Quartz countertops are a growing health concern for workers

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The most popular countertops in the United States are a cause for concern for thousands of workers who breathe in their toxic dust.

RPWB attorneys are investigating the cases of countertop installers, stone cutters and construction workers who now suffer from deadly lung disease after being exposed to the dust produced by cutting and installing quartz countertops.

When quartz and other engineered stone countertops are cut, they produce dust with extremely high concentrations of silica. The silica is easily breathed in, where it becomes lodged in the lining of the lungs and causes the occupational lung disease pneumoconiosis or silicosis.

As quartz countertops become increasingly popular, the issue of worker safety is being called into question by medical and workplace safety experts. The concentration of silica particles found in the dust of quartz countertops is much higher than that found in coal mines or other industrial settings where lung disease is rampant.

If you are a countertop installer, stone cutter, fabricator or construction worker who breathed in the dust produced by quartz countertops and are now experiencing breathing issues, please contact us below for a free, no obligation case review.

We are a group of experienced attorneys who have successfully helped thousands of workers nationwide who were diagnosed with breathing problems stemming from the workplace. Due to the health emergency involving quartz and other engineered stone countertops, we are now accepting the cases of countertop installers, stone cutters, fabricators and construction workers who have been diagnosed with pneumoconiosis or silicosis.

Start your free quartz countertop silicosis case review

To get started with your free case review, please fill out the form below or call us 24/7 at 1-843-727-6500.

What kind of compensation is available for quartz countertop installers?

Workers exposed to the silica dust produced by quartz countertops who are diagnosed with pneumoconiosis or silicosis could qualify for three types of compensation: worker’s compensation, social security disability and money from the manufacturers of quartz and other manufactured countertop products.

Our legal team will walk you through your options. Our ultimate goal is to get you the compensation you are entitled to from the manufacturers of quartz and other artificial stone countertops. These companies should be held accountable for the health crisis they are causing in the countertop installation industry.

Who is eligible to file a quartz countertop lawsuit?

You may be eligible to file a lawsuit if you or a family member was exposed to silica dust while working as a stone fabricator and later developed lung disease. Even if you are not an American citizen, you may still be able to file a silicosis lawsuit.

Why are quartz countertops so dangerous?

Quartz countertops are made by crushing quartz and mixing it with other minerals, dyes and polymers. The mixture is poured into molds where it hardens into slabs. When the slabs are cut and polished for installation in homes and businesses, a large amount of dust is produced. Most of this dust is actually silica because that’s what quartz is made of. In fact, 93 to 95 percent of the dust produced by quartz countertops is silica versus just the 3 to 5 percent found in the dust of marble countertops and the 10 to 45 percent found in granite .

The particles of silica dust are so small that they can slip through respirators, masks and other worker safety devices. The best practice is to use a wet saw to cut quartz countertops, but that isn’t always a reality in the workplace. And even with the wet saw it is still possible for workers to be exposed to the silica dust.

Silica particles are jagged and become lodged in the lining of the lungs. Your body is not able to extract the silica and a lung disease called pneumoconiosis can occur.

What is pneumoconiosis and silicosis?

Pneumoconiosis is a group of occupational lung diseases caused by inhaling dangerous types of dust particles.

When the particles become lodged in the lining of the lungs, they cause inflammation. The body responds by building scar tissue around them. This scar tissue is thicker and more rigid than the lining of the lungs, making it more difficult for the lungs to expand and contract. The damage causes a lack of blood vessels and air sacs in the worker’s lungs. Over time, this makes it increasingly difficult for the worker to breathe.

It typically takes several years for the lung disease to progress. In some cases it can result in death.

Common examples include black lung in coal workers or asbestosis in workers exposed to asbestos.

The form is pneumoconiosis caused by breathing in silica is also called silicosis. This is the form of lung disease that we are seeing in workers who install quartz countertops.

Why you should choose our legal team?

RPWB lawyers have more than 40 years of experience helping workers with breathing problems get compensated by the manufacturers of the products that caused lung disease and cancer. We were among the first to successfully sue asbestos companies in the 1970s, and continue to represent asbestos victims to this day.

RPWB attorney Greg Lofstead and his co-counsel Timothy Bailey at Bailey, Javins & Carter have spent the last 20 years helping large groups of coal miners who developed black lung sue the manufacturers of the respirators that were supposed to have protected them.

Our collective experience combined with a powerful network of medical and occupational safety experts is put to work for the benefit our clients.

There is no upfront cost to hire our team. We work on a contingent fee, which means that you owe us nothing unless we are successful in obtaining you compensation from the manufacturers of the countertops. In the event that we are successful, we charge a percentage fee that is calculated from the total settlement amount prior to the deduction of any expenses incurred by litigating your case. We will be happy to walk you through this.

To get started with your free case review, please fill out the form below or call us 24/7 at 1-888-293-6883.

What manufacturers make quartz and other engineered stone countertops?

Manufacturers have a duty to protect the workers who use and install their products.

We are currently investigating and filing cases against the following manufacturers:

• Amazon Stones
• Antolini Luigi & C. S.P.A.
• Architectural Granite & Marble
• Architectural Surfaces Group
• Arizona Tile
• Brazilian Exotic Granite
• Bedrosians Tile & Stone
• CAB620
• Caesarstone USA
• Cambria Company
• Ceramic Matrix
• Colorquartz USA
• Compac Atlanta
• Compac Soceiedad Limitada
• Compac, The Surfaces Company
• Cosentino Group
• Costco Wholesale Company
• C&C North America
• Dal-Tile Distribution
• EIDP (E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company)
• Elite Quartz
• Elite Stone
• Francini
• Granix Stone
• H Cabinet
• Home Depot
• Ikea Home Services
• Ikea North America
• Ikea U.S. Retail
• ISC Granite Factory Direct
• Jacobe Enterprises
• KD Stone and Cabinet
• Livingstone
• Lotte Chemical California
• Lowe’s Home Centers
• Marmol Export Corporation
• Modul Marble
• Mohawk Industries
• M S International
• Pacifica Wholesale Tile & Stone
• Paragon Industries
• Pental Granite and Marble
• Rainbow Stone USA
• SMDS West Coast
• Spectrum Quartz
• Stone Systems
• Stoneville USA
• Stylenquaza
• Surface Enterprises
• Surface Warehouse
• Tosca Natural Stone
• Travassos International
• Tutto Marmo
• Vadara
• Vicostone US