The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has managed to persuade many companies, including IKEA, to abandon engineered stone worktops. To do this, they used scientific data proving that those who work with artificial stone have a significantly increased risk of “miner’s disease” – silicosis. This was reported by Speech.
When working with artificial stone, ultrafine dust enters the air. Breathing it has been linked to serious long-term diseases such as lung cancer and silicosis, as well as the damage silica causes to the lungs. This incurable disease is common among mine workers and its incidence has decreased significantly in recent years. However, now the number of cases has started to increase again, largely due to the popularity of artificial stone.
In 2022, the authors of an article in the journal The Conversation published a report showing that banning artificial stones would be the most effective measure to prevent about a thousand cases of silicosis and 100 cases of lung cancer during the lifetime of these workers.
Protests were held at Bunnings stores in Australia in early 2023, with protesters calling for an end to the sale of engineered stone products in their stores. Finally, in November, Bunnings and IKEA announced they would stop selling engineered stone in Australia.
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