UK urged to consider ban on artificial stone worktops over silicosis risk

Artificial stone is made of crushed rocks bound together with resins and pigments, and contains significantly more silica than real stone. Photograph: Alamy

The government should consider a ban on artificial stone worktops after a rise in cases of an incurable disease linked to their manufacture, experts have said.

One leading medic has called for urgent action to protect workers who cut the material.