How Many Fabrication Workers Will Die From Engineered Stone?

On December 13, 2023, the Australian government banned engineered stone, also known as artificial or quartz.  They did so based on medical studies projecting that even when using respiratory protections, over 100,000 Australian engineered stone workers would die from silicosis and another 10,000 would die from lung cancer.  Studies showed that between ¼ and ½ of workers would get severe fatal silicosis and another 40% would get chronic silicosis.  The market share of engineered stone in the U.S., and the number of workers in industry, far exceeds that of Australia.  Absent a ban in the U.S., the deaths in the U.S. will be unfathomable.