California proposes ban on man-made quartz after surge in fatal lung disease

California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board intends to pass an emergency regulation this October that would prohibit the creation or installation of engineered quartz containing more than 1% crystalline silica. The move responds to a growing number of silicosis diagnoses among workers who cut and shape the material for kitchen countertops, a disease that can lead to fatal lung scarring and often necessitates single or double lung transplants.

The affected workers are predominantly men in their early fifties, with about half of the cases reported in Los Angeles County. One survivor, Enrique Gonzalez, a stone cutter from the San Fernando Valley, underwent a lung transplant after his condition deteriorated, illustrating both the severity of the illness and the limited treatment options. The proposed ban will undergo a review period before it can be enacted, reflecting the state’s effort to protect laborers from this occupational hazard.