Quartz Countertop Dust Exposure Led to Silicosis, Interstitial Lung Disease: Lawsuit

After 25 years in the stonecutting industry, worker developed lung injuries that are both incurable and progressive.

Stonecutters who spent a career working with artificial stone continue to file silicosis lawsuits against a myriad of California quartz countertop manufacturers, saying they never received adequate education or protection from the risks of silica dust exposure.

One of those is Julio Cesar Mejia, who brought a complaint (PDF) against 19 different defendants in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County earlier this month, indicating his diagnoses of silicosis and interstitial lung disease were the result of years of working in the industry.

Silicosis is an irreversible lung disease that is only known to be caused by routine exposure and inhalation of silica dust, which most often comes from cutting artificial stone products. Silica dust lung damage can cause lung inflammation and scarring, and eventually can develop into lung failure, and the need for lung transplant surgery.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) refers to a group of disorders that cause inflammation and scarring of lung tissue. While it has many possible causes, silica dust exposure is a well-documented risk factor, alongside conditions such as silicosis.

Mejia’s claim is one of dozens of silicosis lawsuits filed by stonecutters from California in recent months, each raising similar allegations that the workers developed silicosis while working with artificial stone products due to quartz countertop dust exposure.

According to the complaint, Mejia began working in the artificial stone industry in 2000 and has been a stonecutter for more than a quarter century, fabricating and installing artificial stone, granite and marble slab products.

However, he claims that those manufacturers neither adequately warned workers about the danger of quartz countertop dust exposure and its impact on their health, nor provided the proper personal protective equipment to manage exposure levels. This led to high levels of consistent silica dust exposure and exposure to numerous other compounds used in stone countertop fabrication.

Mejia indicates he has been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, silicosis and pulmonary fibrosis. His injuries are progressive, incurable and may require a lung transplant.

He presents claims of negligence, failure to warn, design defect, fraudulent concealment, and breach of implied warranties. Mejia seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

Silicosis Lawsuits

In recent years, silicosis among stone countertop workers has been increasingly linked to their work with quartz, also known as “artificial” or “engineered” stone, due to manufacturers’ and employers’ lack of safety provisions and warnings about the dangers of inhaling dust from these products.

Mejia’s complaint is similar to many others filed by those who have worked for decades in the quartz countertop industry, only to develop silicosis and other debilitating lung conditions that cannot be cured, leading to permanent injuries, the need for lung transplants or death.

As a result, attorneys nationwide are offering free consultations to individuals who were exposed to silica dust on the job and have since been diagnosed with silicosis.

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