Solid Surfacing

[Vulcan]

I was recently sent this link to the Daily Fail. I normally take anything this rag reports with a substantial pinch of salt but this may be of interest to anyone that works with the material.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13715027/quartz-worktops-lung-disease-risk-ban.html

 

[Distinterior]

This article is referring to Quartz type material (man made stone) and has been well publicised within the industry for quite some time now.
I believe it has been banned in Australia and the concerns have spread from there.

It does not however, refer to "Solid Surface" type material, which is a different material all together...!
A well known brand of Solid Surface material is Corian.

You may wish to change the title of the thread as it is misleading.....

 

[Sideways]

I think Australia may be leading the world towards a ban on the machining of some of these materials.
It is a problem.
Silicosis is known and nasty. It isn't a big stretch to think that some of the worktop materials may be a problem and they have been doing research into it.

 

[Vulcan]

This article is referring to Quartz type material (man made stone) and has been well publicised within the industry for quite some time now.
I believe it has been banned in Australia and the concerns have spread from there.

It does not however, refer to "Solid Surface" type material, which is a different material all together...!
A well known brand of Solid Surface material is Corian.

You may wish to change the title of the thread as it is misleading.....

By default, both are solid surfaces and both are made from a mixture of natural materials bonded with resin. So yes, both are artificial stone products. Corian is just as bad apparently. I think we can expect a ban in some places in due course. If you’re happy to breathe in the dust though, crack on.

 

[selectortone]

Corian is widely used as a substitute for bone in luthiery, in nuts, saddles, fret dots, inlays, etc. Made quite a few of those in my time from corian blanks. Not with the clouds of dust from sawing up a kitchen top though.

 

[niall Y]

This as been discussed on this forum before. No one has explained why this is a problem related solely to man-made, stone/resin worktops rather than natural stone ones. , . The rise in cases might be more to do with the dry methods we now use to work the material, as opposed to the wet methods used in the past,

 

[Distinterior]

I have used the same stone company for many years to supply, fabricate and install stone worktops for me.
Their workshop is geared up to cut & polish all their projects whilst using water.....This vastly reduces any danger to within acceptable limits, according to them.

I know there are companies out there that will turn up to a job at a customers house, with just uncut slabs and do all the fabrication & polishing there.
Apparently, the mess is unbelievable....! Personally, I would not accept having a job done like that.

I personally have been fabricating and installing Solid Surface material of different brands for more than 12 years and although there may be very distant similarities between stone & solid surface, all the solid surface is cut, sanded & polished with dust extraction connected to the relevant tool.

In my humble opinion, they are not the same material and I still believe the title of this thread is misleading in relation to the article linked by Vulcan.

 

[Sideways]

https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.a...ct-statement-prohibition-use-engineered-stone

If you work in the industry, buy or sell it, you would be advised to read the exec summary, pages 6 to 10.

It's another country and there may be detail differences, but the Australian regulatory system is professional and this is a warning to be aware of.

They found the engineered materials pose greater hazard than natural stone, explained why, and added

"The nature of the engineered stone industry has also arguably contributed to non-compliance and hence the extent of cases of silicosis in the industry. It is comprised of mostly small businesses with few barriers to entry and a lower understanding of WHS obligations. Relevantly, these PCBUs had limited awareness of the risks of engineered stone, and their duties to manage those risks, including to assess the risks and implement the necessary control measures to keep their workers safe. Workers too were often unaware of those risks and duties, and their rights and responsibilities."

Just sayin'

 

[niall Y]

Given that the main ingredient in these worktops is Alumina Trihydrate, not Silica why then is the resulting lung disease called Silicosis? I appreciate it could be a general name - though it sounds quite specific.