Workers who install artificial stone benchtops are at a higher risk of developing asthma, new research shows.
One in five workers, up to 20 per cent, reported having asthma, twice the rate expected of people in the general population at a similar age, a Monash University study found.
Artificial stone benchtops previously contained crystalline silica, which could cause silicosis, a severe and sometimes incurable lung disease; Australia became the first country to ban silica within engineered stone.
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However, the study highlights how asthma is present in workers even if they don’t have silicosis, and also warns workers could be at risk of other respiratory conditions
“Workers with higher dust exposure, even those without silicosis, were more likely to report asthma symptoms and show signs of airflow obstruction on their lung function tests,” Dr Dee Tomic from Monash University told 9news.com.au.
Tomic said there was a drastic difference in workers’ symptoms when they were on the job and when they were away from work.
“Over half the workers with symptoms like wheeze or shortness of breath said they improved on weekends or holidays,” she said.
“That’s a classic sign of work-related asthma, and it often goes unrecognised.”
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Tomic believes it is a sign more action still needs to be taken to protect workers.
“Asthma can become chronic or irreversible if not caught early,” she said.
“While silicosis is now being addressed through the ban, the other potentially harmful components, like the resins, are still in use, including in new alternative benchtop products now entering the market.
“We urgently need independent safety testing for those new products before they become widespread, and clinicians need to routinely ask about occupational exposures when diagnosing adult-onset asthma.”
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