Study Reveals Silicosis Rates Among Workers Fabricating Stone Countertops

MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — From January 2019 through June 2026, there were 592 cases of silicosis in California among workers fabricating crystalline silica-containing engineered stone countertops, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in NEJM Evidence.

Amy Heinzerling, M.D., M.P.H., from the California Branch of Public Health in Richmond, and colleagues examined cases of silicosis among workers fabricating crystalline silica-containing engineered stone countertops from January 2019 through June 2026.

The researchers found that 592 cases of silicosis were identified by the California Department of Public Health. Sixty-five underwent lung transplantation and 31 died. Cases were a young age at diagnosis (median, 46 years) and had a short duration of exposure, severity and rapid disease progression, and frequent cooccurrence of other silica-associated conditions.

“Hundreds of workers have been sickened making quartz countertops, a product we do not need, especially when a safer alternative is available,” coauthor David Michaels, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. “Given the hundreds of diagnosed cases of silicosis in California, there are likely thousands of more cases across the country. Health care practitioners and public health departments should be on the lookout for cases and join the effort to stop this epidemic and save workers lives.”

One author received an honorarium for a keynote lecture at a conference on engineered stone silicosis.

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