Kitchen firm petitions for quartz worktop ban

Final month we reported how Canterbury-essentially based Herringbone had change into the principle UK kitchen firm to withdraw excessive-silica quartz from its product offering in the wake of increasing health concerns.

Slicing and grinding engineered stone cherish quartz produces mud that can well space off lung disease. Australia is banning the sale of excessive-silica engineered stone because of health concerns.

The USA is furthermore debating the topic after a fable from the College of California closing year,Lethal Dust: Engineered Stone Is Making California Workers Illdescribed the state because the epicentre of silicosis.

Having determined to end selling quartz worktopsHerringbone householders Elly Simmons and William Durrant secure continued their analysis into the dangers by assembly stonemasons and talking to doctors Jane Fazio and Carl Reynolds about their analysis into lung disease, silicosis and remedy of silicosis sufferers. The doctors focus on of a “global outbreak” of engineered stone silicosis.

Alive to to be phase of the answer in location of phase of the be troubled, Simmons and Durrant secure now space up a petition to  get the UK parliament to impose a ban on these merchandise. The petition is dwell unless 24^th September 2024.

Silica is obviously going on in stone similar to granite, porcelain and marble at between 5% and 40%. Nonetheless, in engineered quartz it can well presumably be as excessive as 97%.

High-silica quartz is one amongst the dominant merchandise in the UK market for kitchen worktops. There ought to now not any dangers to residents once the product is assign in; the risk comes when it is produced and decrease by stonemasons or decrease on-living where mud is created.

William Durrant, co-owner of Herringbone stated “We are ecstatic to secure began a dialog in our industry and ought to thank every person for his or her pork as a lot as this level. We are mindful that guidelines are in location, on the other hand we perceive no location for excessive-silica engineered quartz when so many varied picks can be found in. By taking the petition to parliament we hope that we are able to get additional influence and abet get all stonemasons, fitters and of us uncovered to excessive-silica mud particles right.”

Dr Carl Reynolds, marketing consultant in respiratory and acute medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Belief, added: “Silicosis is a devastating, incurable, and fully preventable disease. It kills and causes extreme incapacity in of us of working age. The global synthetic stone silicosis outbreak is a tragedy. I will be capable to perceive no justification for synthetic excessive-silica stone utilize in the UK and fully pork up a ban.”

Nonetheless, as we secure furthermore previously reportedthe British Occupational Hygiene Society says that there may possibly be now not any reason in the assist of Britain to apply Australia’s lead in banning engineered stone worktops. It says that the risk of silicosis from working with quartz and different engineered stones can be managed out.

Lord Younger, a junior minister in the Division for Work & Pensions, urged parliament in January that a UK ban used to be no longer being thought to be. He stated: “The HSE is just not any longer for the time being eager about restricting the usage of engineered stone. The Regulate of Substances Perilous to Health Regulations already require employers to assign in location measures to end workers being uncovered to respirable crystalline silica. This entails ample controls ensuring compliance with the placement of job exposure limit and health surveillance identifying doable sick health. HSE retains requirements for reporting occupational illnesses below evaluate and is just not any longer for the time being making silicosis reportable.”

Herringbone’s petition, Ban High-Silica Engineered Stone Worktops, is at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/658335

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