California Quartz Countertop Workers Suffer 592 Silicosis Cases in Deadly Silica Outbreak

California has recorded 592 silicosis cases among engineered-stone workers, including 31 deaths (Credit: David L. Johnson & Margaret Phillips/University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center / NIOSH)

California health officials have recorded 592 silicosis cases among engineered-stone workers since 2019. A 12 August NEJM Evidence report documented 65 lung transplants and 31 deaths among those affected.

The workers were young for severe occupational lung disease, with a median age at diagnosis of 46. About 98 per cent were Latino, and all but one were men.