Engineered stone, made of ground quartz and resin, has become a tremendously popular material for kitchen countertops due to its durability, low maintenance and customizable colors and patterns. Workers who form, shape, cut and polish the material, however, appear to be at significant risk of severe and potentially deadly lung disease. In this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from California, Colorado, Texas and Washington report 18 cases of severe silicosis, and two fatalities, among young, mostly Hispanic men, who worked at engineered stone fabrication plants. Read more: medicalpress.com