Mon, 11 May 2026
Unlike natural stone, artificial or engineered stone contains extremely high silica content (up to 95% silica) and when disturbed and inhaled it can cause silicosis, an irreversible occupational lung disease.
At least 50 such patient cases of silicosis from artificial stone have been seen in our clinic. These patients have played a pivotal role in raising awareness of working with this type of stone and living with silicosis. Lungs At Work team member Dr Jo Feary continues to do a huge amount of work in this field and recently spoke with Sky News about it in a piece aired on Monday 11 May 2026, which you can view below:
Read recent media coverage on silicosis from artificial stone below:
- “Killer kitchens: Why workers are dying from a disease you've never heard of” (Sky News, 11 May 2026)
- “Killer kitchen dust banned after lung disease deaths of young workers” (iNews, 11 May 2026)
- “Trendy kitchen worktop warning after rise in deaths linked to inhaling ‘next asbestos’ – cases jump 450% in a year” (The Sun, 11 May 2026)
