State public health officials issued an urgent safety alert about silicosis on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The disease was diagnosed in a Hispanic man in his 40s who spent 14 years working for stone countertop fabrication and installation companies across the state.
Silicosis develops after someone breathes in crystalline silica dust, which is found in materials like granite and engineered stone.
“Massachusetts employers in industries where workers are exposed to silica dust have a responsibility to protect their workforce, including from harmful airborne dust,” said state public health commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. “No worker should have to suffer from a chronic and insidious lung disease or possibly die because of a preventable exposure at work.”…