Maple + Marble logo featuring a stylized "M" with gold and white marble textures on the left, and the words "MAPLE + MARBLE CABINETS + INTERIORS" in white on the right.
Contact

Are my countertops safe?

A modern kitchen countertop with a black, white, and gray swirl marble pattern. It features a stainless steel sink, a tall faucet, a clear soap dispenser, and a dishwasher partially visible on the right.

Due to recent headlines a lot of our clients are asking about the safety of countertops and countertop materials.  We want to help shed some light on the confusion that has been caused by some of the media coverage around Silicosis, Silica, and quartz countertops.

A close-up of a person using a handheld electric tile cutter to cut a large stone slab, with one hand guiding the tool and the other steadying the slab.

Let’s begin with Silica, this is an organic mineral found in stone, rock, sand, gravel, clay and other materials. It’s also found in manmade materials such as concrete, bricks, pottery, tile, glass, and more. All stone countertops have silica in them, the amount varies based on the different mineral makeup of each stone. However, the stone with the most silica is contained in natural quartz. Quartz countertops are made by taking crushed quartz and adding resins and pigments, because quartz countertops generally contain anywhere from 89%-98% quartz material, they have the highest concentration of Silica.

Next let’s talk about Silicosis, it’s such a scary word, isn’t it? Silicosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica.

Are you at risk? Once your countertops are installed, unless you decide to try to cut them for some reason, you have no risk of breathing in silica. The risk of being exposed to silica is when the stone is being fabricated; as the fabricator penetrates the material it can cause silica containing dust to go into the air which, without proper ventilation and personal protective equipment (PPE), can be drawn into the lungs. Generally, fabricators are not cutting stone in your home, in some cases they may need to drill a faucet hole or buff an edge down and, in that case, they have safety measures in place to prevent the dust from going into the air or being breathed in by themselves or the homeowner.

Organizations such as OSHA and Labor and Industries have established best practices and safety standards for businesses with employees who fabricate materials containing silica. Your responsibility as a homeowner purchasing countertop materials is to choose a fabricator who follows those safety measures, who has the proper ventilation, PPE and equipment to safely fabricate your new stone without risking their employees. Unfortunately, as with any industry, there are some that break the rules and risk the health and safety of their employees and customers, its our jobs as consumers to do our due diligence when hiring a company or purchasing a product.

In conclusion, as an end consumer of stone countertops, as long as the person fabricating uses proper safety measures you are not at risk of inhaling silica. However, ensure you’re doing your part to support businesses that have established fabrication methods that meet or exceed the minimum safety requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Silicosis?

According to the American Lung Association, Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica, a common mineral found in sand, quartz and many other types of rock. Silicosis mainly affects workers exposed to silica dust in jobs such as construction or mining.1 Silicosis is progressively disabling and sometimes fatal.
There are several ways to ensure this:
  • In Washington State, all stone fabricators and installers are required to have a contractor’s license. They can either have a specialty license that’s specific to stone fabrication and installation or a full general contractor’s license. You can check with the WA State Department of Labor and Industries and ensure that they have a current license and see if there are any safety violations. Here’s a link: Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business (wa.gov)
  • Ask about their fabrication practices. Quality fabricators should template at your home and then fabricate in their facilities. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “the hazard can be mitigated with simple and effective dust controls in most countertop operations.”2 To cut the stone they generally use a CNC, waterjet, or other cutting tool with a water line attached. The water is consistently running as the blade cuts through preventing any dust. When they aren’t able to use water spraying systems, they will use a shroud and a vacuum with HEPA filter. They should have regular housekeeping procedures to remove dust and particles from the area rather than letting it build up. When proper ventilation equipment isn’t available, such as drilling or sanding onsite, employees should have proper respiratory protection.
  • Watch for red flags, if you’re getting prices from several places and one is significantly less than the others that’s a huge red flag. When it comes to buying countertops, the fabricator has to purchase the material, have a safe and clean facility for fabrication, pay their employees’ measure, fabricate and install your countertops. So, when the same exact material is priced significantly less by one fabricator, they have to be cutting corners somewhere and it’s usually in one of two ways: employee and equipment safety and quality of fabrication and installation. As with anything, you get what you pay for and in the case of manufacturing and construction there’s even greater risk. *The exception to this might be a closeout or super discount sale, if you got a bargain on that material but the rest of the materials are priced in line with competitors then you’re good to go.
  • Purchase countertop materials that do not contain silica. These materials are fairly new so there isn’t a lot of data on durability and customer satisfaction. However, there are some brands that have begun manufacturing some countertop slabs with low to no silica. Reach out to our team for more information on that.
There are quite a few options, please reach out to our team if you would like to dive deeper into the pros and cons of each material listed here:
  • Natural options are: 
    • Marble
    • Granite
    • Quartzite
    • Soapstone
    • Onyx
    • Wood
  • Manufactured materials are: 
    • Quartz or engineered stone
    • Porcelain
    • Concrete
    • Laminate
    • Solid surface
    • Recycled Glass
    • Stainless Steel

References:

  1. Silicosis | American Lung Association
  2. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3768.pdf
A man wearing a protective mask and striped sweater uses a power tool to cut or sand a slab, creating a cloud of white dust in an industrial workshop with stacks of material in the background.