Young Australian tradies and workers are facing a health crisis as new findings reveal the extent of the public health threat silicosis poses to lungs. 7NEWS
“I used to cut kitchen benchtops. People liked engineered stone because it was cheaper, but the dust got into my lungs, causing incurable, deadly silicosis.”“That’s too high a price for anyone to pay. Nothing will save my life,” he said.Goodwin is now working with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and calling upon the government to ban the importation and manufacture of engineered stone in the hope that it will save other workers’ lives.
Unions launched a “Stop this Killer Stone” campaign on Monday, urging regulatory bodies to take immediate action to stop rising cases of silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust. File image.“Silica dust particles are 100 times smaller than a grain of sand so can travel deep into the lung to cause damage.
“Silicosis is a preventable disease, but is currently incurable, can lead to other diseases including lung cancer, and can be fatal. There is no evidence that engineered stone can be used safely — the only way to protect workers in stonecutting industries is to ban the use of this high-risk product,” Bourke said.Joanna McNeill, 37, was diagnosed with silicosis after unknowingly inhaling silica dust while working in administration 90m away from a quarry for four years.
“If we do not act, we will have 100,000 cases of silicosis more than 11,000 cancers in this country,” ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien said. “We need union officials to be able to walk into a tunnelling site at any time to test if dust levels are unsafe.
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