Benchtops and other products made of engineered stone are behind a surge in cases of deadly silicosis among Australian workers, new research has found.

Conducted by Monash University, the research identified an alarming spike in silicosis cases among workers who have worked with artificial stone (engineered or manufactured) benchtops prior to the material being banned last year.

“Following commencement of active health assessment of hundreds of stone benchtop industry workers in Victoria from 2019, the results of our study confirm the alarming scale of the silicosis outbreak,” lead researcher Dr Ryan Hoy said.

Published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, the study focused on workers in Victoria.

It examined the growth in the number of silicosis cases that is occurring throughout the state along with the relationship of these cases with the engineered stone industry.

To do this, the researchers analysed workers compensation claims for silicosis throughout the state from 1 January 1991 to 31 December 2022.

The team also looked at a clinical registry which recorded new cases of silicosis that were diagnosed by respiratory physicians from 1 May 2019 to 31 December 2022.

The researchers found that there was an overwhelming link between engineered stone work and a surge in silicosis cases.

The research found that:

• There has been a recent surge in silicosis cases. Over the eight years spanning 2015 until 2022, there was a 27-fold increase in workers compensation claims for silicosis (482 claims) compared with the previous eight-year period from 2007 until 2014 (18 claims).
• During the eight-year period spanning 1991 to 1998, the incidence rate for silicosis claims within the adult period was only 0.12 per 100,000 people. By the period spanning 2015 until 2022, this had increased to 2.38 claims per 100,000 people.
• There is a clear link between working with engineered stone and silicosis. Of 210 patients diagnosed with silicosis by respiratory physicians in Victoria between May 2019 and December 2022, 97 percent had worked in the stone benchtop industry and 95 percent worked primarily with engineered stone.
• The average age of people with silicosis is declining. During earlier time periods involved in the study, the average age of a person diagnosed with silicosis was 50. By the 2015-22 period, that age had fallen to 39.
• Screening is necessary to uncover the full extent of the problem. The study also found that most silicosis diagnosis and claims followed the commencement of a government funded screening program for benchtop industry workers.

(source: The Rapid Rise of Silicosis in Victoria, Australia Associated With Artificial Stone Countertop Industry Work, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2025)

Essentially speaking, engineered stone is a composite slab of stone that is generally made up of crushed stone which is bound together by an adhesive to create a solid surface.

From the 2000s onward, the product has become popular in terms of use in kitchen benchtops on account of its low cost, durability, ease of cleaning and resistance to scratching and staining.

However, concern has been growing that manufacture and use of the product may be leading to silicosis and other lung diseases among workers who are involved in its manufacture and installation.

This occurs as workers are exposed to dust over time as a result of cutting, grinding, trimming, drilling, sanding and polishing.

As a result, a national ban in respect of the manufacture and use of the product was implemented across Australia from 1 July last year.

Commenting on the results, Hoy said that the study further highlights the importance of the ban throughout Australia – albeit with workers remaining at risk for decades to come as a result of exposure which occurred prior to the ban.

He also calls for government funding of stone benchtop worker screening in countries where screening is not currently being performed.

“The results should be extremely concerning for other countries where engineered stone is popular but there has been no screening of workers,” Hoy said.

“These results suggest that in those regions, there are highly likely to be a very large number of undiagnosed workers.

“The ban of engineered stone is a very important step in protecting workers; however, there has been two decades of workers being exposed to highly dangerous conditions due to the use of this material. This will result in workers remaining at risk for decades to come.

“The stone benchtop industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, employing hundreds of thousands of workers internationally. Our study has demonstrated an alarmingly rapid increase in cases of silicosis caused by work with artificial stone and provides further justification for Australia’s prohibition of the material.

“Government funded screening of stone benchtop workers has been crucial in revealing the magnitude of this silicosis outbreak and should be considered in other countries where this material has become popular.”

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