Engineered Stone countertops are killing young men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Newsflash. Silica is in natural stone too.

2x4 wood even has its own warnings.

When cut, the particulate matter is released.

C'mon - 2x4 particulates are several orders of magnitude from silicates.

[Anonymous]

Insane that we are letting this happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Insane that we are letting this happen.

Anything but the best quartz and it won't stand up the the HGTV standards!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

[Anonymous]

Did you read the article where it talks about the levels being so high that traditional protective masks and water aren’t enough because of the volume of particulates with engineered stone vs natural. Way to be an ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-24/silicosis-countertop-workers-engineered-stone

Waves of young men dying of lung cancer while building engineered stone countertops.

Horrifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you read the article where it talks about the levels being so high that traditional protective masks and water aren’t enough because of the volume of particulates with engineered stone vs natural. Way to be an ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

It doesn’t matter. You wear the right protective equipment for the job, period. Unfortunately there is a machismo/blow it off culture at a lot of these jobs where they don’t, and also the work is manual labor so they don’t want to wear the mouth/nose covering protection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t be daft of course it’s the inhaled silicates. That means safety practices. Btw people have been dying of silicosis since the dawn of mining and quarrying. It’s not new.

Mining has safety protocols issued from MSHA. If the company doesn’t follow them, they are shut down. No regulations for these fabricators.

Well of course they should be appropriately regulated for the exposure and danger level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you read the article where it talks about the levels being so high that traditional protective masks and water aren’t enough because of the volume of particulates with engineered stone vs natural. Way to be an ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

It doesn’t matter. You wear the right protective equipment for the job, period. Unfortunately there is a machismo/blow it off culture at a lot of these jobs where they don’t, and also the work is manual labor so they don’t want to wear the mouth/nose covering protection.

I'm sure that's at play, but I strongly suspect that the working conditions are such that wearing protective gear is too uncomfortable for workers to keep doing it. I knew a guy who'd worked in agriculture who said the appropriate/safe clothing was too hot when they weren't getting any breaks to cool off, and that's dangerous, too.

[Anonymous]

Nothing about countertops is worth this.

[Anonymous]

Now I’m even more glad I went with natural stone for my kitchen.

[Anonymous]

The people mixing the concrete for your home project, mortar for your bricks, etc., day in and day out are in the same boat as people cutting natural manufactured stone.

It’s mitigated by proper gear and airflow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you read the article where it talks about the levels being so high that traditional protective masks and water aren’t enough because of the volume of particulates with engineered stone vs natural. Way to be an ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

It doesn’t matter. You wear the right protective equipment for the job, period. Unfortunately there is a machismo/blow it off culture at a lot of these jobs where they don’t, and also the work is manual labor so they don’t want to wear the mouth/nose covering protection.

Stop blaming the working victims. Articles about the problem have said that the manufacturing companies often don't give the staff protective gear adn they would have to buy it themselves. Occasionally there is a company that will give them gear, sometimes gear that is not sufficient grade to protect against this. Others give them one mask and when that paper mask disintegrates or stops working effectively (like is so covered and clogged that they can't breath through them) will not give them replacements. So, they either have to buy their own replacements or go without. Which do you think lowly paid workers choose?

We need legislation that forces the manufacturers who are making big profits to provide safety gear to the workers and to replace the safety gear routinely so that the workers will have what they need to protect themselves and don't have to spend money out of their minimum-wage or near minimum-wage pockets to provide their own safety gear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people mixing the concrete for your home project, mortar for your bricks, etc., day in and day out are in the same boat as people cutting natural manufactured stone.

It’s mitigated by proper gear and airflow.

Big difference between mixing outside and cutting inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you read the article where it talks about the levels being so high that traditional protective masks and water aren’t enough because of the volume of particulates with engineered stone vs natural. Way to be an ass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not the countertops themselves, it is the lack of safety practices in the industry. Preventative measures to avoid silicosis are well-known.

It is the countertops themselves. It used to catch up with men who were 60 or 70. Now it's happening to 20-YEAR-OLDS. Stop with your excuses.

Gosh golly, I WISH there was some type of personal protective equipment that a young 20 yr old fabricator could wear that would effectively filter out 99.7% of the particulates generated by stone fabrication!! I just wish someone would patent something like that!!

Sigh. Maybe SOMEday ….
https://www.amazon.com/PD-100-Full-Organic-Vapor-Respirator/dp/B076BSN5NH/ref=asc_df_B076BSN5NH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507685863577&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11700983385049684337&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-877881838449&psc=1

It doesn’t matter. You wear the right protective equipment for the job, period. Unfortunately there is a machismo/blow it off culture at a lot of these jobs where they don’t, and also the work is manual labor so they don’t want to wear the mouth/nose covering protection.

Stop blaming the working victims. Articles about the problem have said that the manufacturing companies often don't give the staff protective gear adn they would have to buy it themselves. Occasionally there is a company that will give them gear, sometimes gear that is not sufficient grade to protect against this. Others give them one mask and when that paper mask disintegrates or stops working effectively (like is so covered and clogged that they can't breath through them) will not give them replacements. So, they either have to buy their own replacements or go without. Which do you think lowly paid workers choose?

We need legislation that forces the manufacturers who are making big profits to provide safety gear to the workers and to replace the safety gear routinely so that the workers will have what they need to protect themselves and don't have to spend money out of their minimum-wage or near minimum-wage pockets to provide their own safety gear.

OSHA already require this under the General Duty clause. And California osha is even stricture. I don’t understand why these companies are being fines or closed down by the osha regulators if this is the case. In California someone can also bring a PAGA suit which has large penalities and mandatory attorneys’ fees associated with it. The plaintiffs bar will be all over it. I suspect that now it is a known problem someone is going to take care of it. These folks also need a union.