Your quartz countertop is the new asbestos — for the workers who cut it

Engineered quartz countertops, popular for kitchen renovations, release crystalline silica particles that cause silicosis, a deadly lung disease, among workers who cut and polish them. Over 550 workers in California have been diagnosed, with 30 deaths reported since 2019. The article highlights the lack of disease tracking in most states and the public health emergency posed by the surge in silicosis cases.