following a wave of 579 cases among stonemasons in the country.
Lung disease expert Dr Johanna Feary said there is 'no good treatment' for the deadly disease. 'Diagnosis can be devastating. It is affecting young men, many of whom have only worked with this material for a few years,' she told The Sun.
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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.
' As for Mr Al-Khalil he still hopes to recover, stating he wants to move to a coastal town and continue taking driving lessons. Share or comment on this article: I developed incurable lung disease after five years of working with toxic stone worktops - now I can't walk more than a few steps e-mail Add comment.
