08/26/2026
31 workers dead. Nearly 600 diagnosed. And this disease is preventable.
California’s countertop fabrication industry is facing a devastating silicosis crisis. Since 2019, 592 workers have been diagnosed with silicosis and 31 have died, according to the California Department of Public Health. Sixty-five workers have required lung transplants.
These aren't just statistics. They are workers who went to work cutting and fabricating engineered stone and paid for it with their health and, for too many, their lives.
Silicosis is incurable, but exposure to the silica dust that causes it can be prevented. Workers deserve safe workplaces and, when their health is damaged because of their jobs, they deserve to be compensated.
At GEKLAW, we stand with injured workers and their families. If you have been hurt on or from your job, call (213) 739-7000 for a free consultation.
Latino men who cut artificial stone countertops in California are falling ill from an incurable and deadly lung disease at an alarming rate, a new study finds.