You May Qualify If…
You cut, ground, polished, or installed quartz or engineered stone countertops.
A doctor diagnosed you with silicosis or another silica-related lung disease.
You need oxygen, have been told you may need a lung transplant, or have had one.
You were diagnosed with an autoimmune or kidney disease after years of stone dust exposure.
A family member who worked with engineered stone died of silicosis.
Recognized Excellence
The Problem
A Popular Countertop Made Mostly of Silica
Engineered stone is made by binding crushed quartz with resin. It’s sold under brand names in showrooms and home centers across the country. Fabrication shops cut and finish the slabs to fit each kitchen, and that work releases respirable silica dust.
Workers’ comp and a product lawsuit are different claims.
Workers’ compensation generally covers claims against your employer. A product liability lawsuit is brought against the companies that made, distributed, and sold the slabs, and it can seek damages that workers’ comp doesn’t pay.
California Is Moving to Ban High-Silica Engineered Stone
California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has voted to begin rulemaking that could bar workers from fabricating and installing engineered stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica. It directed Cal/OSHA to draft an emergency standard while permanent rules are developed.
Source: Stone World, May 2026
Health Risks
Diseases Linked to Engineered Stone Dust
Federal and state health agencies describe serious, often permanent harm from breathing crystalline silica.
Silicosis
Silica dust scars the lungs and makes it harder to breathe. The CDC states that silicosis “is not reversible.”
Lung Transplant
Of the 592 California engineered stone workers with confirmed silicosis through June 2026, 65 needed a lung transplant.
Lung Cancer
The CDC lists lung cancer among the diseases caused by excessive exposure to respirable crystalline silica.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is another lung disease the CDC links to silica exposure.
Autoimmune and Kidney Disease
The CDC also links silica exposure to certain autoimmune diseases and to chronic kidney failure.
Wrongful Death
Silicosis can be fatal. California health officials have recorded 31 deaths among engineered stone workers through June 2026.
Sources: CDC/NIOSH, “Silica and Worker Health” · CDPH report in NEJM Evidence Public Health Alerts, via CIDRAP, cases through June 2026 · CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Sept. 27, 2019
What the CDC Says
“Engineered stone contains substantially more silica than does natural stone (>90%, compared with <45% in granite).”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
How We Help
Claims Against the Makers and Sellers of Engineered Stone
Since 1983, on behalf of individuals and families, our legal team has successfully tried and settled thousands of occupational lung-related injuries throughout California.
Silicosis claims rest on product liability law. Depending on the facts, a case can name the companies that manufactured, imported, and distributed the slabs a worker cut.
Failure to Warn
A manufacturer has to warn about the known dangers of its product. Lawsuits allege that slab makers didn’t adequately warn fabricators how dangerous engineered stone dust is or what it takes to work with it safely.
Design Defect
A product can be defective when it’s more dangerous than it needs to be. Claims focus on how much silica the slabs contain, and some manufacturers now sell low-silica alternatives.
Negligence
A claim can address how the slabs were made, labeled, marketed, and sold to fabrication shops.
Wrongful Death
When silicosis causes a death, California law lets certain family members seek damages for the loss of their loved one.
Meet Our Legal Team
Frederick Schenk
Managing Partner
Over 45 years of experience in personal injury, mass torts, and complex litigation.
Benjamin Schenk
Co-Founder & Trial Attorney
J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law. Graduate of ABOTA Trial College.
Lynn Schenk
Of Counsel
Former U.S. Congresswoman and the first woman elected to the House of Representatives from San Diego.
David Lizerbram
Partner, Business Advisory Practice Lead
Leads the firm’s business advisory practice. Represented hundreds of clients in complex business transactions, entity formation, and corporate governance.
Why Act Now
Why You Need an Attorney for a Silicosis Claim
A product liability claim is separate from workers’ compensation and has its own rules and deadlines.
Deadlines Apply
California generally allows two years to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, counted from when a person knew or should have known that silica exposure caused the illness or the death. Other states set their own deadlines.
Many Companies, Many Slabs
Workers often cut slabs from several brands over many years. The worker in the Los Angeles verdict originally sued 34 manufacturers.
Records Can Disappear
Pay stubs, shop records, invoices, and coworkers’ accounts show where you worked and what you cut. We work to preserve them early.
Medical Proof Matters
CT scans, lung function tests, biopsies, and transplant records document your illness. We gather them and build the case around them.
Immigration Status
California law bars evidence of a person’s immigration status in personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Families Have Claims Too
If a loved one died of silicosis, certain family members may bring a wrongful death claim.
FAQ
Quartz Countertop Silicosis Lawsuit Questions
Get Your Free Case Evaluation
Tell us where you worked, what you cut, and what your doctors have told you. Our attorneys will review your case at no cost and with no obligation.
RELATED PRACTICE AREAS
Other Cases We Handle
Mass Torts
Mass Tort Lawsuits
Claims against companies whose products hurt large numbers of people.
Learn More →Product Liability
Defective Products
Claims against manufacturers whose products cause injury.
Learn More →Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Help for families who lost a loved one to someone else’s negligence.
Learn More →
Hold Engineered Stone Makers Accountable
If you or a loved one developed silicosis after working with quartz countertops, contact The Schenk Law Firm for a free, confidential case evaluation.