Australia bans engineered stone because of silicosis risk

From the BMJ, 16 December 2023:

Australia has become the first country to ban engineered stone, a popular material for kitchen and bathroom benchtops, after documenting hundreds of cases of silicosis in workers in the industry who were exposed to dust from cutting the product.

Work health and safety ministers approved a ban on the use, supply, and manufacture of engineered stone on 13 December, which will come into effect in most Australian jurisdictions in July 2024.

Clinicians, unions, and medical organisations, including the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Cancer Council Australia, welcomed the news. Read more.