A worker said he has just weeks left to live after suffering from lung disease caused by years of chopping kitchen worktops and is taking legal action against his former employers.
Marek Marzek, father of three who has the lung disease silicosis, says he is angry at the impact “Deadly” dust produced from cutting quartz worktops Had taken.
The 48-year-old man, who is now on his death bed – too ill to undergo a potentially life-saving lung transplant – has complained of “terrible” working conditions, but hopes to simply “keep his By working, he will be able to prevent others from dying.
The law firm is representing Leigh de Marzac as well as several other former stonemasons who are similarly suffering from silicosis and are demanding “immediate” safety changes.
Marzek, originally from Poland, has worked for a number of engineered stone manufacturers in North London and Hertfordshire since 2012.
Earlier this year in April, he was diagnosed with silicosis, after which his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Marzek is currently being treated at the Whittington Hospital in North London and is under the care of Dr Joe Fieri, leading occupational pulmonologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
However, his silicosis – a chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of large amounts of crystalline silica dust – is now so advanced that Marzek has been given only a few weeks to live.
A recent study found that stone workers like Marzek had developed a severe form of silicosis, which causes shortness of breath and severe disability, with lung transplantation often the only way to treat it.
Unfortunately, Marzek was too unwell to undergo such an operation and is now receiving lifelong care.
Speaking from the hospital, Marzek said he was in “terrible pain” and unable to breathe “just doing his job”.
“I came to Britain in the hope of making a better life and wanted to ensure that my young daughters were financially secure,” he said.
“Instead, because of the work cutting quartz worktops, I have become unable to breathe and am in terrible pain.
“I can’t tell you how angry I am that I was allowed to work under these conditions and that my life has been cut short just to do my job.
“I am not the only person whose life is endangered by this deadly dust.
“Now is the time to take immediate action to stop these dangerous working conditions that I faced, before other stone workers catch and die from this terrible disease.”
Leigh Day’s legal team say stricter safety measures are urgently needed to stop the rising number of silicosis cases linked to cutting engineered stone – which has already taken the life of at least one other stone worker.
Ivan Tant, Marzek’s lawyer and partner at Leigh Day, warned that without these measures, more deaths could be seen in the coming years.
Tant said, “This is a tragic case, my client is now on end of life care as a result of working with engineered stone in conditions he alleges have been appalling, completely unfit for purpose.”
“No one should have to face the worst outcomes simply as a result of going to work.
“We are deeply concerned that, unless something is done to address the dangers of working with engineered stone without proper protection, we may face similar catastrophic – and potentially fatal – consequences in the near future. “We may see more cases.”
