For much of the twentieth century, silicosis was primarily associated with mining, foundries, sandblasting, and other heavy industrial activities. Improved workplace controls and exposure limits were widely believed to have reduced the disease substantially in many developed countries. However, the rapid growth of the engineered stone industry unexpectedly coincided with the emergence of a new and unusually aggressive form of silicosis.
Beginning in the early 2000s, physicians in several countries started identifying young countertop fabrication workers with severe lung disease. Unlike traditional silicosis, which often develops after decades of exposure, many of these workers developed serious disease after much shorter working careers. Some progressed rapidly to advanced lung scarring known as progressive massive fibrosis, a severe and potentially fatal condition that can continue to worsen even after exposure has ended.
As researchers investigated these cases, similar patterns emerged across multiple continents. Reports from Israel, Spain, Australia, North America, and other regions consistently described workers exposed to engineered stone developing accelerated forms of silicosis at unexpectedly high rates. The similarities between these outbreaks suggested that the problem was not confined to a single workplace or country but was instead related to the material itself.
