Advocates Call For Urgent Changes In Countertop Industry To Help Prevent Silicosis

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, November 19, 2025…

• Asbestos, lead, coal dust. All of those posed big health hazards to workers before legal protections finally rolled out. Now, thousands of stoneworkers in California who make our kitchen and bathroom countertops are breathing in something so toxic, nearly 50 had lung transplants. 
• Farmworker communities and environmental groups across the state are calling for stronger protections from a pesticide they say endangers public health.

California Doctors Urge Ban On Engineered Stone As Silicosis Cases Surge

A former stoneworker named Lopez sat confined to his East Bay home, breathing with the help of a whirring oxygen supply machine through clear tubes pronged to his nostrils. After years of making kitchen countertops from engineered stone, the 43-year-old was diagnosed with silicosis, an often deadly lung disease linked to inhaling toxic dust the material releases when powercut.

The once-active father of four now awaits a double lung transplant. He can no longer support his family or walk a few steps without pausing to catch his breath. Two stonecutter friends died after working with the man-made material, also known as artificial stone or quartz. Three others are on a waitlist for lung transplants, he said. “I feel desperate just sitting here unable to do anything,” said Lopez, an undocumented immigrant who worked in California for more than two decades. KQED is withholding his full name, as he fears losing vital medical care if arrested by federal authorities.

As silicosis cases surge in California’s countertop fabrication industry, medical and occupational safety experts warn that current regulations won’t protect hundreds more relatively young workers like Lopez from contracting the incurable illness. The state must act urgently to phase out hazardous engineered stone from fabrication shops, as Australia did, they say, to stem a growing health crisis.

Australia banned the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone benchtops in July 2024, forcing major manufacturers to switch to silica-free alternatives in that market, though they still sell their higher-silica products in the U.S. The companies maintain that their products are safe if fabrication shops follow protocols.

Between 1,000 to 1,500 stoneworkers in California could develop silicosis within the next decade, leading to roughly 285 deaths, according to California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA. The state is home to about 5,000 countertop fabrication workers, predominantly Latino immigrants. To save lives, the Governor’s Office could issue an emergency declaration pausing the processing of artificial stone until a permanent ban is pursued through rulemaking, according to a Sept. 4 memorandum obtained by KQED. Drafted by a committee of doctors, occupational safety experts and worker advocates convened by Cal/OSHA, the letter was addressed to the state board responsible for adopting new workplace safety regulations, but was not sent. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office did not respond to requests for comment about his position on banning engineered stone in fabrication shops. A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees press requests for both Cal/OSHA and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, said the draft had not been vetted.

Farmworker Communities Call New CA Pesticide Rules “Unscientific,” Demand Stronger Protections

Farmworker families, teachers and environmental justice groups across California are demanding stronger protections from the fumigant pesticide 1,3-dichloropropene, saying the state’s newest regulation allows exposure far above what health experts consider safe.

The chemical, also known as 1,3-D or by its brand name Telone, is a cancer-causing soil fumigant widely used on berry, grape, almond and walnut crops. It is banned in several countries.

Californians for Pesticide Reform and partner organizations held a statewide online news conference Tuesday, paired with simultaneous rallies in agricultural regions including Modesto, Watsonville, Fresno and Oxnard. Speakers said the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s recently finalized rules fail to protect farmworker families and schoolchildren who live, work and attend school near treated fields.

Community groups also raised concerns that the highest exposures occur in predominantly Latino and Indigenous neighborhoods, describing the regulation as a form of environmental racism. The Department of Pesticide Regulation said in a statement that it is committed to protecting public health and is working with toxicologists to reduce exposure. The agency says additional protections will take effect in 2026.