California to Ban Quartz Countertops After 657 Silicosis Cases and 35 Deaths
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 5
California to Ban Quartz Countertops After 657 Silicosis Cases and 35 Deaths
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 5
Summary
California is poised to become the first U.S. state to ban the production or installation of man-made quartz, with an emergency rule expected to pass in October.
657 silicosis cases and 35 related deaths have been confirmed among California countertop workers since 2019, driving the move against engineered stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica.
Cutting quartz releases fine silica dust that scars the lungs; doctors and worker advocates say there is no safe way to fabricate the material, and many patients ultimately need single or double lung transplants.
The $30 billion engineered-stone industry says quartz itself is safe and blames downstream fabrication shops, many employing workers with tenuous immigration status, for the surge in disease.
The proposed ban, backed unanimously by California's workplace safety board in May, would take effect after a brief state review and could intensify pressure on other regulators.