{"id":1001298,"date":"2026-08-15T00:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1001298\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T00:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:12:17","slug":"30-california-silicosis-deaths-linked-to-quartz-countertops-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1001298\/","title":{"rendered":"30 California silicosis deaths linked to quartz countertops: report"},"content":{"rendered":"

A skyrocketing number of California residents have developed<\/a> an incurable lung disease linked to kitchen quartz countertops \u2014 with many needing lung transplants, according to a terrifying new state study.<\/p>\n

One of those victims is Enrique Gonzalez, a San Fernando Valley stone worker who has been unable to work for the past two years after developing silicosis from years of working in granite and stone manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez\u2019s family says the disease has made it impossible for him to continue working as his condition has progressed, leaving the family struggling to cover medical expenses and everyday costs.<\/p>\n

The number of Californians stricken with potentially fatal silicosis<\/a> \u2014 a disease caused when silica particles scar lungs and severely hamper breathing \u2014 has surged<\/a> in recent years, jumping from 31 cases in 2019 to a staggering 631 as of this week, the study found.<\/p>\n

Californians are being stricken with potentially fatal silicosis uwimages \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

One of those victims is Enrique Gonzalez, a San Fernando Valley stone worker who has been unable to work for the past two years after developing silicosis from years of working in granite and stone manufacturing.<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Enrique\u2019s silicosis medical needs. (Gofundme) Gofundme<\/p>\n

\u201cHundreds of workers have been sickened making quartz countertops, a product we do not need, especially when a safer alternative is available,\u201d wrote David Michaels, co-author of the report and professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

Nearly all of the victims have been men, with about half of them in Los Angeles County, the report said. Their median age is 52.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez\u2019s family said he spent years working in the San Fernando Valley, in granite and stone manufacturing before his illness forced him to stop working according to a GoFundMe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A microscopic view of squamous cell carcinoma from human cervical cancer, tissue section by H and E, is seen on Monday, March 24, 2025, in a pathology lab. (1535649680) arcyto \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Thirty-one people have died from the debilitating illness<\/a> in roughly the past eight years, while 65 have required lung transplants, said the researchers, who analyzed figures between 2019 and this year.<\/p>\n

Workers who install quartz countertops often end up suffering from\u00a0silicosis, which is caused by inhaling the crystalline silica\u00a0dust from the engineered stone.<\/p>\n

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The stone has significantly more silica than natural materials such as granite or marble.<\/p>\n

There have been 151 cases so far this year \u2014 including 40 in the roughly past month alone.<\/p>\n

Granite is cut on Saturday, January 27, 2018. (iStockphoto) Getty Images<\/p>\n

California\u2019s Occupational Safety and Health Administration attributed the health crisis to rising demand for the stone.<\/p>\n

The number of cases is likely much higher because many workers go undiagnosed or receive a late diagnosis, the report warned.<\/p>\n

CalOSHA holds a meeting to consider a ban on all fabrication and installation tasks on engineered stone that contains more than 1% crystalline silica to prevent silicosis. CAL OSHA<\/p>\n

The Golden State has tried to act<\/a> by instituting\u00a0emergency standards in 2023, but regulators say compliance has been very low \u2014 with 94% of recently inspected shops found in violation of the current rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf artificial stone remains commercially available in California, some non-compliant shops may go underground, concentrating risk in the least regulated settings,\u201d an analysis by California OSHA said.<\/p>\n

California OSHA voted in May<\/a> to move toward a complete halt on quartz countertops, following\u00a0Australia\u2019s ban<\/a>\u00a0of work on the\u00a0quartz material, despite opposition from industry groups.<\/p>\n

The authors behind the new report said they support that move.<\/p>\n

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