Wednesday 23 November 2022 03:05 AM CFMEU to ban engineered stone benchtops that cause silicosis disease trends now
The Australian construction union is instructing workers to down tools if engineered stone benchtops used in kitchens are not banned by the federal government.
The stone benches, when cut or polished, send out a particularly potent type of dust that contains tiny silica crystals that can be inhaled.
The benches have caused more than 600 workers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland to be diagnosed with the potentially deadly silicosis, a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of the silica dust.
The worrying spike in silicosis led to the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) on Wednesday to demand the federal government ban imports of engineered stone by July 2024.
Joshua Suwa can't work as a stonemason due to a silicosis diagnosis. (pictured: Mr Suwa uses a timber fence to stabilize an engineered stone shelf he is cutting, without wearing a mask)
Silica dust from engineered stone has been singled out as a major culprit in lung disease diagnoses, especially silicosis
Mr Suwa is desperate to stick around as long as possible to see the two boys he and partner Erin have grow up (Pictured, Mr Suwa and his partner Erin and their boys)
If the government doesn't enforce the ban, the union will implement its own restrictions by instructing workers to take industrial action instead of using the stone product.
'The time for talk is over and the time for action is now,' secretary Zac Smith told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
'This is the asbestos of the 2000s.'
Victoria and Queensland have already banned dry-cutting engineered stone, while the ACT and NSW are considering following suit.
At the federal level, the former coalition government last year received a report recommending the import of some or all engineered stone products should be outlawed from July 2024 but no ban has yet been actioned.
Australian mother-of-two Joanna McNeill, 34, was diagnosed with silicosis after working in an administration job near a quarry
Mother-of-two Joanna McNeill, 34, worked in administration at a quarry and was diagnosed with silicosis when she went for a routine health assessment last year after returning to work from maternity leave.
Mrs McNeill could feel dust from the quarry covering her face and hair when she left her office building to go home each day.
But she had no idea the tiny particles were slowly scarring her lungs and would one day leave her struggling to breathe.
The disease typically affects tradies who work on cutting and installing benchtops that use the stone.
Daily Mail Australia previously spoke with two men, who should be in the prime of their lives, but are each sick after falling ill
