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10 months ago
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Bunnings has taken man made stone off of its shelves after hundreds of tradies who had worked on it developed silicosis - a terminal illness.
The hardware giant caved to public pressure which had been championed by the CMFEU, who took credit for the removal on Tuesday.
Man made stone had been linked to silicosis due to its high silica content which tradies had breathed in during the cutting process.
When silica dust becomes trapped in the lung it is impossible to remove and can lead to deadly cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Ben Harrison, 34, spent 10 years as a stonemason on the Gold Coast before coming down with silicosis and had been fighting for Bunnings to ban the product, claiming that it had been 'profiting from death'.
Bunnings has banned the sale of man made stone in its stores which had been linked to silicosis, a terminal illness among tradies who worked on it
Cells taken from the lungs of a patient with silicosis - notice the speck of silica dust shining brightly
More to come
What is silicosis?
Silicosis is an aggressive and incurable lung disease which results from breathing in crystalline silica (sand) dust.
The disease has been recognised as occurring in workers exposed to dust for hundreds of years – usually workers who had prolonged exposure to mineral dust, such as while working in mines.
When products containing crystalline silica are cut, crushed, polished or worked with in similar ways, they release very fine dust particles into the air which are usually so small as to be invisible.
Silicosis involves silica dust slowly scarring the lungs. The disease typically affects tradesmen
These are then inhaled and may become lodged deep within the lungs where they can cause serious damage to your lungs and health.
Exposure to crystalline silica dust can cause chronic bronchitis and emphysema, among other lung diseases. Silica dust exposure symptoms include shortness of breath, severe cough, chest pain and fatigue.
There is no such thing as silica cancer. However, the presence of silica dust in the lungs can greatly increase the risk of developing lung cancer. Lung cancer from silica dust is also more likely if the person has been a smoker.
Silicosis is a disease marked by inflammation and scarring of the lungs. Silicosis is generally a progressive condition, which can lead to the development of other silica dust lung diseases and may lead to death.
English (US)