LA County Board of Supervisors Proclaim June as Silicosis Awareness Month

The occupational lung disease silicosis is taking the lives of stone fabrication workers in the San Fernando Valley. Laborers who cut, grind, sand, finish or polish engineered stone slabs are at risk of inhaling crystalline silica dust, causing lung inflammation and scarring, which can lead to silicosis, a severe lung disease, that may cause difficulty breathing, a need for a lung transplant and even death.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has reported 322 cases of silicosis, 31 lung transplants and 15 deaths in the state as of May, with 180 cases (over 55%) reported in Los Angeles County. The majority of those cases are in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, where the stone fabrication industry is most prevalent.

On Tuesday, the LA County Board of Supervisors (BOS) proclaimed June as Silicosis Awareness Month, approving the motion spearheaded by Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Hilda Solis.

“We want to make sure that not only are people aware of what this what this disease is, what it does, [and] how they can get exposed to harmful conditions,” said Horvath, who represents the Northeast Valley, “but also, what they can do to protect themselves, [and] what we are doing to protect their health and invest in treatment and care.”

There is no cure for silicosis. Once in an advanced stage, the only treatment is a lung transplant – a complicated and expensive procedure, which may only extend someone’s life by an average of six years. The majority of those suffering are young Latino men in their 30s and 40s, though even workers in their 20s are receiving transplantations.

The city, county and state have taken steps to address the preventable disease through awareness campaigns, updated industry regulations and new legislation.

In 2023, the BOS approved the “Silicosis Prevention Education” motion, which invested $500,000 in intervention outreach and education through the nonprofits Pacoima Beautiful and the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA).

“We’re also working through the County’s Department of Public Health and Department of Health Services to make sure that there’s testing available,” added Horvath.

Beyond education, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has updated the standards for fabrication shops to include wet-cutting practices, better ventilation and more protective PPE, such as respirator masks.

LA City Councilmembers Imelda Padilla, Bob Blumenfield and Monica Rodriguez also co-introduced a set of motions in 2024, which created a mandatory wastewater permit for stone fabrication businesses and language specifying the risks of using silica products in Building and Safety construction permits.

However, some fear that stricter regulations and costly equipment updates may push the industry out of the region or force small operations to conduct business more secretly, leaving many already vulnerable workers without a livelihood or placing them in more dangerous workplace conditions.

“[For] some of these workers, this might be the only place where they’ve been able to get work, and we don’t want to push this work into the shadows, putting them at risk,” said Horvath. “We need to make sure that [regulations are] done in such a way where people are able to have a livelihood, but they’re not having to put their life at risk in order to earn it.”

She added that the Department of Economic Opportunity recently received a grant from the state for job training and education, which could help workers who may want to move into a different field.

At the legislative level, former Assemblywoman Luz Rivas attempted to pass Assembly Bill (AB) 3043, “The Silicosis Prevention Act,” to protect stone fabrication workers. Although the effort fell short before she was elected to Congress, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar has picked up the torch and introduced Senate Bill (SB) 20, the Silicosis Training, Outreach and Prevention (STOP) Act.

The bill, which passed in the State Senate on Tuesday (37-0), would adopt a training program for best practices in stone fabrication; develop a certification process; and create and maintain a public database and tracking system for compliant fabrication shops.

“Our momentum to STOP silicosis from becoming a full-fledged epidemic in California surges with SB 20 clearing the House of Origin hurdle, and being sent to my colleagues in the Assembly,” Menjivar said in a statement. “Even after Cal/OSHA adopted new permanent rules, cases continue to be on the rise. In fact, since I introduced the bill, over 80 new cases have been identified. That is why SB 20 is still very much needed to fill in the oversight gaps that allow shops to slip through the cracks and exploit vulnerable workers.”

Although every attempt to prevent workers from contracting silicosis is applauded by advocates and healthcare professionals, many believe these legislative efforts put the onus on small fabrication shops rather than targeting the root of the problem – engineered stone.

“I think that any amount of awareness helps, especially to the extent that then consumers might become aware of this epidemic,” said James Nevin, an attorney spearheading the artificial stone litigation at Brayton Purcell LLP.

“But a lot more needs to be done,” he continued. “What they really should be considering is a ban on artificial stone.”

Because of its durability, stain resistance and customizability, over the past decade engineered stone has taken over the market, becoming the most popular countertop material in the nation in 2021. The epidemic of silicosis plaguing stone fabricators only arose after it was introduced.

While manufacturers claim the material can be safely worked with, many studies are concluding that even updated protections will not prevent workers from contracting silicosis.

“Silica and other components of artificial stone dust, even when all [Cal/OSHA recommended] methods are used, are far above the PEL [Permissible Exposure Limit],” said Nevin. “To pretend that if we just license and train shops, somehow we won’t have this problem, is simply ignoring the science.”

Artificial stone contains substantially more crystalline silicathan other materials – over 90% as compared to around 50% in granite and 2% in natural stone. Further, the silica is pulverized and compressed in production, meaning that when cut, the dust particles are much smaller and easier to inhale than when fabricating natural stone.

While there has been pushback to banning the product in California, last year Australia became the first country to ban the sale and use of engineered stone in new construction.

“There’s this irrational fear among politicians that, if we ban artificial stone, then all these workers and companies are going to go out of business,” said Nevin. “That just doesn’t reflect the factual reality that they were fabricating before artificial stone was invented, and they’ll be fabricating after. … Australia has banned artificial stone, and the fabrication companies are still in business.”

Horvath said officials are looking into information and research regarding restricting the allowable silica percentage in engineered stone as a potential solution. Due to expensive lawsuits and Australia’s ban, many manufacturers are beginning to offer new “low silica” engineered stone. This may seem like an alternative, but the potential health risks of these new products may not be known for another decade.

“While I appreciate that people want to have beautiful things in their homes and in their businesses,” said Horvath, “we also need to protect people’s lives and safety, and we shouldn’t be putting people in harm’s way in order to achieve that.”

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