California Poised To Ban Quartz Countertops Over Deadly Lung Disease

California is moving toward banning the fabrication of human-made quartz, after years of workplace safety rules failed to stop what state officials have described as an “epidemic” of deadly lung disease among workers who cut and shape the material for countertops.“This action is necessary in light of the continuing epidemic of silicosis that is causing disabling disease and death among California fabrication workers,” a petition now before the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board states. “The most effective approach to preventing occupational disease is elimination of hazardous products and substitution with safer and less toxic materials.”Often confused with quartzite, a natural metamorphic rock, engineered quartz is a manufactured material made primarily from crushed quartz bound together with polymer resins. It surged in popularity beginning in the early 2000s because of its sleek appearance, durability, ease of care, and lower price relative to some natural stones.It is now the most popular countertop material in the United States. But as engineered quartz spread through U.S. kitchens and bathrooms, cases of silicosis began climbing among the workers who make ...