Stone Fabricator Files Lawsuit Over Lung Disease, Silicosis From Quartz Countertops

Lawsuit alleges that countertop manufacturers failed to warn of stone fabricators about silicosis risks or recommend proper protective gear.

A California stone fabricator has filed a silicosis lawsuit against dozens of companies involved in the manufacturing and sale of quartz countertips, indicating that they failed to warn that routine exposure to silica dust from years of cutting or installing the engineered stone products could cause a dangerous and potentially fatal lung condition.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Jose Luis Aguilera Zurita in the California Superior Court in San Francisco on March 3, naming a long list of companies as defendants, including Caesarstone, Home Depot and many more.

Zurita indicates that he worked as a stone fabricator for more than two decades, and developed silicosis and other forms of lung damage characterized by pulmonary nodules and fibrosis, which has caused severe injury and places him at risk of other silica-related diseases, including lung cancer, chronic kidney disease, and autoimmune disorders.

Silicosis is a rare and irreversible lung condition, which is often deadly and only known to be caused by breathing in silica dust. The disease starts with lung inflammation and scarring, but can eventually progress to lung failure.

A major source of silica dust is the fabricated stone countertop industry. Often referred to as “engineered stone,” these popular quartz countertops have been linked to a significant silicosis risk for stone fabricators, who often inhale large volumes of silica dust as they shape and cut the countertops to fit consumers’ kitchens and bathrooms.

According to the lawsuit, Zurita worked as a cutter, fabricator and installer for stone products from 2000 to 2024, indicating that he regularly drilled, polished, fabricated and installed the countertops without adequate protection from silica dust, and without being warned of the serious potential health consequences.

“From about 2000 to 2024, Plaintiff, Jose Luis Aguilera Zurita, cut, ground, drilled, edged, polished, fabricated and/or installed Defendants’ artificial stone and natural stone products to become countertops in kitchens and bathrooms,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff is informed and believes and thereon alleges that the injuries from which he suffers that are the subject of this action, were sustained in the course of his work in Northern California, cutting, fabricating, and/or installing stone products.”

Zurita presents claims of negligence, failure to warn, design defect, fraudulent concealment and breach of implied warranties.