Symptoms of disease which destroys lungs and kills workers who cut countertops
Experts have revealed the symptoms of the severe and incurable disease silicosis as workers making stone countertops die at an alarming rate.
Traditionally, silicosis has been associated with older workers, but alarmingly, it's now affecting younger individuals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, with some succumbing to the disease in their 30s, and receiving terminal diagnoses.
Latino immigrants work on heavy slabs of engineered stone, producing countertops in California's Pacoima region. These workers are exposed to hazardous levels of silica dust while cutting and grinding these stones, putting them at risk of developing silicosis, a severe and incurable lung disease.
Silicosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica, a common mineral found in many types of rock and soil. According to the American Lung Association, the disease develops over time, often after "many years of exposure".
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Medical experts issue warning that your kitchen countertops are a health risk
Cutting stone produces silica dust (Getty Images)Approximately 2.3 million workers in the US are exposed to silica in the workplace, including 2 million in construction and 300,000 in other industries. In early stages of the disease, symptoms include cough, mucus build up and shortness of breath.
But as the disease develops, so do the symptoms. Once the lung scarring has become more severe, symptoms include bronchitis-like symptoms such as persistent cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. People also suffer from weakness, fatigue, fever, night sweats, leg swelling and bluish discolouration of the lips.
The longer it goes without treatment, the worst the outcomes are for the patient. As it affects the immune system they are vulnerable to developing tuberculosis, lung cancer, COPD and kidney disease.
Respirators make a huge difference in protecting lungs (Getty Images)There is no cure for silicosis, but treatment is available, and employers and workers can take steps to prevent it.
A found that almost 20 per cent of California workers who contracted silicosis from grinding countertops had died. Their median age at death was 46. More than half of those diagnosed with the disease experienced delays due to misdiagnosis as bacterial pneumonia or tuberculosis, and over a third had severe lung scarring at diagnosis.
One of the workers in California's countertop region, Leobardo Segura Meza, is a 27-year-old father who was once an active individual but now struggles to breathe due to his exposure to silica dust. He received inadequate protection in the form of a dust mask while working with the dust-laden stone slabs.
Segura Meza expressed his concerns and fears about silicosis. He told the : "There's no cure for this illness. The only thing they can do is a lung transplant."
He also shared his apprehension that as more workers become ill, there might not be enough available lungs for transplantation, highlighting the severity of the disease's impact on affected individuals in the industry.
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