A New Health Risk !

 Prospective buyers visiting display homes are usually entranced by the beautiful artificial stone benches in the kitchens and bathrooms.  Unfortunately, this growing industry is cutting a swathe of death through the tradies who trim and machine this product for the building trade.

This is not a natural product and it is far cheaper to produce than  marble or granite, but where those natural products contain forty percent of silicate, the artificial stone contains ninety-five percent of this deadly lung contaminent.

The health authorities have long been concerned about a growing trend of silicosis maiming workers in this industry.  Silicosis is an incurable disease that scars the lungs and makes breathing difficult.  It is usually terminal, but life can be prolonged with a lung transplant.

The popularity of this product is ever increasing and it is now a feature in most new homes and this is reflected in health data.     Silicosis is a notifiable disease and last year there were 107 cases in New South Wales, with just 40 cases reported in 2018/19 and  only 9 in the year before that.

This fast growing trend has the government considering imposing a ban but the outcome would be massive job losses in the industry and there is no other alternative at anywhere near the price of this artificial product.

A cutting ban is already in place in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland to abolish what is known as " dry cutting " and with this comes a reduction in dust levels and a reduced risk of silicosis.  Most high volume artificial stone industries now use a " wet cutting " method, but often the product needs a final trim to size as it is being installed.

The risk factor includes the " do it yourself " renovation trade.  Altering an artificial stone bench in an existing kitchen can release silicone breathed in by the entire family and this is enhanced by cutting holes to install taps and reposition plumbing.  Like exposure to asbestos, even a little silicone can be deadly.

We are fast reaching the stage where fashion dictates that artificial stone is necessary to sell new homes and the silicosis risk must be contained.   The ACTU has told the industry it needs to establish a funded compensation regime for silicone sufferers and it is obvious that Fair Work will need to stamp out any remaining incidence of dry cutting that remains.,

Perhaps the greatest risk reduction may come from publicity.  The dust from cutting stone was thought to be harmless in small quantities and this encouraged small workshops to experiment on the fringe of the trade.

A lot will depend on how these silicosis rates hold up in the future.  If they continue to expand it is likely the government will impose  draconian laws and licensing regimes that will make stone cutting impractical for other than a dedicated cutting shop.  It needs the right equipment in place to reduce the health risk.