DOCTORS are warning that a growing number of British men are contracting a rare new type of lung disease from working with fake marble and granite.
Doctors reported the UK’s first death and 11 cases of artificial stone silicosis, with the average age of patients just 34.
They develop scars and difficult-to-treat lesions on their lungs from inhaling dust while working with materials that contain large amounts of silica.
Experts have called for a ban on quartz kitchens and bathrooms to prevent an epidemic of asbestos-caused lung disease in artisans.
Lawyers for Leigh Day said they are accepting lawsuits from men as young as 20 who have developed the disease.
Material already banned in Australia
Study author Dr Johanna Feary, a lung disease specialist at Royal Brompton NHS Trust in London, said: “The emergence of these cases is a real concern.
“It’s affecting young men, many of whom have only been working with this material for a few years.
“There is no good treatment and a diagnosis can be devastating.
“The UK needs to learn from the experience of other countries and act quickly to minimize the number of deaths in the coming months and years.”
Artificial stone with a high silica content, also known as artificial stone or quartz, is already banned in Australia.
It’s popular in kitchen and bathroom remodeling because it can look like marble or granite, but it’s much cheaper.
Britain has legal exposure limits for silica dust, but they are difficult to enforce and often exceeded, researchers said.
We may be on the threshold of a significant increase in cases
Ewan Tant
The new study reported the first eight cases of silicosis in men aged 27 to 56.
One of the patients died and two now require lung transplants, while three have immune system damage due to the disease.
Doctors said the disease appeared to continue getting worse even after the men stopped breathing the dust.
This makes it similar to the incurable diseases asbestosis and mesothelioma that developed in thousands of workers who worked with asbestos in the 1900s.
Ewan Tant, partner at Leigh Day, said: “We could be on the verge of a significant increase in artificial stone-related silicosis cases, which will only continue to get worse.”
WHAT IS SILICOSIS?
SILICOSIS is a serious lung disease that involves scarring and swelling inside the breathing tubes.
It is caused by regularly inhaling silica dust over years or decades.
Silica is a mineral composed of the elements silicon and oxygen and is found underground in the form of quartz crystals, rocks and sand.
It is mined for use as gemstones or in masonry, electronics and ceramics.
Cutting and working with silica can produce a lot of dust, which is harmful if inhaled.
The dust is made of hard silica crystals that damage the delicate lining of the lungs, causing swelling and scarring that builds up over time.
As swelling and scarring worsen, they destroy parts of the lungs that absorb oxygen and reduce organ function.
Symptoms can take years to develop, but include prolonged coughing, shortness of breath, weakness and tiredness.
The condition worsens over time and can increase the risk of chest infections, high blood pressure, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
There is no cure for the disease because lung damage cannot be reversed, so doctors focus on treating symptoms and improving oxygen flow.
Source: National Health Service
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