4 ms·

what "type" of engineered stones are banned? this article does not mention that? granite counter tops? marble? something else? is this present after polishing

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.

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.