Is There a Quartz Countertop Silicosis Lawsuit?

Yes. Silicosis lawsuits are being pursued by stone fabrication workers who developed serious and irreversible lung disease after inhaling crystalline silica dust released while cutting, grinding, drilling, edging or polishing engineered quartz and other stone countertops.

Engineered stone can create dangerous levels of silica dust during routine fabrication tasks due to the high concentration of crystalline silica in the material. NIOSH indicates that engineered stone may contain more than 90% crystalline silica, and cutting or finishing the products can release microscopic particles that travel deep into the lungs and cause permanent scarring.

Lawsuits allege that engineered stone manufacturers and suppliers failed to adequately warn workers about the risk of silicosis, sold products that were unreasonably dangerous when fabricated as intended, and failed to provide sufficient instructions for controlling silica dust exposure.

2026 Silicosis Lawsuit Status

Mounting research has linked silica dust released during engineered stone fabrication to silicosis, progressive massive fibrosis, lung transplantation and other severe respiratory injuries.

Silicosis lawsuits are now being pursued nationwide by workers who spent years cutting, grinding and polishing quartz countertops, alleging that engineered stone manufacturers, distributors and suppliers failed to adequately warn about the dangers of inhaling silica dust released during routine countertop fabrication.

As of September 2026, Saiontz & Kirk is pursuing silicosis lawsuits nationwide for countertop fabricators and other qualifying workers who developed serious lung injuries after exposure to engineered quartz and stone products.

Which Quartz and Engineered Stone Products Are Involved?

Silicosis lawsuits involve a wide range of engineered stone, artificial stone and quartz countertop products that contain crystalline silica.

Engineered stone is manufactured by combining crushed quartz or other stone materials with resins, pigments and other ingredients to create hardened slabs used for kitchen and bathroom countertops. These products may also be marketed as artificial stone, manufactured stone, reconstituted stone or quartz surfaces.

Before installation, the slabs typically must be cut and shaped to fit the dimensions and design of a particular countertop. Fabrication may involve cutting slabs to length, creating openings for sinks and cooktops, drilling holes for faucets and fixtures, grinding or rounding edges, joining sections and polishing exposed surfaces.

Those tasks can release extremely small airborne particles known as respirable crystalline silica dust, which can travel deep into the lungs when inhaled. The potential exposure can be particularly significant with engineered quartz products because they may contain substantially more crystalline silica than common natural countertop materials such as marble.

As a result, workers may repeatedly generate silica dust while performing the same cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing work required to prepare these countertops for installation. Products and brands identified in silicosis lawsuits and investigations have included:

• Caesarstone quartz surfaces
• Silestone by Cosentino
• Cambria quartz surfaces
• MSI quartz products
• ColorQuartz
• ONE Quartz by Dal-Tile
• HanStone Quartz
• Viatera
• PentalQuartz
• Vadara
• Vicostone
• Diresco
• Wilsonart Quartz
• Verona Quartz
• Other branded and unbranded engineered stone or quartz slabs

Workers do not necessarily need to remember the name of every engineered stone product they handled. Many countertop fabricators worked with different brands and suppliers over years or decades. Silica dust exposure lawyers can help investigate employment records, suppliers and other evidence to determine which products were involved.

Who Is Most at Risk From Inhaling Silica Dust?

Countertop fabrication workers face some of the greatest risks from respirable crystalline silica because their jobs may involve repeatedly cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing high-silica stone throughout the workday.

However, silica exposure is not limited to workers directly operating saws, grinders or polishing equipment. OSHA has warned that hazardous levels of airborne silica dust may affect employees throughout engineered stone fabrication facilities, including workers involved in production, inspection, maintenance and housekeeping.

This means workers may face substantial silica exposure not only from performing fabrication tasks themselves, but also from spending extended periods near active cutting and polishing operations or handling dust that settles on equipment, floors and other work surfaces. Workers commonly exposed to silica dust include:

• Countertop Fabricators: Cut, shape, edge and finish large engineered stone or quartz slabs before installation.
• Stone Cutters: Use saws and other cutting tools to size countertop slabs and create openings.
• Saw Operators: Operate bridge saws, handheld saws and other powered equipment that can generate large amounts of stone dust.
• Stone Grinders: Grind edges, seams and surfaces to shape countertops and prepare them for installation.
• Stone Polishers: Polish finished surfaces and edges, which can disturb silica-containing material and create fine airborne dust.
• Countertop Finishers: Perform detailed shaping, smoothing and finishing work after the main cutting process.
• Countertop Installers: Trim, grind, drill or otherwise modify stone countertops at homes and commercial jobsites.
• Shop Helpers: Assist with fabrication, move slabs, clean work areas and spend extended periods near active cutting and polishing operations.
• Drill Operators: Drill openings for sinks, faucets, fixtures and other countertop components.
• Fabrication Shop Cleaners: Sweep, blow or remove accumulated stone dust from floors, equipment and work surfaces.
• Nearby Fabrication Workers: May inhale airborne silica dust even when they are not personally operating the cutting, grinding or polishing equipment.

How Does Silica Dust Cause Silicosis?

A medical review published in Frontiers in Immunology indicates that silicosis may develop through a cycle of particle deposition, immune-cell injury, chronic inflammation and fibrosis after respirable crystalline silica reaches deep into the lungs.

Once inhaled, the damage can develop through the following process:

• Silica Dust Reaches the Alveoli: Respirable silica particles can travel into the tiny air sacs responsible for transferring oxygen into the bloodstream.
• Immune Cells Attack the Particles: Macrophages attempt to engulf and remove the silica, but crystalline silica can damage or kill these cells and trigger a continuing inflammatory response.
• Inflammation Activates Scar-Tissue Formation: The inflammatory response can stimulate fibroblasts and collagen production, contributing to fibrosis in the lungs.
• Fibrosis Builds Up: Repeated inflammation can cause scar tissue and fibrotic nodules to accumulate, making lung tissue stiffer and less effective.
• Breathing Becomes More Difficult: As scarring progresses, the lungs become less able to expand and transfer oxygen efficiently.
• Severe Disease May Progress to PMF: In advanced cases, areas of fibrosis can merge into larger masses, resulting in progressive massive fibrosis and substantial loss of lung function.

NIOSH warns that silicosis is an irreversible lung disease, and the damage may continue to progress even after silica exposure ends.

Types of Silicosis

Silicosis can develop at different speeds depending on the intensity and duration of a worker’s exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

• Chronic Silicosis: Usually develops after lower-level exposure over many years, with symptoms often appearing gradually as lung scarring progresses.
• Accelerated Silicosis: Can develop after a shorter period of exposure to much higher silica levels and has become a particular concern among engineered stone workers.
• Acute Silicosis: May occur after extremely intense exposure over a relatively short period, causing rapid inflammation, fluid buildup and severe breathing problems.
• Complicated Silicosis / Progressive Massive Fibrosis: An advanced form of the disease in which areas of scar tissue enlarge and merge into larger fibrotic masses, severely reducing lung function.

Silicosis Symptoms Among Quartz Countertop Workers

Silicosis may initially develop without obvious symptoms, meaning lung damage may already be present before a worker realizes something is wrong. Symptoms of silicosis caused by inhaling silica dust may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Persistent coughing
• Chest pain or tightness
• Fatigue
• Reduced ability to exercise or perform physical work
• Low blood oxygen levels
• Unexplained weight loss
• Increasing dependence on supplemental oxygen

A silicosis diagnosis may involve chest imaging, pulmonary function testing, occupational history and other medical evaluations used to determine whether lung abnormalities are consistent with silica exposure. Doctors may also evaluate related complications, including kidney disease, when assessing the full impact of exposure.

Workers who have spent years fabricating engineered stone should make sure their doctors understand their occupational history if unexplained respiratory problems develop.

Can Silicosis Be Cured?

Silicosis is an incurable lung disease. There is currently no treatment that can reverse the lung scarring caused by silicosis. Treatment generally focuses on managing symptoms, reducing complications and preventing further exposure.

Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment may involve:

• Supplemental oxygen
• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Medications to manage respiratory symptoms
• Treatment for infections
• Ongoing pulmonary function monitoring
• Lung transplant evaluation or, in the most advanced cases, a double lung transplant

Advanced cases may eventually require a lung transplant.

The irreversible nature of the disease is one reason the potential value of individual silicosis lawsuits may be substantial, particularly for younger workers who face permanent disability, lost earning capacity and decades of future medical care.

Silicosis and Lung Cancer Risk

Toxic exposure cases leading to silicosis may also increase the risk of an individual developing lung cancer, in addition to other serious respiratory diseases.

OSHA warns that exposure to respirable crystalline silica increases the risk of lung cancer, while the National Cancer Institute indicates that occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica has been associated with elevated rates of lung cancer among exposed workers.

The connection is particularly important for countertop fabricators because cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing engineered quartz can generate the same respirable silica particles associated with both silicosis and cancer. NIOSH specifically warns engineered stone workers that occupational crystalline silica exposure may increase the risk of lung cancer, in addition to causing silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other serious illnesses.

Research has also suggested that workers who actually develop silicosis may face an even greater cancer risk. NIOSH researchers evaluating the relationship between silica exposure, silicosis and lung cancer reported that cancer risks were 22% higher among silica-exposed workers who had silicosis in one large occupational study.

As a result, quartz countertop workers with a history of substantial silica exposure may face risks that extend beyond progressive lung scarring. A diagnosis of lung cancer following years of engineered stone fabrication may also warrant investigation to determine whether occupational silica exposure contributed to the disease.

Engineered Stone Silicosis Has Become a Major Worker Safety Concern

Engineered stone fabrication has drawn increasing attention because workers may be exposed to high levels of respirable crystalline silica while cutting, grinding and polishing countertop slabs.

In September 2023, OSHA launched a nationwide enforcement initiative targeting engineered stone fabrication and installation businesses after identifying severe silicosis and deaths among exposed workers.

• California Engineered Stone Silicosis Study: A 2023 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine identified 52 California engineered stone workers with silicosis. Of those, 20 developed progressive massive fibrosis, 11 were referred for lung transplantation and 10 died.
• Queensland Worker Screening Program: A Queensland engineered stone screening program identified silicosis in 240 workers, or about 22.7% of those screened, including 36 cases of progressive massive fibrosis.
• Victoria Stone Worker Screening Study: In a Victoria stone benchtop worker study, researchers screened 544 workers and referred 414 for more detailed testing. 117 of those workers, or 28.2%, were diagnosed with silicosis, with a median diagnosis age of about 42 years.
• California Considering Restrictions on High-Silica Engineered Stone: In May 2026, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted to begin considering a prohibition on fabrication and installation of artificial stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica.
• Australia Banned Engineered Stone: Beginning July 1, 2024, Safe Work Australia prohibited the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of most engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1% crystalline silica.

Artificial Stone Lawsuit Allegations

The core product liability theory is that stone countertop manufacturers and other companies in the engineered stone fabrication industry placed high-silica products into commerce knowing that workers would have to cut, grind, drill and polish the slabs before they could be installed as countertops.

Plaintiffs maintain that manufacturers and engineered stone industry knew or should have known that artificial stone fabrication presented a serious risk of silicosis, but failed to provide adequate respiratory protection and instructions to protect workers.

Depending on the company and circumstances, lawsuits may raise claims involving:

• Failure to warn: Alleging that stone manufacturers and suppliers failed to adequately disclose the risk of silicosis and permanent lung damage.
• Design defects: Alleging that engineered stone products contained unnecessarily high levels of crystalline silica and were unreasonably dangerous when fabricated as intended.
• Negligence: Alleging that companies failed to exercise reasonable care in designing, testing, manufacturing, marketing or selling engineered stone products.
• Fraudulent concealment: Alleging that companies concealed or minimized information concerning silica hazards associated with their products.
• Breach of warranty: Alleging that stone products were sold as suitable for their intended purpose despite health risks associated with foreseeable fabrication.

The complaints also allege that manufacturers knew stone slabs could not be transformed into finished countertops without processes that disturb the material and generate dust.

How Much Is a Silicosis Lawsuit Settlement Worth?

The value of a silicosis lawsuit will depend on the severity of the worker’s disease, the impact on their ability to work and the extent of future medical care that may be required.

Compensation may account for:

• Medical bills and future respiratory treatment
• Supplemental oxygen
• Lung transplant costs
• Lost wages
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Permanent disability
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Progressive massive fibrosis or other advanced disease
• Wrongful death damages, when applicable

Cases involving severe lung impairment, progressive massive fibrosis, lung transplantation or permanent inability to work may involve substantially greater damages because of the lifelong medical and financial consequences.

Wrongful Death Silicosis Lawsuits

Families may also be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit when a stone worker dies from silicosis or related complications.

A wrongful death claim may seek compensation for funeral expenses, lost financial support and other losses permitted under applicable state law. Filing deadlines vary by state, so families should speak with an attorney promptly.

Is There a Deadline to File a Silicosis Lawsuit?

Yes. Every state imposes time limits on personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

Determining when the deadline begins can be complicated in silicosis cases because the disease may develop gradually and may not be diagnosed until years after the worker’s silica exposure began. The applicable deadline may depend on:

• The state where the exposure occurred
• When silicosis was diagnosed
• When the worker knew or reasonably should have known the disease was related to occupational safety risks
• Whether the claim involves personal injury or wrongful death
• Other state-specific statute of limitations rules

Anyone diagnosed with silicosis following engineered stone exposure should speak with an attorney as soon as possible rather than assuming there is still time to pursue a claim.

Are There Any Costs to Hire a Silicosis Lawyer?

There are absolutely no out-of-pocket costs to review your case or hire our attorneys. Potential claims are evaluated for individuals throughout the United States, and all cases are handled on a contingency fee basis.

Through the use of contingency attorney fees, individuals have access to the experience and resources of our national law firm for their silicosis lawsuit — regardless of their individual financial resources.

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Silicosis Lawsuit FAQs

Can I File a Lawsuit if I Worked With Quartz Countertops?

You may be able to file a silicosis lawsuit if you regularly cut, ground, drilled, polished or otherwise fabricated engineered quartz countertops and were later diagnosed with silicosis, or other severe lung damage. Eligibility will depend on your exposure history, diagnosis, the products involved and where the exposure occurred.

Is Engineered Quartz the Same as Engineered Stone?

Engineered quartz is one of the most common types of engineered stone used for countertops. It is generally manufactured from crushed quartz or stone combined with resins and pigments to form slabs, which may contain very high concentrations of crystalline silica.

Do I Need to Know the Brand of Quartz I Worked With?

Not necessarily. Many countertop fabricators handled numerous brands over the course of their employment and may not remember every product. Attorneys can evaluate work history, suppliers and other available evidence to identify manufacturers that may have supplied the stone.

Can Wet Cutting Prevent Silica Dust Exposure?

Wet cutting can substantially reduce the amount of airborne silica dust produced during stone fabrication, but it does not mean harmful exposure could not have occurred. OSHA and NIOSH recommend multiple engineering controls and work practices to protect countertop workers from respirable crystalline silica.

Is Silicosis Permanent?

Yes. NIOSH describes silicosis as an irreversible occupational lung disease. Treatment may help manage symptoms and complications, but existing lung scarring cannot currently be reversed.

What Is Progressive Massive Fibrosis?

Progressive massive fibrosis is an advanced form of complicated silicosis in which areas of lung scarring become extensive and severely interfere with breathing. Some individuals with PMF may eventually require supplemental oxygen or a lung transplant.

Can the Family of a Worker Who Died From Silicosis File a Lawsuit?

Qualifying family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim when occupational silica exposure contributed to a worker’s death. The individuals who may file and the applicable deadlines vary by state.

How Do I Start a Silicosis Lawsuit?

The first step is to speak with a lawyer who can review your diagnosis, work history and engineered stone exposure. Saiontz & Kirk offers free consultations for individuals and families nationwide who are investigating whether they may have a quartz countertop silicosis claim.

Start A Silicosis Lawsuit Case Review Today

If you or a loved one developed silicosis after working with quartz countertops, engineered stone or other qualifying stone products, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

Saiontz & Kirk is investigating claims for stone fabricators, countertop workers and other individuals who suffered serious lung damage following occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

There are no upfront costs and no legal fees unless compensation is recovered.

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