Hundreds at risk of fatal silicosis after cutting stone for kitchen worktops

Marek Marzec is a Polish stonemason who came to this country in search of work 13 years ago.

He found it – in the cutting rooms of kitchen worktop suppliers.

Now he’s lying in a hospital bed and dying – his lungs ravaged by fatal silicosis caused by the dust he breathed in whilst he shaped lengths of engineered stone to order.

His case is far from the only one. It’s thought hundreds of workers are at risk as many suppliers fail to install proper protective measures.