Rising temperatures, tiredness, struggling to breathe, weight loss and changing skin textures.
Hak Kim was in his mid-20s when he started noticing these changes in his body.
At 25, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which he developed after breathing in silica dust particles while working in demolition.
Hak's former employer had stringent rules for asbestos demolition, but these rules didn't transfer to silica.
"During demolitions, nobody told you to wear a mask," the now-27-year-old said.
"They just said, 'Okay, go in that room and start removing it'. And that's what we did, we followed the order."
"I didn't know that I was exposed to silica because I'm working under asbestos removalist until I was diagnosed," Hak said.
"I went to a doctor, and they said it's just the flu or something like that.
"I just kept working until you realise it's getting worse and worse."
After a series of tests and scans, Hak was diagnosed with scleroderma.
Unable to work and with rising medical costs, Hak took legal action against his former employer for not providing him with a safe system of work and was awarded compensation.
Transplant 'a miracle'
As his condition worsened, he was put on the registry for a lung transplant.
One day, he received a call to say a lung had become available.
The only problem was that the transplant was scheduled for the same day as his wedding.
After a quick change of plans, Hak and his fiancée Sreyneang married at 11pm, the night before his lung transplant.
"We're very, very lucky to get [a lung] fast, so it's amazing, a miracle," Hak said.
"After lung transplant I felt a lot better, more healthier.
"You can do more stuff than usual — like exercise —but [I also have] a lot of appointments to attend to every day."
Growing awareness of silica's dangers
Silica is found in things like sand, stone, concrete and mortar and is used to make products like engineered stone, which makes up a lot of kitchen and bathroom benchtops, bricks, tiles and some plastics.
When workers cut, crush, drill, polish, saw or grind products that contain silica, particles are created, which are one-hundredth of the size of a grain of sand, and can get stuck deep in the lungs.
In extreme cases, inhaling silica can lead to the terminal illness silicosis.
In February, the Australian Council of Trade Unions called on the Australian government to ban engineered stone products, as a boost in the product's popularity over the past 10 years was leading experts to believe there could be a rise in silica-related illnesses.
The federal government asked policy body Safe Work Australia to explore a ban on engineered stone.
Maurice Blackburn associate Anita Arian represented Hak in his compensation claim and says his story is particularly important, as it shows it is not just people who handle engineered stone for many years who are getting silica-related illnesses.
"We are seeing people in other industries such as demolition, people who work in quarries, miners and tunnellers, who are getting diagnosed with these conditions," Ms Arian said.
"And it's not just silicosis, but other autoimmune conditions as well."
Pushing for change
Ms Arian and Hak are both supportive of the move to ban engineered stone.
"I think there was an emergence of workers and individuals diagnosed with this condition following the introduction of engineered stone," Ms Arian said.
"The reality is we're bound to see a lot more because of the latency between exposure and development of their condition."
"Where there are hazards in the workplace, they ought to be removed."
Mark Brooke is the chief executive of Lung Foundation Australia and commends the government on looking into the ban, but says more can be done.
"The one thing that we try to get across the community is if we know that something is a consumer product, a luxury product, in many cases to look good in your kitchen, and there's no safe way of handling that, then would we put our mates risks at health at risk?" he said.
"I think we need to elevate the conversation, not just one about corporate or personal responsibility but a community's responsibility."
"We did it with asbestos, which is still seeing the legacy of using that product 50 to 100 years later."
Mr Brooke said the silicosis has been identified in the workers who built the Egyptian pyramids.
"Think about stonemasons who would be cutting stone natural stone products to build a cathedral, for example, they might develop silicosis later in their retirement," Mr Brooke said.
"But with these new products and new construction methods and grinding and shaping, what we're seeing is accelerated silicosis.
"The best description is; it's concrete in the inside of your lungs."
Moving forward
For Hak, his future is looking bright after his lung transplant.
"We're thinking of starting a family soon," he said.
"Hopefully early next year we'll start family and a bit of holidays."
And he will continue to raise awareness about the dangers of silica, especially to young tradies.
"Be aware of it. Be cautious of it, because it's really, really dangerous substance," he said.
"And I keep reminding my friends every day who who's still working, you know, to be careful, work with it, wear a mask, protect yourself."
