We have this problem in Australia too. I am glad at least that people are starting to wake up to the silicosis risk though, because you can also release silica dust cutting or drilling through bricks, cutting or polishing concrete etc. and you often see tradies take almost no precautions...
Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
321–330 of 469 posts
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#322> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air.
Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#323I suspect that stone dust generally will be found to be similarly harmful to asbestos. Asbestos is apparently worse because of the sharp edges of the particles, but if I put any angle grinder dust under the microscope I see plenty of sharp bits too. I think the actually harmful thing is that the dust is 'fresh' rather than being the result of years of chemical weathering which tends to smooth off the sharpest pointie…
Yes, they are essentially the same:
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#324For me, the essential summary of the comments was this one: “All this thanks to synthetic stone - important note for countertops owners, if you want to make sure you don't support the product”
It's not quite that simple, since people working with natural stone get silicosis too. Natural stone may be up to 50% silica.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#325the incurable disease in the title is greed in the hearts of others that values the lives of these people less than the shiny things they make for rich people
There's a quote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that I find insightful:
"The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. ..."
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#326> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.
Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#327the incurable disease in the title is greed in the hearts of others that values the lives of these people less than the shiny things they make for rich people
Unless you consider 30-40% of the US to be rich this isn't about the rich. Although it is nice how you foist the blame onto the rich instead of all of society.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#328The push to switch to dry cutting was a “green” innovation. This is a California problem created by California thinking.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#329> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.
Many workers resist using safety equipment, even when it is provided to them, and they are shown how to use it. This is common for fall protection too. Safety regulations requiring provision of equipment may not get the job done. For all we know, safety equipment was available.
I tell a worker that I expect them to do N amount of work per hour or be fired. They need the money to pay their families for basic life necessities. N is the amount they can do if working at peak efficiency for that hour. I picked that number by design. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable and causes excess sweating which makes them 5% less efficient. If they weak a mask they output 0.95*N and I will thus fire them. They are free to weak a mask and I am not firing them for wearing a mask. Then when they die I blame them for not wearing a mask.
Re: Workers who cut countertops are dying of silicosis
#330> Pale dust rose around them as they worked. Many went without masks. Some had water spurting from their machines, but others had nothing to tamp down the powder rising in the air. Safety regulations need to be put in place with the cheapest being a good quality respirator.
Seriously disappointing that someone posting to HN can't be bothered to actually at least read the relevant Wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis#Regulation_in_the_US
TL;DR: it's already regulated (by OSHA). Total number of deaths annually by silicosis in the US is low (~15/year). The workers need to file an OSHA complaint if they haven't already.