“The alarming rise of severe silicosis-related illness and deaths among stone countertop workers in the San Fernando Valley prompted me to act quickly.”

Researchers from UCLA and UC San Francisco reported last year that about 52 artificial stone workers were diagnosed with silicosis in California — and of those 52 cases, 51 were Latino immigrants. Most were diagnosed between 2019 and 2022. Twenty of the patients had advanced disease at diagnosis, and 10 died. Their median age was 45 years old, with an average work history of 15 years.