Category: silicosis

Respiratory Disease Registry Seeks to Combat Silicosis

A national registry will be established for deadly workplace respiratory diseases as the federal government seeks to tackle the prevalence of silicosis. If passed, the law will require mandatory reporting of the disease, which affects nearly one-in-four engineered stone workers in the industry before 2018. But the peak union representing workers wants a ban on…


Silicosis Issues to Be With US for Decades: Workplace Relations Minister

Issues surrounding potentially deadly engineered stone products in Australia will be ongoing for multiple decades, according to the workplace relations minister. Following a meeting of workplace health and safety ministers, the national work safety watchdog is investigating a possible ban on silica products. Products with high silica levels, most commonly seen in kitchen benchtops, have…


Fresh Push to Ban the ‘Asbestos of the 2020’s

There’s a fresh push to ban engineered stone commonly used in kitchen benchtops and linked to an incurable lung disease likened to asbestosis. Engineered stone is cheaper than naturally occurring stone, but silica dust created during the manufacturing process can pose a serious health risk. Diagnosed cases of silicosis have jumped over the last decade,…