AMA Adopts Policy to Ban High-Silica Engineered Stone Amid Silicosis Concerns
The American Medical Association, the nation's largest physician group, has adopted a policy supporting a ban on high-silica engineered stone, a popular countertop material linked to a deadly lung disease called silicosis that is disabling and killing stoneworkers. This decision…
San Francisco Oakland San Jose, CA, November 10, 2026 — The American Medical Association (AMA), representing the nation’s largest group of physicians, has adopted a significant policy supporting a ban on high-silica engineered stone.
Engineered stone, a widely used material for countertops, has been identified as a source of a serious and often fatal lung disease known as silicosis. This condition disables and kills stoneworkers who are exposed to silica dust during the fabrication process.
The AMA’s decision is anticipated to have a considerable impact on ongoing and future regulatory initiatives. It is expected to lend support to efforts in California and across the United States aimed at phasing out the use of this material.
The trend summary indicates that the health impacts of working with high-silica engineered stone have disproportionately affected Latino immigrant workers employed in fabrication shops. The adoption of this policy by the AMA highlights growing concerns over occupational health and safety within the industry.
Story summarized from the original created by Elize Manoukian on ww2.kqed.org, see more information here.
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