Stonemasons who are members of the same family have contracted silicosis from cutting quartz kitchen worktops, MPs have been told.
Dr Jo Feary, the UK’s leading respiratory consultant treating stonemasons battling the incurable lung disease, called for a national screening programme of the workforce to detect cases early and improve survival chances.
More than 50 quartz stonemasons, many in their twenties and thirties, have been diagnosed with silicosis since mid-2023 from cutting the man-made stone, with four known to have died after inhaling its lethal high-silica dust.
Shorts
A roundtable of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Respiratory Health on silicosis heard that there had been a “serial failing” from UK authorities to protect quartz workers. One workplace safety expert claimed some UK stonemasons were being provided with less protection than Roman slaves.
