Welcome to the latest installment of my Healthy Home Series, where I delve into a wide range of topics that affect your health and wellness at home, from biophilia and green roofs to asbestos and Eletctrosmog – and more!
The choices we make when improving our homes – like materials, finishes, fixtures and decor – and the sustainability practices we subscribe to when undertaking these domestic projects serve to personalize our domestic spaces, make them feel comfortable and safe, and often improve our sense of self. Some decisions are born of preference, while others are a necessity. When it comes to finishes and decor, we all know what looks and feels good to us, with tastes running from popular and on-trend to the eclectic and unexpected.
What homeowners may not know is that quartz countertops – much-loved and often seen as the bar for style in the modern home – are the subject of an emerging health crisis.
The core of the issue is that quartz, or engineered stone, is a man-made material, comprising an extremely high proportion of silica.
When quartz slabs are cut and polished during the manufacturing phase, this silica is ground down to an extremely fine dust, which is easily inhaled by the workers who cut and grind the stones, if adequate safety measures are not in place.
Workers who are repeatedly exposed to silica dust without proper precautions are contracting silicosis, which is a serious, progressive, incurable, potentially debilitating and fatal lung disease. Because silica dust is so fine, it travels easily, deep into the lungs, where it causes significant inflammation, scarring and other issues.
That’s why quartz is being coined the “asbestos of the 2020s”, by some industry groups.
While silica itself is a material that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, it is combined with a number of other, non-natural materials for the purpose of colour and pattern in engineered stone, increasing the toxicity when it is inhaled.
Engineered stone contains up to 90 percent silica, dramatically more other slab choices, such as granite and marble, which are closer to the 20-50 percent range.
This document from the US, Occupational Health and Safety Association and National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety gives a good overview of the risks, and some of the research that has been done: “Worker Exposure To Silica During Countertop Manufacturing, Finishing And Installation“.
It’s Not Quartz Itself, But Improper Safety Measures For Workers
To be clear, the quartz countertop currently sitting in your kitchen is not a health risk to you and your family. After it has been cut and sealed, it is perfectly safe. The danger happens before the stone arrives at your home.
It’s not quartz itself that is the problem, but rather the lack of health and safety protocols to protect workers in some areas of the world when these slabs are cut and polished to fulfill client orders.
Furthermore, because quartz is so popular (it is far and away the most popular countertop material in North America), the volume of engineered stone in the marketplace means that more and more workers are placed in a potentially dangerous situation. This fact has prompted action in various locations around the world, where repeated, unprotected exposure to silica through fabricating engineered quartz is creating significant health problems for the affected workers.
The News About Quartz Worldwide
While there are no bans or specific measures yet in Canada, several areas around the globe are reacting to quartz and the link to silicosis.
In Australia, engineered stone has been banned outright, as of Jul 2024, on the recommendation of their national workplace health and safety body, Safe Work Australia.
Here’s an article on Australia’s New Engineered Stone Ban to Begin in July.
In Australia, well-known in-country brands, as well as some global ones, such as IKEA, had proactively stopped the sale of quartz in advance of this ban, indicating the significance (although IKEA did not extend the ban beyond Australia)
With cases rising in the U.K., advocacy groups are calling for similar action, as reported in this Guardian article: UK Urged To Consider Ban On Artificial Stone Worktops Over Silicosis Risk.
In California, there were emergency health and safety measures implemented around the fabrication and manufacturing of quartz slabs, and other U.S. states are considering similar health and safety measures. Here’s a piece by the L.A. Times: California Ambraces Emergency Rules To Protect Countertop Workers From Incurable Silicosis.
They stopped short of an outright ban, like that in Australia, instead putting the onus on workplaces to adopt proper safety protocols, which can significantly reduce the risk. These include proper ventilation, proper PPE, and proper cutting techniques – namely wet cutting over dry cutting. (In wet cutting, moisture is applied to dust particulates, keeping them from dispersing and being inhaled by workers.)
California has particularly been in the spotlight because of the rising incidence of cases there, and the medical community speaking up. Compounding the concern is that the workers that are being felled by silicosis after repeated exposure in the workplace tend to be young men, who are otherwise healthy, and are receiving devastating health diagnoses.
As this NPR story reveals, there have been an increasing number of cases reported in the state (at the time of writing, 77 cases, including 10 deaths): Young Men Making Quartz Countertops Are Facing Lung Damage. One State Is Taking Action.
It’s become so relatively prevalent in California, that this group of doctors published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone (Quartz) Countertop Fabrication Workers in California.
Should I Get Rid Of My Quartz Counters In Favour Of Another Material?
It is important to remember that quartz counters, slabs and tiles are not dangerous themselves. It’s when they are cut and polished during the fabrication process, and workers are not properly protected that the danger happens.
As a consumer, you may want to ask your contractor or retailer where your quartz is coming from, and then take an extra step to verify that this company has the appropriate safety measures in place, both to make an informed choice and to help influence the industry to meet checks and balances.
There is also the option of other materials, such as natural stones. It’s important to note that many natural stones contain silica as well, so could potentially pose a threat when cut, but with the concentration being significantly less, the risk is less.
The appeal of quartz is that it is affordable, relative to other materials. It’s durable and easy to maintain. Other stones, such as granite, marble, and quartzite require a little more ongoing maintenance but are good choices too. Granite is on the more affordable side, whereas marble, quartzite, and soapstone are more expensive.
It really comes down to your budget, your time and patience for maintenance, and how a specific counter choice might fit into your aesthetic.
With decades of experience navigating Toronto’s real estate market and in understanding all of the components that combine to create a healthy home, I am here to help!
Here is a selection of other posts in our Healthy Home series:
Knob And Tube Wiring Is Still Common In Canada
Dear Urbaneer: How Can I Escape Electrosmog For An EMF-Free Housing Community In The Countryside?
What Are The Real Financial, Emotional And Health Costs Of Commuting?
What You Need To Know About Household Mold
What You Need To Know About Asbestos
What You Need To Know About Buried Oil Tanks
How To Use Biophilia In Your Home’s Design
What You Should Know About Light Pollution
Healthy Home: What You Need To Know About The Health Hazards Of Living Near Power Lines
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