A new report has documented a rapidly worsening epidemic of silicosis, an incurable and often fatal lung disease, among California workers who cut and fabricate quartz countertops, with case numbers more than doubling over the past 16 months as researchers warn the true national scope of the problem likely extends far beyond the state.

The report, published August 12 in the journal NEJM Evidence, identified 592 cases of silicosis among quartz countertop fabrication workers in California between January 2019 and June 2026. Of those workers, 65 have required lung transplants and 31 have died. The study was authored by researchers from the California Department of Public Health, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, and George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health.

According to the California Department of Public Health, the median age of workers diagnosed with silicosis is 46, while the median age of those who have died from the disease is 52, a notably young age range for a fatal occupational lung condition. Men account for 99% of all documented cases, and roughly half of all cases identified statewide were reported in Los Angeles County.

The pace of new diagnoses has accelerated sharply in recent years. According to reporting from Tech Times, the state's tracked case count grew from 259 cases and 15 deaths as of March 2025 to........

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