Silicosis

Following a rise in cases of Silicosis around the world, in July Australia became the first country in the world to prohibit the manufacture, supply and use of artificial stone, including quartz worktops.

Silicosis is a progressive and potentially fatal lung disease caused by excessive exposure to silica dust, usually over a long period of time. Silica is a natural substance typically used as a constituent of construction materials such as bricks, tiles, concrete and mortar. Silica dust is produced when cutting, grinding, drilling, polishing and disturbing materials that contain crystalline silica particles.

In the UK the workplace exposure limit is 0.1mg/m3 whereas in Australia and the US they consider ‘safe’ levels to be no more that 0.05mg/m3. Where there is the potential for exposure to silica dust, a risk assessment must be conducted and control measures implemented to reduce exposure levels to as low as practicably possible. The most effective control measures would be to extract or suppress dust at its source.