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Here’s a kitchen design trend to die for.

Quartz countertops are now the most popular choice among home renovators and designers because of their durability and resistance to stains, scratches and heat.

But that beauty comes at a deadly price: The workers who make quartz countertops are dying of lung disease at a young age, medical researchers say in a new report.

“Every day I hope that the phone rings telling me to come to the hospital to get my new lungs, former countertop maker Leobardo Segura-Meza said in a statement.

Segura-Meza, 27, started working as a stone fabricator in Los Angeles 10 years ago, cutting, grinding and polishing countertops as a teenager.

He routinely wore protective equipment like a mask and used dust-reducing tools.

But he went to the emergency room with shortness of breath in February 2022, and a lung biopsy revealed he had advanced silicosis.

Although Segura-Meza has been approved for a lung transplant, he fears hell run out of time.

Two of his fellow countertop workers died while they were on the waiting list.

Known among coal miners as “black lung,” silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling very small particles of silica, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Symptoms of silicosis include persistent coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, weight loss and fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs.

Roughly 2.3 million US workers are exposed to silica in the workplace, including 2 million in construction and 300,000 in other industries, according to the American Lung Association.

There are treatments available, but there is no cure for silicosis, and as the disease gets progressively worse, it is often fatal.

Countertops known as “quartz” are actually made of an artificial material that includes crushed silica (quartz) with resins, dyes and glass, according to the authors of the study, published Monday in the journal of JAMA Internal Medicine.

In 2021, these types of synthetic stone surpassed plastic laminate to become the most used countertop material in the US, marking the first time in decades that laminate was not the most popular countertop material, market research shows.

Some market experts forecast that the demand for quartz countertops will grow to $13 billion by 2027 as consumers desire “uniqueness and individuality, which leads them to look for countertops that can be customized to suit their unique preferences and requirements.”

And quartz countertops are frequently chosen on popular home renovation shows as the “go-to” countertop material for fashionable kitchen and bathroom designs.

But quartz countertops contain more than triple the silica content of natural materials like granite or marble, and the health impact of quartz countertops became apparent soon after they hit the market.

The first US case of silicosis linked to engineered stone was identified in Texas in 2015, and since that time, California has emerged as an epicenter of the disease. 

Throughout the US, an estimated 100,000 stone fabricators are at risk for silicosis associated with exposure to silica.

An Australian government screening program found a silicosis rate of 19.5% among 1,053 workers who were screened for the incurable disease.

In the latest study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, UCLA and the California Department of Public Health found 52 California quartz countertop workers with silicosis.

Twenty of them had advanced silicosis, and 10 died before the study concluded.

Our paper raises the alarm, said Dr. Sheiphali Gandhi, a UCSF pulmonologist and co-author of the study. If we don’t stop it now, we’re going to have hundreds if not thousands of more cases. Even if we stopped it now, we’re going to be seeing these cases for the next decade because [silicosis] takes years to develop. 

The researchers called for public health officials, doctors and policymakers to implement measures to better protect workers from exposure to silica dust, more quickly diagnose cases of the disease or even ban quartz countertops altogether.

Australia has considered banning the product but has not yet done so, instead developing regulations to help reduce the risk of silicosis through better air monitoring, training and reporting.

In 2019 and 2020, California safety officials investigated the state’s countertop industry and found that about 72% of the 808 fabrication shops operating in the state were “likely out of compliance with the existing silica standard,” putting hundreds of workers at risk of silicosis, according to NPR.

Last month, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion directing the countys director of public health to report within 90 days on the options to ban the sale, fabrication and installation of silica fabricated stone in the County,” according to LAist.

Additionally, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has begun drafting emergency rules surrounding the manufacture and use of engineered quartz products.

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P Diddy: ‘Gut-wrenching’ video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016

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May 18, 2024

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P Diddy: 'Gut-wrenching' video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016

“Gut-wrenching” CCTV footage which appears to show Sean Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel “has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour” of the rapper, her lawyer has said.

The 54-year-old, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence.

Footage obtained by CNN appears to show Combs – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – wearing only a white towel as he punches and kicks Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway on 5 March 2016.

The R&B singer, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.

Pic: CNN via AP
Pic: CNN via AP
Image:
Pics: CNN via AP

Read more: What is Sean Combs accused of and what has he said?

The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging her across the floor, as well as throwing a vase in her direction.

It closely resembles the description of an incident at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles described in a lawsuit filed by Cassie in November that alleged years of sexual abuse and other violence from Combs.

The case was settled the day after it was filed.

Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA
Image:
Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA

Several more lawsuits were filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.

Representatives for Combs did not immediately comment on the video. He has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing.

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P Diddy’s homes raided

Cassie’s lawyer said: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.

“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

According to NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, if Cassie were to make a complaint the LAPD could investigate, but charges would likely be declined by the district attorney because California law has a one-year statute of limitations for assault and the alleged incident happened nearly eight years ago.

CNN did not say how it obtained the video, but noted it verified the location it was shot by comparing the footage to publicly available images of the InterContinental Hotel.

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Steve Buscemi: Homeless man charged over random assault on Hollywood actor in New York City street

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May 18, 2024

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Steve Buscemi: Homeless man charged over random assault on Hollywood actor in New York City street

A homeless man has been charged over the random attack on Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi on a New York Street earlier this month.

The 66-year-old Broadwalk Empire and Fargo star was punched in the face by a stranger while he was walking in midtown Manhattan on 8 May, city police said.

He was taken to hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye but was otherwise fine, his publicist said at the time.

A man wanted in connection with the attack was arrested on Friday, police said.

The 50-year-old homeless man was charged with second-degree assault in the same precinct where Buscemi was attacked.

Authorities announced on Tuesday they had identified the man as the suspect and were searching for him.

Buscemi’s publicist previously said the actor was “another victim of a random act of violence in the city” but he was OK.

Read more from Sky News:
Video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016
Chris Pratt pays tribute after ‘friend and former stunt double’ dies
Ed Sheeran surprises music students with impromptu gig

The attack came after Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park in March.

Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was arrested and charged over the incident.

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Anne Robinson confirms relationship with Queen’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles

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28 mins ago

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May 18, 2024

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Anne Robinson confirms relationship with Queen's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles

Former Weakest Link host Anne Robinson has confirmed she is in a relationship with the Queen’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

At the end of last year it was reported the 79-year-old TV presenter and 84-year-old retired cavalry officer were dating.

Robinson has now confirmed they are, telling Saga magazine: “Yes. Full stop. Mind your own business.”

The interview comes as it was announced Robinson will take on the role of the publication’s agony aunt from their June issue.

Discussing returning to the dating pool in her 70s, after being single for more than a decade, she told Saga: “I’d been out of the game for so long. And also I don’t drink. If you don’t drink, you’re not as reckless are you?

“I’m a great believer in surprising yourself by taking risks. Personally and professionally. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the worst that can happen is you get some egg on your face, that’s not terrible is it?”

Explaining why dating can be easier in older age, she said: “You’re much more selective about what you’re going to get into a tizz about. Nothing matters that much. You’re not going to change.”

Robinson became known for the acerbic comments she made to contestants and her catchphrase “you are the weakest link, goodbye” when she presented the quiz show, which was first broadcast in 2000 before ending 12 years later.

She previously became the first woman to host Channel 4 quiz show Countdown before stepping down in 2022 after having recorded 265 episodes.

Read more from Sky News:
Video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016
Chris Pratt pays tribute after ‘friend and former stunt double’ dies
Ed Sheeran surprises music students with impromptu gig

She has one daughter, Emma, from her marriage to the late Charles Wilson, a former journalist and newspaper executive, which broke down in 1973. She got divorced from her second husband John Penrose in 2007.

Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 and they had two children together, Tom and Laura, before getting divorced in 1995.

The King, who was divorced from Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996, later wed Camilla at the Guildhall in Windsor in 2005.

They have remained friends, with the former army officer among the selected guest list for the King’s coronation.

The interview is in June’s issue of Saga magazine.

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