Aunt Tifa

Epidemic killing countertop stonecutters

https://capitalandmain.com/my-lungs-had-nothing-left-inside-the-epidemic-killing-countertop-stonecutters

‘My Lungs Had Nothing Left.’ Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters.

A new California law aims to protect workers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has killed 29 people in the state and sickened hundreds. Experts say it isn’t enough.

Capital & Main
Apr 14 at 8:06pmWeb
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK1d ago

@AliceMarshall

also starting to become a problem here in the UK (whereas Australia has outright banned the materials causing these problems)

https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2024/engineered-stone-worktops-and-silicosis-a-challenging-problem

Engineered stone worktops and silicosis: a challenging problem

The sudden and alarming appearance of silicosis cases among engineered stone workers in the UK, against the backdrop of a ban in Australia and in some US States, has suddenly brought the question of how to regulate for health protection in the workplace to the fore.

British Safety Council
Show threadMichael1d ago
@vfrmedia @AliceMarshall That's so crazy - I learned about silicosis as a child as something that happened to coal miners back in the days before modern safety precautions. We've known about this for decades now
Show threadShantell Powell1d ago
@AliceMarshall when I studied goldsmithing, it was drilled into us how to work around things that cause silicosis. These include seashells and pearls. If we were cutting/polishing/drilling these materials, we did it with ventilation while wearing a respirator, and the cutting was done under water. Silicosis is deadly.