Silicosis report calls for world-first ban on engineered stone

For several recent months, I was working with ipe wood, completely ignorant of its silica (and other irritant) content. I was warned by a bowyer to be very careful with the dust approximately when I began experiencing chest discomfort. Ipe isn't the only wood with a high silica content, but I now take ventilation and minimum of an n95 mask very seriously. My work was casual, so hopefully was significant exposure.

The effects of silicosis can take many years to show, and I don't think any treatment exists beyond the palliative.

It's a problem, with a surprising number of products, that most are unaware of.

"Breathing in mineral dust is bad new" was pretty-common knowledge several centuries ago. So I'd bet that there are a h*ll of lot of other systematic workplace safety failures in Australia.

Amusing idea: Medical, disability, and death benefits for the affected workers are paid with the revenues from a new tax, levied on properties where engineered stone was installed. Thus giving property owners some reason to be wary of $TrendyNewThing, especially when it's being pushed by an industry with a dodgy worker safety record.

Everything is dangerous.

Especially those people who take "everything is dangerous" to mean "we should ban everything".