Experts predict over 10,000 Australian workers will develop lung cancer from silica exposure. 

Engineered stone – used mainly for kitchen benchtops – is a particularly potent source of silica dust. 

This dust is also found naturally in many building and construction products including sand, soil, stone, concrete and mortar, as well as being used in the manufacture of building products such as bricks, tiles and glass.

For the past 60 years, silicosis had been very rare in Australia but the increased use of engineered stone in kitchen benchtops is driving a re-emergence of the disease. 

The Australian Council of Trade Unions recently commissioned Curtin University researchers to study the matter further. 

The researchers used a unique method to predict how many Australians would develop lung cancer in their lifetime as the result of their exposure to silica dust in a specific year.

By estimating how many of Australia’s adult population in 2016 were exposed to silica dust at work, and then modelling the number of lung cancer cases that would occur over their lifetime, the team was able to predict that one per cent – or 10,390 – of those lung cancer cases could be attributed to a person’s occupational exposure to silica dust.

Lead researcher Dr Renee Carey says the modelling provides the best available estimate of the future number of lung cancer and silicosis cases that would result from workplace exposure to silica.

“Our modelling predicts more than 10,000 Australians will develop lung cancer and up to 103,000 workers will be diagnosed with silicosis as the result of their current exposure to silica dust at work,” Dr Carey says.

“We estimated that more than half a million Australian workers are currently exposed to silica dust across various industries, including construction, mining and quarrying, and manufacturing jobs.”

Co-author Professor Lin Fritschi says banning engineered stone would save lives.

“While a complete ban of engineered stone would be the best option, it is possible to reduce the health impacts of working with engineered stone by various methods such as mandatory wet-cutting or on-tool dust extraction, as long as these methods are combined with the consistent use of high-quality respiratory protection,” Professor Fritschi said.

“The damage from other types of silica-containing materials could be reduced by using better dust suppression techniques on mine and construction sites, and using wet-cutting during concrete cutting and grinding.”

The full study is accessible here.