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Global demand for ban on trendy kitchen worktop that causes incurable, rare lung disease in men; know how
Popular, cheap and trendy kitchen countertops could soon be banned, as concerns grow about their safety. Doctors say they are causing a deadly lung disease – silicosis, which can lead to inflammation, swelling, coughing and fibrosis in your lungs. At least one person has died in the U.K. and 11 others have been hospitalised. Read on to find out more.
Silicosis occurs when you breathe in very small crystalline particles of silicon dioxide, causing inflammation, swelling and coughing
Doctors around the world are warning against the growing number of men suffering from a rare type of lung disease from working with fake marble and granite. One death and 11 cases of artificial stone silicosis have recently been reported in the UK.
According to experts, this difficult-to-treat, scarring and injury-causing lung condition is caused by inhaling dust while working with materials containing large amounts of silica – also known as silicon dioxide, which is used as a binding agent to improve durability in conjunction with marble dust. And so, doctors are calling for a ban on quartz kitchens and bathrooms to avoid asbestos-style life-threatening and fatal lung disease.
Quartz has already been banned in Australia
Australia has already banned quartz, to protect its workers from exposure to harmful crystalline silica dust generated during manufacture and fitting. Engineered from one of the hardest minerals on earth, worktops are typically made up of around 90 per cent ground quartz and 10 per cent resins and pigments.
According to experts, when they are prepared for installation, they are often cut dry and polished with angle grinders or other hand tools without water to avoid dust generation, which further increases the amount of fine dust.
Last year eight people aged 27 to 56 were referred to a specialist occupational lung disease clinic in the UK. Of these, one person died, two were evaluated for lung transplant, three have autoimmune disease, and the rest have opportunistic lung infections.
The disease continues to get worse
Doctors say the disease continues to get worse even after you stop breathing the dust. Experts say the condition is similar to the incurable diseases asbestosis and mesothelioma, which developed in thousands of workers who worked with asbestos in the 1900s.
What is silicosis?
Silicosis occurs when you breathe in very small crystalline particles of silicon dioxide, or silica – causing inflammation, swelling, coughing and fibrosis in your lungs. Doctors say these three symptoms characterise a group of diseases called pneumoconiosis.
This disease cannot be cured or reversed, but it can be treated.
In silicosis, silica fragments interact harmfully with the respiratory tract, damaging alveolar macrophages, which are part of the immune system and the main line of defense for the respiratory system.
Signs and Symptoms of Silicosis
Some of the main signs and symptoms of silicosis are:
- persistent cough
- breathlessness
- Fatigue and extreme tiredness
- feeling weak
- unexpected weight loss
Doctors say the condition worsens over time and can increase the risk of chest infections, high blood pressure, heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and even lung cancer.
How can silicosis be treated?,
Doctors say that silicosis cannot be cured, but only its symptoms can be controlled:
- stop smoking or using tobacco products
- use personal protective equipment when working outside
- use a bronchodilator to improve airflow
- Get flu and pneumonia vaccines to protect your airways
- use supplemental oxygen if necessary
- In some cases, your doctor may also recommend lung transplant surgery
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