Caesarstone Faces Lawsuit Filed By Quartz Countertop Cutter Diagnosed With Silicosis

A California countertop cutter has filed a lawsuit against Caesarstone, indicating that he developed silicosis and other respiratory ailments after years of inhaling silica dust while fabricating and installing the kitchen and bathroom products, due to the manufacturer’s failure to warn about the potential health risks.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Leonel H. Zamora Madrid in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County on November 20, indicating that he was diagnosed with silicosis, pulmonary fibrosis and permanent lung damage after fabricating, cutting, and polishing engineered stone products in residences across Los Angeles County from 2002 until 2021.

The lawsuit names Caesarstone USA Inc. and Color Marble Inc. as defendants, indicating that Madrid’s injuries were a direct result of exposure to toxic dust from fabricated stone countertops products sold by the two companies.

Also referred to as “engineered stone,” quartz countertops can release huge amounts of silica dust into the air as they are cut and installed, which can pose a significant health hazard for workers like Madrid.

When inhaled, this dust can result in silicosis, an irreversible and often deadly respiratory condition that begins with lung inflammation and scarring, before progressing to lung failure. Some research has also linked silica inhalation to lung cancer.

As a result of the manufacturers’ failure to warn stone countertop cutters and installers about the risks associated with these products, as well as steps that should be taken to reduce exposure to silica dust and aluminum trihydrate in the products, Madrid joins a growing number of workers now pursuing financial compensation through a silicosis lawsuit.

“The stone industry has known of the fibrogenic hazards of stone for millennia, and such hazards have been sentient to modern stone industry since at least the early 20th century,” Madrid states in the complaint. “The industrial workplace that emerged with the turn of the century exacerbated workers’ exposure to stone dust through the introduction of high-speed drills and power tools that replaced hand instruments like chisels.”

The lawsuit indicates Caesarstone, Color Marble and other manufacturers each had information in their possession since at least 2014, which clearly indicated that countertop cutters working in close proximity to their products faced a particularly serious risk. However, they did not label their fabricated stone products with information about the health or safety hazards, and actively suppressed information about the risk that countertop cutters may be diagnosed with silicosis, according to allegations in the complaint.

Madrid indicates that at various times throughout his career he was exposed to silica dust from Caesarstone quartz surfaces and Colorquartz surfaces sold by Color Marble, including marble slabs, granite slabs, quartz slabs and travertine slabs.

“The toxins that entered Leonel H. Zamora Madrid’s body were each substantial factors in bringing about, prolonging, or aggravating the specific illnesses from which Leonel H. Zamora Madrid suffers, including silicosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung damage,” the lawsuit states.

Madrid presents claims of strict liability, negligence, misrepresentation, intentional tort, intentional failure to warn, concealment, and a claim of loss of consortium brought by his wife, Maria.