PUBH X406 - The Growing Silicosis Outbreak Among Engineered Stone Fabricators
Description
Engineered stone, or quartz, countertops are marketed to consumers as durable, scratch-resistant surfaces that are less likely to stain and require no seal or reseal. Unlike natural stone, engineered stone provides consistency and uniformity, and the non-porous design makes it less prone to bacterial growth. However, there is growing documentation of outbreaks of silicosis cases and other work-related conditions among employees involved with the manufacturing and fabricating of engineered stone countertops in Spain, the US, Israel, China, and Australia, with Australia proposing a ban on these countertops. This session will first examine the respirable crystalline silica exposures in stone fabricating shops and the hazards associated with the work, then describe the challenges of communicating the risks of this work, followed by a presentation on the current outbreak of silicosis patients in California and how this may represent a much broader potential of undiagnosed cases, and finally end with what policy actions must be taken now to protect the lives of stone fabricators.
Objectives
Following this education session, learners will be able to:
- Recognize how exposure to engineered stone may increase the risk for health effects and the development of silicosis among fabricators.
- Describe the scope of crisis on an international scale by reviewing the outbreaks in different countries.
- Describe the challenges with reducing exposure to respirable crystalline silica in stone fabricating shops when engineered stone or quartz countertops are being processed.
Continuing Education Units
Please note that these trainings may offer different types of continuing education credits. This Learner Portal may not calculate the correct number of continuing education credits. Please refer to the Continuing Education Credits section of your course site after registration for the correct information.
Participants are eligible to receive up to 0.1 CEU or 1.0 (60 minute) contact hour; 1 CPH recertification credit.
Contact & Questions
For questions regarding course registration, materials, and content, please email cpheo@umn.edu.
For questions regarding system access, log-in, user name, or password, please email help@umn.edu or call 612-301-4357.