Engineered Quartz Countertops are Killing Some Countertop Workers.

Exposure to the silica dust created cutting and polishing Engineered quartz countertops is giving some workers severe silicosis a fatal lung disease

The Center for Disease Control has issued the following warning concerning quartz countertops.

“Silicosis is an incurable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling particles of respirable crystalline silica. … Because quartz, a type of crystalline silica, is commonly found in stone, workers who cut, polish, or grindstone materials can be exposed to silica dust.”

Inhaling dust from the cutting and polishing of all countertops is unhealthy. However, the fabrication of engineered quartz countertops has been found to be especially dangerous.

NPR reported in October:

“Artificial stone used to make kitchen and bathroom countertops has been linked to the death of workers.” “As well as irreversible lung injury in workers who cut, grind and polish this increasingly popular material.” Some scientists are comparing the dangers of cutting quartz countertops with coal mining.

In 2016, OSHA issued new workplace limits on how much silica could be airborne at quartz countertop supply sites. Unfortunately, a year later, the Trump administration canceled the safety agency’s national emphasis program for silica.

Main Line Kitchen Design presently sells Quartz countertops. We believe the time has come for responsible retailers to investigate the conditions at their fabrication sites.

Main Line Kitchen Design will talk to industry experts at the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, KBIS, held this January in Las Vegas. After we return from the show, we will speak to our fabricators and try to ascertain if their workers are being exposed to these dangers from the countertops we sell.

Main Line Kitchen Design will not sell a dangerous kitchen design to our customers. For example, we do not sell kitchens with ranges and cooktops next to doorways. See our two blogs on this topic: Kitchen designers who don’t protect their customers and is your kitchen designer going to kill you?

If we determine that we cannot sell Quartz countertops without endangering the lives of the people who fabricate them, we will cease selling Engineered Quartz countertops.

Update 8/3/2024

Australia has banned the supply, manufacture, and installation of quartz countertops: 

https://www.aiha.org/news/240104-australias-new-engineered-stone-ban-to-begin-in-july

There is a lawsuit against quartz manufacturers brought by fabricators who suffer from silicosis: 

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-28/silicosis-lawsuit-engineered-stone

The fabricators that Main Line Kitchen Design works with all require their workers to use respirators when cutting and polishing both engineered and natural stone. The jury is still out on the safety issues involved when respirators are used. But certainly extreme caution is needed during countertop fabrication.

Wishing all our customers and the people we work with a safe and happy Holiday Season.

. . . And of course. . .

Bon Appetit!

Paul, Julie, Ed, Chris, John, Lauren, Tom and Stacia

Main Line Kitchen Design