Opinion: Silicosis outbreak highlights the ‘malignant neglect’ of OSHA that is killing American workers
Across the United States, workers are suffering from, and sometimes dying of, the severe lung disease known as silicosis because they are fabricating and cutting “engineered stone” countertops for our kitchens and bathrooms.
These countertops are made from a quartz-based composite product made to look like marble or granite. When cut or polished, the material releases silica dust, which can cause cancer and serious lung disease. When it comes protecting workers from exposure to engineered stone dust, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is nowhere to be found.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported , including two deaths, in four states among workers producing these countertops. Sixteen of are awaiting lung transplants, their ability to breathe destroyed by silica dust.
