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Australia considers banning engineered stone products to reduce silicosis

20 points by adrian_mrd 4y ago

2Gkashmiri 4y ago
what "type" of engineered stones are banned? this article does not mention that? granite counter tops? marble? something else? is this present after polishing and sanding the top surface? how exactly does this work?
- defrost 4y ago
  None are banned - there have been ban proposals since at least 2018. Artifical stone with 97% silica levels are the issue. Dry cutting should be avoided, wet cutting with protective suit + filtered mask still presents health dangers (although far less than dry cutting with a cloth mask only). https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/crystalline-silica-and-silicosis https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/cr... Submissions are closed on risks and a report and recommendations are expected soon: https://engage.swa.gov.au/cris-managing-the-risks-of-respirable-crystalline-silica https://engage.swa.gov.au/cris-managing-the-risks-of-respira...
- eesmith 4y ago
  From the linked-to https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/stone-cutting-for-kitchen-benchtops-sparks-silicosis-crisis/10357342 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/stone-cutting-for-kit... "Engineered stone can contain up to 90 per cent silica, much higher than the content in granite or marble." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_stone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_stone describes it as "a composite material made of crushed stone bound together by an adhesive to create a solid surface, (most commonly polymer resin, with some newer versions using cement mix). This category includes engineered quartz (SiO2), polymer concrete and engineered marble stone." and "99.9% pure silica in grits and powder form constitutes 90–93% of the body by weight dispersed in a matrix of unsaturated polyester resin (7–10%) mixed with peroxide catalyst and cobalt accelerator which facilitates the curing of the thermoset at ambient temperature." At the bottom it says "As with any silica-containing stone, silicosis can result from breathing dust produced when cutting or processing engineered stone made with quartz", so it would seem the risk is low after the counter top is manufactured. FWIW, "Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite", with little silica - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble Granite is about 72% silica - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite .
- jaclaz 4y ago
  The article is a bit vague. Anyway silicosis has been traditionally the illness of miners and (to a lesser extent) masons. The (I believe by now worldwide) ban on asbestos derives from that, a surprising number of types of minerals/rocks may contain silicates. If you prefer, though there are differences, asbestosis and silicosis are similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis The issue is with the particles that someone may inhale, it is not a real problem unless you cut/sand/break the materials and create dust. In the case of asbestos the problem is more serious as the material itself may degrade over time and the dust is produced without any intervention. The granite or marble counter top in your kitchen is safe, but the people that mined, cut, ground, sanded and polished it (and hundreds of similar ones) may well have been exposed to this dust. Marble should be fine, natural granite has a high percentage of silica, in the case of engineered stone the percentage of silicates is higher, so working on engineered stone is more dangerous than natural granite.
richardjam73 4y ago
"Engineered stone also known as man-made, reconstituted or manufactured stone; is a man-made product that dates back from the late 1980’s. The main component in engineered stone is quartz which is one of nature’s strongest minerals- rated at 7 on MOHS scale of mineral hardness. Engineered stone is usually made from a mixture of resins, cement and natural stone chips such as marble, granite, basalt or quartz and coloured pigments. The raw materials are inspected then mixed and blended together, poured into the slab mould. The mix is then highly compacted into a dense form by vacuum, vibration and pressure, cured in a kiln then cooled. The slabs are then cut into sheets and polished. Most manufactured stones are designed to imitate the popular textures and colours of natural stones, especially marble and granite." https://allstonespecialists.com.au/products/engineered-stone/ https://allstonespecialists.com.au/products/engineered-stone...
anenefan 4y ago
The silicosis threat is making the national tv news here in Australia today ... I'm unsure what the thinking is behind it, it's not exactly logical. I've worked in the construction industry long enough to know that not only is cutting a few bench tops not too smart to do dry ... actually the main threat is great amount of grinding and drilling concrete dry which often happens in final stages of fitting near completed concrete buildings. I also wonder how rock wool fits into the picture. As for cutting stone products like bench tops ... if only cheap water cutting machines and supplies were available here - it allows a level of precision where no further grinding should be necessary. If anything, Australia should be about set to reap the long term exposure of fine glass fibres used in the roofs of some car brands in the 70s to perhaps 80s when it was phased out. I was perhaps fortunate my ol' man noticed the rain of small glass dust from some car brands. It's easy enough to spot on a hot day when the car windows are up - obviously one is outside looking in and perhaps tapping the roof lightly.
fwlr 4y ago
Marble, granite, or this stuff are your three main choices for stone countertops. They are roughly analogous to pine (soft wood), oak (hard wood), and MDF (wood powder compacted and bound by resin). I think MDF is even called “engineered wood” sometimes. MDF has similar issues to engineered stone (though the respiratory issues it causes are not as severe as silicosis/asbestosis iirc), I guess it turns out that gluing a bunch of dust together is not really a good idea.
dzhiurgis 4y ago
Yen another case for ubiquitous air quality monitoring

20 points by adrian_mrd 4y ago

what "type" of engineered stones are banned? this article does not mention that? granite counter tops? marble? something else? is this present after polishing and sanding the top surface? how exactly does this work?

defrost 4y ago
None are banned - there have been ban proposals since at least 2018. Artifical stone with 97% silica levels are the issue. Dry cutting should be avoided, wet cutting with protective suit + filtered mask still presents health dangers (although far less than dry cutting with a cloth mask only). https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/crystalline-silica-and-silicosis https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/cr... Submissions are closed on risks and a report and recommendations are expected soon: https://engage.swa.gov.au/cris-managing-the-risks-of-respirable-crystalline-silica https://engage.swa.gov.au/cris-managing-the-risks-of-respira...
eesmith 4y ago
From the linked-to https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/stone-cutting-for-kitchen-benchtops-sparks-silicosis-crisis/10357342 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/stone-cutting-for-kit... "Engineered stone can contain up to 90 per cent silica, much higher than the content in granite or marble." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_stone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_stone describes it as "a composite material made of crushed stone bound together by an adhesive to create a solid surface, (most commonly polymer resin, with some newer versions using cement mix). This category includes engineered quartz (SiO2), polymer concrete and engineered marble stone." and "99.9% pure silica in grits and powder form constitutes 90–93% of the body by weight dispersed in a matrix of unsaturated polyester resin (7–10%) mixed with peroxide catalyst and cobalt accelerator which facilitates the curing of the thermoset at ambient temperature." At the bottom it says "As with any silica-containing stone, silicosis can result from breathing dust produced when cutting or processing engineered stone made with quartz", so it would seem the risk is low after the counter top is manufactured. FWIW, "Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite", with little silica - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble Granite is about 72% silica - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite .
jaclaz 4y ago
The article is a bit vague. Anyway silicosis has been traditionally the illness of miners and (to a lesser extent) masons. The (I believe by now worldwide) ban on asbestos derives from that, a surprising number of types of minerals/rocks may contain silicates. If you prefer, though there are differences, asbestosis and silicosis are similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis The issue is with the particles that someone may inhale, it is not a real problem unless you cut/sand/break the materials and create dust. In the case of asbestos the problem is more serious as the material itself may degrade over time and the dust is produced without any intervention. The granite or marble counter top in your kitchen is safe, but the people that mined, cut, ground, sanded and polished it (and hundreds of similar ones) may well have been exposed to this dust. Marble should be fine, natural granite has a high percentage of silica, in the case of engineered stone the percentage of silicates is higher, so working on engineered stone is more dangerous than natural granite.

richardjam73 4y ago

"Engineered stone also known as man-made, reconstituted or manufactured stone; is a man-made product that dates back from the late 1980’s. The main component in engineered stone is quartz which is one of nature’s strongest minerals- rated at 7 on MOHS scale of mineral hardness. Engineered stone is usually made from a mixture of resins, cement and natural stone chips such as marble, granite, basalt or quartz and coloured pigments. The raw materials are inspected then mixed and blended together, poured into the slab mould. The mix is then highly compacted into a dense form by vacuum, vibration and pressure, cured in a kiln then cooled. The slabs are then cut into sheets and polished. Most manufactured stones are designed to imitate the popular textures and colours of natural stones, especially marble and granite." https://allstonespecialists.com.au/products/engineered-stone/ https://allstonespecialists.com.au/products/engineered-stone...

anenefan 4y ago

The silicosis threat is making the national tv news here in Australia today ... I'm unsure what the thinking is behind it, it's not exactly logical. I've worked in the construction industry long enough to know that not only is cutting a few bench tops not too smart to do dry ... actually the main threat is great amount of grinding and drilling concrete dry which often happens in final stages of fitting near completed concrete buildings. I also wonder how rock wool fits into the picture. As for cutting stone products like bench tops ... if only cheap water cutting machines and supplies were available here - it allows a level of precision where no further grinding should be necessary. If anything, Australia should be about set to reap the long term exposure of fine glass fibres used in the roofs of some car brands in the 70s to perhaps 80s when it was phased out. I was perhaps fortunate my ol' man noticed the rain of small glass dust from some car brands. It's easy enough to spot on a hot day when the car windows are up - obviously one is outside looking in and perhaps tapping the roof lightly.

fwlr 4y ago

Marble, granite, or this stuff are your three main choices for stone countertops. They are roughly analogous to pine (soft wood), oak (hard wood), and MDF (wood powder compacted and bound by resin). I think MDF is even called “engineered wood” sometimes. MDF has similar issues to engineered stone (though the respiratory issues it causes are not as severe as silicosis/asbestosis iirc), I guess it turns out that gluing a bunch of dust together is not really a good idea.

dzhiurgis 4y ago

Yen another case for ubiquitous air quality monitoring