Legislation aims to stop countertop cutters with silicosis from suing : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- An epidemic of deadly lung disease linked to cutting engineered quartz countertops has led California regulators to consider banning the cutting of this material due to its high silica dust levels, while a House subcommittee in Washington is debating a bill to ban lawsuits against manufacturers and sellers of these slabs.
- Hundreds of countertop workers, mostly Hispanic men, have fallen ill with irreversible lung disease since 2019, with many requiring lung transplants or dying; compliance with safety standards remains low in many fabrication shops despite stricter regulations.
- The main U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, argues that engineered quartz can be safely fabricated with proper dust control and blames unsafe cutting practices by third-party shops, but workers' advocates and health experts reject this, emphasizing the product's inherent
