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He Spent Years Building a Life for Your Family.
Now It’s Time to Protect It.

Silicosis Lawsuit

If you or your family member worked with respirable crystalline silica dust at any time during the process of engineering stone products, from mining to installation, and were diagnosed with silicosis, contact us now about a silicosis lawsuit.

Your Family Is Facing Something No One Should Have To. You’re Not Alone.

Silicosis is a permanent, progressive occupational lung disease caused by inhaling microscopic crystalline silica particles 100 times smaller than beach sand. These particles can settle deep in the lungs when breathed in over time. According to a 2021 OSHA (Occupational Health & Safety) report, 2.3 million American stone workers are vulnerable each year, nearly all males.¹

Silica dust is harmful when stone is manhandled during the process of making engineered stone: quarrying, cutting, grinding, drilling, polishing, or mixing with resins + pigments to resemble real stone products for kitchen and bathroom countertops, etc. Manufacturers have known for years about the high silica content, typically 90-95%, but many companies neither protect nor properly warn of the dire risks.²

Enter the silicosis lawsuit.

“In my years in occupational health, I have never seen an industry say, ‘We sell a dangerous product but we have no responsibility for it once it leaves our factory, and rather than protect workers downstream, we are the ones who need protection from lawsuits.’”

– David Michaels, former OSHA director.³

Close-up of a bearded man looking pensive, with a woman resting a hand on his shoulder in the blurred background.

What Is Silicosis and Why Are
Stone Workers at Higher Risk?

Nutshell: Silicosis is an irreversible terminal disease that scars lung tissue from inhaling respirable crystalline silica dust, a toxic byproduct of engineering manmade stone products. As it worsens over time, lungs stiffen until the smallest movement becomes difficult and lung function is ultimately destroyed. It may take many years to develop or a few short years, even less, depending on the concentration of dust.

The detrimental impact of silicosis on stone workers, the majority being immigrant Hispanic men, has steadily increased since 2019. The median age for diagnosis is considered 45 years, but new stats show it is increasingly affecting younger men in their 20s and 30s.

Engineered stone, or ES (think quartz/ faux stones vs. natural quartzite, granite, marble) is man made to fit countertops, etc., resembling natural stone. The trend grabbed industry attention in the 1980s because of its affordability. Producing it, though, has proved dangerous to humans for its high content of silica dust (90%-95%), emitted when stone is disturbed – that is, cut, ground, drilled, mixed with additives + resins + pigments, polished, or otherwise manipulated.⁴

The 90-95% silica dust content encountered in the engineering process is far higher than that of natural stone because natural stone needs far less manipulating. ES, therefore, significantly ups the risk of developing silicosis or other lung + systemic diseases. Repeat: More than 2.3 million ES workers annually in America are exposed to concentrated silica above the OSHA approved safety limit.⁵

In a JAMA study published July 2023, 52 patients were diagnosed with silicosis, nearly all Latino males. Diagnosis was delayed 58% of the time, 38% had advanced silicosis upon diagnosis, and 19% patients died.⁵

Again, workers can be exposed at any point during the process, from excavation to installation.⁶

What Are the Different Types of Silicosis?

There are three types:⁷

Chronic Silicosis

(most prevalent, development over 10-30 years)

Acute Silicosis

(sudden, development within a few weeks to a few years)

Accelerated Silicosis

(subacute, development after 5-10 years)

Close-up of a metal bolt with two interlocking gear wheels attached.

What Occupations Are Most at Risk of Silica Exposure?⁸

Artificial Stone Fabricating
Mining
Construction Working
Foundry Working and Metal Casting

Ceramics Manufacturing
Sandblasting
Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking

What Are the Signs That Someone May Have Silicosis?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, silicosis symptoms at first may look like asthma, pneumonia, TB, or general respiratory illness, which is the reason many workers are not diagnosed until the disease has significantly advanced.

Warning signs include: persistent cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness, and reduced ability to exercise or perform physical tasks.¹⁰

Because silicosis can develop 10 or more years after initial exposure (faster with intense exposure), any worker with a history of stone fabrication, construction, mining, or related work should discuss their occupational history with a doctor if they experience any of these symptoms.

After diagnosis, life expectancy is historically 10-20 years.^{11, 12}

Can I File a Silicosis Lawsuit If It Was from Work-Related Exposure?

Yes, in many cases. Workers who developed silicosis after exposure to silica dust on the job are eligible to file a silicosis lawsuit against the manufacturers and distributors of the engineered stone products they worked with. The silicosis lawsuit alleges manufacturers were negligent, failed to warn workers of the known dangers of silica dust, and continued making and selling hazardous products.¹²

Here are some of the main defendants in the lawsuit:¹³

Major Manufacturers:

Caesarstone: (Israel/USA) Frequently named in recent California verdicts, including the landmark Gonzalez
Cosentino Group/ Silestone: (Spain) One of the world’s largest manufacturers; recently accepted a plea deal in a Spanish criminal court regarding silicosis liability.
Cambria: (USA) A major American manufacturer of quartz surfaces often named in multi-defendant complaints.
Colorquartz: (China/USA) Named in recent lawsuits regarding imported stone slabs.
EIDP, Inc. (Legacy DuPont): Sued in relation to their “Zodiaq” quartz line (now Corian Quartz).

Major Suppliers:

Because many fabricators buy from middlemen rather than directly from the factory, distributors are heavily targeted in the “chain of commerce” liability arguments.

MS International (MSI): One of the largest importers and distributors of stone in North America.
Francini, Inc.: A major stone importer named in recent California settlements.
Color Marble, Inc.: A defendant in the notable $52.4M Gonzalez
Home Depot / Lowe’s / IKEA: While less frequently the primary targets compared to manufacturers, major retailers are increasingly named in lawsuits for selling the material to consumers and contractors.

Targeting Other Responsible Companies:

We also investigate claims against manufacturers of faulty respirators, abrasive blasting suppliers, and equipment manufacturers whose dust control systems were inadequate.

3M Company: The most prominent defendant in this category, they faced thousands of suits in the 1990s regarding the “8710” disposable respirator, and continue to face claims today.
Mine Safety Appliances (MSA): A major manufacturer of industrial safety equipment, frequently sued regarding the efficacy of their masks in high-dust environments.
Bullard: A manufacturer of sandblasting hoods and supplied-air respirators.
North Safety Products (now often under Honeywell): Manufacturers of various respiratory protection devices.

Sandblasting:

You may also have claims against various sandblasting defendants.

U.S. Silica: A primary defendant in the 2000s MDL (multidistrict litigation); one of the largest producers of commercial silica in the US.
Badger Mining Corporation: A sand supplier frequently sued in foundry worker cases in the Midwest.
Unimin Corp (now Covia): A major industrial mineral producer formed from the merger of Unimin and Fairmount Santrol.
Fairmount Santrol: Historically, a key defendant in foundry and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) sand litigation before its merger.
Mississippi Valley Silica Co.: A regional supplier heavily involved in the Mississippi sandblasting litigation of the early 2000s.
Pangborn Corporation: A manufacturer of blasting equipment, sued for allegedly not recommending safer abrasives (like steel shot) instead of sand.

What Do Early Outcomes Indicate?

Compensation in a silicosis lawsuit can cover medical expenses like lung transplants, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.¹⁴

Case in point: An ongoing Colorado trial pitted a seriously ill 31-year-old worker, Tyler Jordan, against manufacturers of engineered stone used in kitchen countertops. On May 5, 2026, Jordan was awarded $17.45M, an outcome that will be an early benchmark (bellwether) re: whether individual lawsuits will steamroll into multidistrict litigation/ MDL that could threaten the industry’s existence or force it to make changes.”¹⁵

Plenty more was at stake with the Colorado verdict: the entire industry is facing a potentially seismic shift in how liabilities are perceived, which could reshape how the industry behaves.¹⁶

Close-up of a young Black woman looking up with a calm smile, wearing gold teardrop earrings and a gold necklace.

What Could a Silicosis Lawsuit Mean for You and Your Family?

“In August 2024, a California jury awarded $52.4 million to one stone fabrication worker in the first-ever US silicosis lawsuit verdict.” The 34-year-old plaintiff required a double lung transplant after 15 years of silica dust exposure.¹⁷ Four months earlier in April 2024, a separate California settlement exceeded $26 million for another stone fabricator with advanced lung disease.¹⁸

Remember, the amount of your settlement may depend on the severity of your illness and reflect your specific situation.¹⁷

How Can You Help Your Family?

Please know this:

Because your man (nearly 100% of the stone fabrication workforce are male) has been the provider and now his health is threatened, you should not be stripped of your loved one’s income or a safety net. He was hurt doing honest work, even if his employers glossed over the danger.
The companies knew the dangers but did not do what they could to protect workers.
Protecting your family is the right thing to do, and your actions now can help protect your family for the future, as well as other families in the same boat.

If the guy in your life was diagnosed with silicosis, please contact us for help. We work with silicosis lawyers steeped in this specific case area.

Some of our pivotal casework in the area of injury from environmental toxins includes:

ACFW is going up against the Bad Boys of industry, partnering in this case with our contingency attorneys, who carefully assess each case before committing. They go to bat for you based on the belief they can win for you, because if you don’t win they don’t get paid.

We charge you nothing. We’re right here.

Sources

Staff, “OSHA’S DIMINISHED ENFORCEMENT LEFT MORE WORKERS AT RISK FOR EXPOSURE TO SILICA,” Department of Labor Report to Occupational Safety & Health/ OSHA, September 29, 2021.
Staff, “Worker Exposure to Silica During Countertop Manufacturing, Finishing, and Installation,” OSHA, September 28, 2019.
Nell Greenfieldboyce, “Kitchen countertop workers are dying. Some lawmakers want to ban their lawsuits,” NPR, January 14, 2026.
Eva Tolpa, “Scientists Pinpoint Hazards for Engineered Stone Fabrication Shop Workers,” Georgia Tech/ GT News, July 28, 2025.
Jane C. Fazio, MD, Sheiphali A. Gandhi, MD, MPH, Jennifer Flattery, MPH, “Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone (Quartz) Countertop Fabrication Workers in California,” JAMA, July 24, 2023.
Lolita Lois and Helen Jeong, “SoCal man with silicosis wins lawsuit against makers of artificial stone slabs,” NBC4 Los Angeles, September 18, 2024.
Jim Morris, “Jury Awards $52.4M in Case Against Artificial-Stone Countertop Makers,” Public Health Watch, August 8, 2024.
Alyson Fortner, MPH, CIH; Chelsea Woolsey, BS; Fernanda Florez, BS, “Engineered Stone and Silicosis,” CDC/ Centers for Disease Control & Protection, January 27, 2026.
Staff, “Silicosis,” Cleveland Clinic, September 5, 2025.
Sunny in Durable Stones, “Silicosis in Stone Materials: Comparing Natural & Engineered,” Stone International, September 15, 2024.
Staff, “What Are the Symptoms of Silicosis?” American Lung Association, February 2, 2026.
Staff, “Silicosis,” Lung Cancer Group, January 12, 2025.
Caroline Bourque, “Could a wave of lawsuits change the future of engineered stone?” Business of Home, October 9, 2024.
Caroline Bourque, “Could a wave of lawsuits?”
Ingrid Swan, “Silicosis Litigation and Engineered Stone: An Emerging Area of Mass Tort Exposure,” Verus, May 8, 2026.
Jim Morris, “Jury Awards $52.4M.”
Tre’Vaughn Howard, “Next Black Lung: Countertop Silica Dust Cases Pile Up in Courts,” Bloomberg Law, April 9, 2026
Tre’Vaughn Howard, “Next Black Lung.”