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Australian ministers this week announced they had agreed to the world-first ban,which was recommended by the government agency Safe Work Australia.
Safe Work Australia chief executive Marie Boland said the ban would protect stonemasons from exposure to respirable crystalline silica (silica dust), which can be generated when workers cut, shape or polish engineered stone.
Prolonged occupational inhalation of the dust has been linked to the lung disease silicosis, and a number of stonemasons have died horrible, early deaths. Others are debilitated from symptoms including shortness of breath.
“Workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica has led to an unacceptable increase in the number of cases of silicosis and other silica-related diseases,” Bond said.
“The vast majority of silicosis cases identified in recent years are in engineered stone workers. Many of these cases are in younger workers who are experiencing faster disease progression and higher mortality.”
Engineered stone and silicosis in New Zealand
The issue is less high-profile in New Zealand, where no deaths have been attributed to silicosis as a result of working with engineered stone. There are, however, people who are seriously ill, and one expert estimates around 1000 current and former workers could be at risk.
An ongoing Herald investigation has found gaps in oversight of the industry, with confidential ministerial briefings warning that “significant unmanaged risks to worker health” had been found at some worksites.
Nurses involved in a recent Government-funded pilot study discovered dangerous conditions including dust on floors and surfaces.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and WorkSafe were due to provide advice on regulatory action by November 1, but are yet to do so.
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said the advice on a “complex area of health and safety” was being prepared.
“It is important that officials and I take the time to get this right,” said Van Velden, who is the Act Party’s deputy leader.
“That includes making sure that any and all advice is up to date, taking into account Australia’s most recent direction. Officials are continuing to work on this advice, and this is due to me shortly.”
Asked if she was confident engineered stone workers were safe from exposure to silica dust, Van Velden said WorkSafe was on the case.
“They have advised me that their inspectors are seeing some improvement in workplace practices and they will continue to issue enforcement notices where risks are not being effectively managed.”
Engineered stone (sometimes called artificial or reconstituted stone), is a man-made composite of different materials held together by polymer resin.
Engineered stone dust ‘our new version of asbestos’: University of Auckland lung expert
University of Auckland Professor Merryn Tawhai, a world-leading expert on lung function and the director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, told the Herald a ban should be seriously considered.
“And, personally, I would be in support of a total ban. The parallel is asbestos, back in the day. It is our new version of that. This is turning up in relatively young men typically, 30, 40 years old, who are starting out their families.
“Those few breaths a day that you might inhale around your safety masks and so forth, it’s enough to be causing this chronic disease. And the outcomes are just so devastating. It is not reversible.”
Silica is found in stone, rock, sand, clay and many building materials, but dust from engineered stone is more dangerous, because the man-made products have contained up to 95 per cent silica, compared to 2 to 50 per cent in natural stones.
Workers should be protected by strict safety measures, including cutting the stone only when it is wet, to stop dust being created, and powerful ventilation systems.
Lower-silica products being used by engineered stone industry
Engineered stone is not manufactured in New Zealand. Varieties that have a lower silica content – in most cases less than 40 per cent – have been developed recently in response to the concern over silicosis.
However, a total ban is being introduced across the Tasman, on Safe Work Australia’s recommendation that “there is no toxicological evidence of a ‘safe’ threshold of crystalline silica content, or that the other components of lower silica engineered stone products (e.g. amorphous silica including recycled glass, feldspar) do not pose additional risks to worker health”.
Industry players including manufacturer Caesarstone say the ban is “unnecessary” and “excessive”, and the health risk lies only in the fabricating (like cutting and sawing) process, and can be managed by proper safety measures.
Auckland Bioengineering Institute deputy director Professor Merryn Tawhai. Photo / University of Auckland
Official silicosis cases remain low in New Zealand
About 190 New Zealand workers have lodged claims for assessment for silicosis, with four accepted for probable accelerated silicosis, and others covered for conditions including chronic silicosis.
Take-up for testing is very low, however. Dr Alexandra Muthu, a leading occupational physician, estimates around 1000 current and former stonemasons are at risk.
Symptoms like shortness of breath and weight loss don’t appear until after silicosis develops. Absorbed dust can cause other diseases, including cancer.
Those welcoming the Australian ban include the Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand, which represents lung and respiratory health workers and researchers.
“Our health professionals have seen the massive up-tick in silicosis patients over the years, and they have done research, which shows the worrying signs of an asbestos-like health crisis on the horizon,” said the society’s Australia-based chief executive Vincent So.
An engineered stone ban in New Zealand is supported by the mining/extractives sector Health and Safety Council, MinEx.
Chief executive Wayne Scott said there is a lack of technicians who are appropriately trained to detect silicosis on x-rays, and he has written to Van Velden alerting her to that problem.
