Millions of American workers are exposed to tiny dust particles that infiltrate their bodies and leave thousands of cuts in their lungs.
Known as ‘black lung’ because of the inflammation and scarring it causes, cases are emerging among stone and construction workers who accuse their employers of failing to protect them from this incurable disease.
The disease, medically called silicosis, occurs when small fragments of silica, found in fancy quartz and granite countertops, are inhaled and cause small cuts in the lung, causing irreversible damage.
It was previously thought to be a disappearing concern and only affected coal-breathing miners, but in recent years cases have emerged among workers who work with artificial stone.
Experts call it an “emerging issue” and stress the “urgent need for doctors and public health officials to fully address” the issue, which is not receiving the attention it deserves.
Now, dozens of victims are suing stone manufacturers for failing to protect them in a growing wave of lawsuits that could upend the world of home renovation.
James Nevin, a California attorney, told DailyMail.com that he represents about 300 workers in the state who have suffered painful lung injuries as a result of doing their jobs.
One of those patients is Gustavo Reyes González, a 34-year-old man who worked in home renovations in California. He was diagnosed with silicosis in 2021 and is only alive because he underwent a double lung transplant in 2023.
Gustavo Reyes González worked for years in stone manufacturing workshops, where he constantly breathed silica dust. It penetrated his lungs and caused permanent damage to his lungs. He has undergone two transplants.
But many of Nevin’s clients, most of whom are in their 30s and 40s, will likely die from their condition within 10 years.
Nevin told DailyMail.com: “We are finding a prevalence rate of 92 per cent; most manufacturing workers will get silicosis… this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
A analysis An Epic Research study of 129 million patients, of whom 3,014 were diagnosed with silicosis, found that men were 6.5 times more likely to have the disease than women.
Data spanning 2017 to 2023 also revealed that non-Hispanic white patients were 41 percent more likely than black patients and 34 percent more likely than Hispanic patients to be diagnosed.
Statistics also showed that silicosis rates were highest in West Virginia (154 cases per million patients) and New Mexico (151 cases per million patients).
However, patients often face delays in diagnosis and therefore treatment, because silicosis can be misdiagnosed.
TO study published in July 2023 examined 52 California stonemasons diagnosed with silicosis.
Fifty-eight percent of patients received a late diagnosis. 30 percent were initially diagnosed with pneumonia and 27 percent were diagnosed with tuberculosis.
And once diagnosed, 38 percent already had advanced disease with severely reduced breathing capacity.
In California, more than a dozen workers have died from the disease in the past five years.
Gonzalez is one of numerous plaintiffs in cases alleging that stone manufacturers and distributors covered up the risks of working with their products, but his was the first to go to trial.
His attorneys believe his case is a bellwether for more cases to come, and Nevin added that “it is the first of many hundreds, if not thousands.”
González immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager and began working six days a week cutting quartz stone slabs for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
Silicosis appears on a CT scan as small white nodules scattered throughout the lungs. Scan courtesy of radiopaedia.org
Researchers warn that when quartz countertops are cut, silica dust is released, which can harm people’s lungs (stock)
Although quartz is a natural mineral (and harmless once placed), the type found in American homes is a mixture of silica.
About 2.3 million American workers are exposed to silica in their jobs, including 2 million in construction and 300,000 in other industries, according to the American Lung Association.
Silica is a chemical compound made up of silicon and oxygen. There are two types: crystalline and amorphous.
Crystalline silica is found in sand, opal, and flint, as well as granite and quartz, two popular materials for kitchen and bathroom countertops.
Amorphous silica is found in cosmetics, personal hygiene products, and as food additives. The substance in this form does not pose any harm to human health.
However, the Department of Health and Human Services has classified crystalline silica, which is small enough to be inhaled, as a known human carcinogen.
While people are exposed to silica particles in the air or on products, most are not small enough to inhale into the lungs and cause problems.
But when workers, like González, cut, drill or grind materials containing silica, the dust particles can become small enough to permeate a mask, be inhaled and enter the lungs, where they create microcuts.
This causes permanent damage to the lungs and leads to difficulty breathing, severe coughing, and eventually oxygen therapy and at least one lung transplant.
González noticed his symptoms worsening in 2020, after having worked in the industry for more than a decade. It would take about a year to know the true nature of his diagnosis.
Gonzalez testified that he often worked in a fog of dust that dirty his mask. The manufacturers never warned him or his coworkers that working with the artificial stone could cause irreversible health damage.
He said Home Business: ‘(The pulmonologist) told me I had silicosis. I asked him what that was and he said, “You’re sick because of your job, because you’ve been breathing silica.”
‘I asked him: “What are we going to do? Is there any treatment?” and he said, “There is nothing we can do for you, because there is no cure for this disease.”
González, however, had to continue working to earn a living. he said: ‘I decided to continue working because I needed to save some money for what was coming. Actually, what I was doing was saving money for my funeral.
The worker was awarded at least $8 million in his lawsuit, and possibly more depending on what the judge decides within the next month.
Gonzalez survived only because he was able to receive two lung transplants in February 2023, and will likely need another within 10 years.
His case, and that of dozens of other workers, is likely to have a profound impact on the home renovation industry, as demand for lower silica materials will likely increase.
Safety protocols for stone manufacturers will also likely become stricter, requiring more ventilation and dust control systems and more personal protective equipment.
While the stone manufacturers maintain that they are not to blame, Mr. González holds them responsible for hiding the dangers of their products: “They make the material.” They know the content of the material. They know what products are in the material.
‘They should have told us about that, and they didn’t tell us anything about it.’