In the wake of Australia’s worldwide first in banning engineered stone made from crystalline silica UK doctors have called for increased Government action following the recent identification of silicosis in eight men who worked dry-cutting and polishing engineered stone (referred to as ‘artificial stone in the UK).
A case series report published in the journal Thorax reveals that the eight workers had a median age of 34 (range 27 to 56) and had been dry cutting and polishing artificial stone worktops with inadequate controls. The authors also reported that most were migrant workers, vulnerable to workplace exploitation, and worked for small companies with fewer than 10 employees.
The average time of exposure in the eight reported cases was 12.5 years, but in four cases it was between four and eight years. The study leader, Johanna Feary of Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute, said there were undoubtedly many more cases of silicosis in the UK that had not yet been identified, as the disease can be indistinguishable from conditions such as sarcoidosis.
Dr Feary said, “We need to know how many people work with artificial stone, how many people already have silicosis, more about the workplaces, and indeed if artificial stone can be used safely in the UK. What is certain is that we need urgent action to tackle the subject and to try to prevent the same disaster unfolding here as it has in Australia and California.”
She said the current safeguards were inadequate. UK guidance recommends monitoring workers in the industry after 15 years. The researchers said a concerted effort was required to prevent the epidemic seen in other countries. They said that a legal requirement to report cases of artificial stone silicosis, implementation of health and safety regulation with a focus on small companies, and a UK ban on artificial stone must all now be considered.
It was reported in the media that members of Safe Work Australia met with experts from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive in July to discuss Australia’s recent ban. A House of Lords debate heard in January that the HSE was not considering restricting the use of engineered stone in the UK.
Source: Doctors call for ban on cutting artificial stone after reporting first UK cases of silicosis [Abstract] BMJ 2024;386:q1755.
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