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10 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE
A wife whose stonemason husband is dying of a terminal illness has issued a backhanded compliment to Bunnings after the hardware chain 'finally' banned a highly toxic material from its stores.
Cristale Harrison's husband Ben, 34, was diagnosed with the dust disease silicosis in 2019 and the Tasmanian couple have since been advocating for man-made stone to be banned in Australia - accusing Bunnings in particular of 'profiting off death'.
Man-made or engineered stone is increasingly popular in Australian kitchens but has been linked to silicosis due to its high silica content.
Tradies breathe in the silica dust during the cutting process and it becomes trapped in the lungs, where it can cause deadly cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Safe Work Australia recently endorsed a national ban on the popular product and Bunnings 'proactively' followed suit, this week announcing that it would no longer stock any products containing the stone from December 31.
Newlyweds Cristale and Ben Harrison have delivered a backhanded compliment to Bunnings for 'finally' announcing a ban on man-made stone from December 31
Mr Harrison was diagnosed with silicosis the day before his 30th birthday after inhaling silica dust while cutting into silicon-based kitchen benchtops over several years
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Harrison praised the hardware giant for 'eventually doing the right thing'.
Ms Harrison said Bunnings' decision to stop selling man-made stone would have 'excellent' results as it was 'costing tradesmen and women, and their families, their health'.
'Thank you Bunnings for feeling the pressure and eventually doing the right thing and pulling these highly toxic, deadly bench tops from their shelves,' she said.
The mum and dad-of-three finally tied the knot on October 14 after years of delays caused by Mr Harrison's diagnosis - and are continuing to lobby for action on manmade stone, pushing alongside the CFMEU for a federal ban.
'To our Australian Government who is delaying the process, this is a reminder that you are costing tradesmen and women and their families their health while you procrastinate,' Ms Harrison said.
'We want and will not stop pushing till Australia becomes the first country in the world to ban engineered stone.
'We need an importation ban on the use of engineered stone products, and ensuring there is nationally consistent legislation for the monitoring and health surveillance of workers exposed to silica dust across all affected industries.
'Please look at the evidence and do the right thing and save generations of tradesmen and women and their families, and look after the people that have become victims of silicosis so far.'
IKEA Australia CEO Mirja Viinanen told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that it too will follow Bunnings' lead and phase out products which contain man-made stone.
'IKEA Australia will begin the process of phasing out engineered stone products from our local range, ahead of government action. Engineered stone benchtops form just part of the IKEA range and many alternative materials are available,' she said.
'We have been monitoring the issue, including the recent analysis and recommendation from Safe Work Australia on the risks associated with engineered stone products.
'We strongly support a nationally aligned approach from governments to provide clarity and ensure coordinated action across the country.'
On Tuesday, Bunnings refuted the CFMEU's claim that its pressure campaign had forced the home improvement store to ban man-made stone products.
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith claimed that 'the only reason Bunnings finally sided with workers' health was grassroots pressure from CFMEU members'.
However, Bunnings director of merchandise Jen Tucker said the CFMEU had been more harmful than helpful in making the decision.
'The safety of our team and customers is our biggest priority which is why the aggressive behaviour shown by some CFMEU protesters towards some of our team at a Victorian store over the weekend was deeply disappointing,' Ms Tucker said.
'Our decision to stop selling engineered stone was directly in response to the reports released and the prospect of a ban on the sale in the near future.'
After years of delays caused by Mr Harrison's diagnosis, the couple finally tied the knot on October 14 as they were campaigning with the Lung Foundation against the use of man-made stone
The majority of benchtops sold in Bunnings are laminate and timber, and it did not sell man-made stone benchtops to DIY customers looking to cut it themselves.
Safe Work Australia released its 'decision regulation impact statement' in August and sided with embattled tradies who called for man-made stone to be outlawed.
The organisation wrote that stonecutters face a greater risk of developing silicosis in their line of work and that their industry has a history of non-compliance in regards to enforcing a cap on the level of silica in their products.
'At present, an unknown number of Australian workers will go on to develop silicosis because of their prior exposure to RCS (respirable crystalline silica) from working with engineered stone,' it wrote.
'The only way to ensure that another generation of Australian workers do not contract silicosis from such work is to prohibit its use, regardless of its silica content.'
Mr Harrison's condition leaves him constantly fatigued and needing to go to the doctor's between one and three times a week
Cells taken from the lungs of a patient with silicosis - notice the speck of silica dust shining brightly
Ms Harrison had previously said that the hardware giant was 'profiting off of death' by continue to sell products like kitchen benchtops which contained man-made stone
Silica has been referred to as the 'asbestos of our generation' and its ban has been an issue of public debate for years.
Caesarstone, a major manufacturer of man-made stone, recently launched its own awareness campaign with the Australian Engineered Stone Advisory Group.
They claim that a ban on engineered stone will not make stonemasons safer at work and have instead endorsed a 'complete silica safety plan'.
Mr Harrison spent 10 years working as a stonemason on the Gold Coast before being diagnosed with silicosis.
The Harrisons are now going through a compensation process to secure a settlement from stone-making companies who have profited off of those who have been affected by silicosis.
'Anyone who has been affected needs to be looked after with treatment and research and legal advice and compensation,' Ms Harrison said.
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.
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