592 California Workers Who Cut Quartz Countertops Developed an Incurable Lung Disease, and 65 Have Received Lung Transplants

California public health investigators have confirmed 592 cases of silicosis among workers who fabricate engineered stone countertops since 2019. The cases include 65 lung transplants and 31 deaths. Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust during the cutting and fabrication of engineered quartz countertops.