431–440 of 469 posts
For 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”
We have quartz composite worktops in Europe too. I'm pretty sure that people aren't getting silicosis from them here. You can buy them in IKEA https://www.ikea.com/no/no/p/kasker-spesialtilpasset-benkepl...
"Nearly half of the workers suffering silicosis in the UCLA and UCSF study said their workplaces were using water to control dust. Roughly a quarter said they always had respiratory protection. Fazio said studies have found that in many shops, dust is so thick in the air that respirators cannot filter out a sufficient amount. Metzger argued that the kind of sophisticated and costly measures that would be needed to re…
It seems that the US either lacks suitable health and safety legislation or fails to enforce it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The materials are a second order effect. Undoubtedly breathing granite, soapstone or whatever dust isn't good for you either. Maybe it just takes longer to kill you.
Sure, but the article focuses on "the booming popularity of countertops made of engineered stone", without specifying what that actually is. How can I avoid buying these products or reduce exposure to these more dangerous materials if I'm a worker? Is porcelain "engineered stone"? They should have ppe for any cutting, regardless, I agree.
So whether it is engineered or natural stone the problem is that stone cutting has dust that needs to be dealt with. But the emerging issue is that with the rising popularity of engineered stone, a higher percentage of countertops overall are hazardous to cut.
I have a friend in this business and his workers always wear N95 masks and his machines are sprayed with water to greatly reduce the dust particles in the air. If workers refuse to wear masks, then whose fault is this?! If employers do not provide the PPE necessary of this job, then they should be sued and put in jail! My friend was buying 3M N95 masks before COVID-19 at extremely low prices in small quantities - som…
It doesn't matter whose fault it is; it remains the employers responsibility to ensure that it does not happen, if necessary by dismissing the worker concerned.
Not long ago, we had our countertop replaced (from quartz to granite). They ended up having to make a cut in it while it was sitting in our kitchen. Our home was in a cloud of dust for several hours, and when the dust finally settled a day later, every surface imaginable was covered in dust. I’m pretty sure none of them wore masks when doing this. I honestly didn’t think to wear a mask either (since they weren’t and…
The problem is not lack of education but lack of enforcement of regulations.
For 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”
Yes, but not really. There are piles of industry around the world that deal with silica and don't have workers dying left and right. There are also piles of industries that do have workers dying left and right. The difference is not in the danger of the materials. The difference is supplying safety equipment and having a culture that demands the use of it. Regulations work.
When enforced.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Driving a studio apartment three miles to get a coffee is lunacy It sure is. I have a cheap drip coffee maker that I drink from all day, at a cost of a few cents a cup. Dirt cheap.
A few cents a cup?! Where do you buy your coffee? I buy coffee at about 12 bucks a pound. A pound makes about ten carafes of 4 cups (tbh, I use the term cup loosely, because a mug for me is more like 1.5 to 2 actual measuring cups) each. I get to more like 30 to 40 cents a cup. It seems like there might be potential for major cost savings.
Even if the factory is operated safely these countertops often require adjustment on-site to fit properly… typically done dry with an angle grinder or similar.
Even if the factory is operated safely these countertops often require adjustment on-site to fit properly… typically done dry with an angle grinder or similar.
Why does it need adjustment? In Norway you buy it from, amongst others, IKEA cut to exactly the dimensions you specify.