The killer kitchen trend: Is it time to ban quartz kitchen slabs?

There’s no denying that every woman wants a kitchen that’s aesthetically pleasing and classy, and in order to make kitchens beautiful yet functional, there are many new innovations that time and again become a trend and beautify the space, but one such trend has been claiming young lives! Here’s all you need to know how a kitchen slab can be the reason for a silent ailment. Read on…

What really happens
The kitchen trend of using engineered quartz is very popular. It is the number one choice for people who want to make their kitchens look nice and modern. Engineered quartz is strong. Does not stain easily. It looks like marble, which is a very expensive type of stone. There is a big problem with engineered quartz. The people who cut and polish it are getting very sick.

Many young workers are getting a lung disease called silicosis. This disease is caused by breathing in dust that has silica in it. Silica is a type of stone that's in the air when people cut and polish engineered quartz. When people breathe in this dust it can hurt their lungs badly. Some people have even died from this disease.


What makes quartz so dangerous?
Engineered quartz is made by mixing crushed stone, resin and color. Then it is pressed hard to make a solid piece. This type of stone has a lot of silica in it. When people cut or polish it, they make a lot of dust. This dust is very bad for people to breathe in as it can hurt their lungs and may cause silicosis.


The resurgence of an ancient threat
As per a report published in a digital daily, Dr. Johanna Feary is seeing many young people with silicosis. She is a specialist in lung diseases. She says that silicosis is a bad disease that can kill people. It was a problem a long time ago but it was thought to be gone. Now it is back. It is hurting many young people. Dr. Feary is very worried about this disease. She says that we need to do something to stop it. We need to make sure that people who work with engineered quartz are safe. We need to make sure they do not breathe in the dust.

A silent and misdiagnosed killer
Many people do not know about the dangers of engineered quartz. They like it because it looks nice and it is not too expensive. The people who work with it are in danger. They can get silicosis. Not even knowing it, the disease does not show any symptoms at first. By the time people start to feel sick, it is often too late.


The Ryans' story
A young man named Ryan Fenton got silicosis. He was a stonemason. He worked with engineered quartz every day. He did not know about the dangers of the dust. He got sick. Now he cannot work anymore. He is very sad. Worried about his future.


Chilling parallels to the Asbestos epidemic
The problem with engineered quartz is similar to the problem with asbestos. Asbestos was a type of material that was used in buildings. It was thought to be safe. It was not. It caused many people to get sick and die. Now we know that asbestos is very bad for people.


Are safety regulations enough?
Some people think that we can make engineered quartz safe. They think that if we use water to cut it and special masks to breathe, it will be okay. Other people think that this is not enough. They think that we should ban engineered quartz altogether. While in Australia it is banned, will it be enough to save people from getting affected?