Cases of silicosis among Victorian workers involved in the fabrication and installation of artificial stone benchtops have spiked, as Australia became the first country to ban the material in January 2025.

“The results should be extremely concerning for other countries where engineered stone is popular but there has been no screening of workers. These results suggest that in those regions, there are highly likely to be a very large number of undiagnosed workers,” Dr. Hoy said.

"The stone benchtop industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, employing hundreds of thousands of workers internationally. Our study has demonstrated an alarmingly rapid increase in cases of silicosis caused by work with artificial stone and provides further justification for Australia’s prohibition of the material.

“Government-funded screening of stone benchtop workers has been crucial in revealing the magnitude of this silicosis outbreak and should be considered in other countries where this material has become popular.”