"Republicans in Congress want to ban lawsuits against quartz manufacturers, including a company whose CEO is a major Trump donor."
"Public health experts in California are pushing to ban engineered quartz in an effort to protect countertop fabrication workers from a growing epidemic of a deadly lung disease, but Republicans in Congress are trying to protect the industry with a bill that would ban lawsuits against manufacturers.
Silicosis cases are rapidly rising among workers who cut, grind and polish engineered stone for kitchen and bathroom countertops. This incurable lung disease develops when workers breathe in crystalline silica dust, which scars and constricts their lungs. In extreme cases, only a lung transplant, an intensive and risky procedure, can prolong their lives. In California alone, engineered stone-related silicosis has killed at least 29 people and sickened more than 500.
Mounting silicosis lawsuits threaten quartz manufacturers financially, including a company whose CEO is a major donor to President Donald Trump. The companies have lobbied for federal legislation to shield them from liability while preventing workers from seeking compensation for irreversible health damage. The legislation, introduced last fall by U.S. Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), would grant the industry the kind of legal immunity previously extended only to vaccine makers and weapons manufacturers.
The proposal has received pushback from public health officials and Democrats who say civil lawsuits are essential to protect workers from harm and to hold companies accountable."
Semantha Raquel Norris reports for Capital & Main April 13, 2026.
