A man-made stone popular in kitchen refurbishments but linked to the deaths of young tradesmen in the UK from an incurable lung disease will now be subject to a Government crackdown, The i Paper can reveal.

It is the first official step towards tackling a rising number of UK cases of silicosis among young workers caused by inhaling toxic dust when cutting engineered – or artificial – stone, primarily quartz.

Quartz worktops have become hugely popular in kitchen makeovers, but a severe form of silicosis has hit young stonemasons after inhaling the lung-shredding respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust.

While man-made quartz is cheaper than other natural stone used in kitchen refits, it has a much higher silica content; up to 95 per cent compared to marble at around five per cent sil

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