A woman whose brother-in-law “suffocated to death” after years of breathing in toxic kitchen dust is now campaigning to ban the material.
In 2023, Caroline Hudson, from Eastleigh, lost her brother-in-law George Elliott, aged 64, after years working as a stonemason.
An inquest later found he died from silicosis caused by breathing in silica dust at work, with the disease only confirmed after his death.
Caroline has spoken out about the dangers of silica dust exposure, which she has described as the “next asbestos crisis.”
Silica dust is released into the air during the cutting, grinding or polishing of stone and engineered quartz worktops and is then breathed into the lungs.
Now, Caroline is working with her sister Sandra Elliot and Liz Jarvis MP to push for a Silica Dust (Exposure) Bill to be brought before Parliament, aiming to tighten safety rules and stop the dry cutting of high-silica kitchen worktops.
She said: “This is the next asbestos crisis. Construction workers, stonemasons, kitchen fitters – including very young men who should have had their whole lives ahead of them – are dying from what is an entirely preventable disease.”
George, who lived in Sussex at the time of his death, was described as fit and healthy before the disease robbed him of the ability to breathe.
“He played golf, he loved his motorbike and going to the football, he was a very active person.
“But for the last two and a half years of his life, he lived on oxygen 24/7.
“It is the most horrific disease I have ever witnessed and to watch someone die from it was excruciating.”
Liz Jarvis, the Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, said she will table a Presentation Bill in Parliament calling for a programme of screening for silicosis, improved working practices, and a ban on the dry-cutting of high-silica engineered stone, which is commonly found in granite and quartz kitchen worktops.
Australia has already outlawed artificial stone after a number of reported cases of silicosis.
Liz Jarvis said: “The family’s experience has made them determined to raise awareness and push for a change in the law to protect workers and I am doing everything I can to support them with that.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking that construction workers, stonemasons and kitchen fitters – including very young men who should have had their whole lives ahead of them – are dying from what is an entirely preventable disease.
“There is also the impact of loss of income for families as well as the impact on the NHS. I am urging the Government to take prompt action on this issue.”
