A worker told he has just weeks to live after developing lung disease brought on by years of cutting kitchen tables is taking legal action against his former employers.
Father-of-three Marek Marzec, who has silicosis lung disease, says he is angry about the impact of the “deadly” dust produced by cutting quartz worktops.
The 48-year-old, now on his deathbed – being too ill to undergo a potentially life-saving lung transplant – complained of “terrible” working conditions but hopes to prevent others from dying simply “by doing their work”.
Law firm Leigh Day is representing Marzec along with several other former stone workers similarly diagnosed with silicosis and seeking “urgent” safety changes.
Marzec, who is originally from Poland, has worked for several engineered stone manufacturers in North London and Hertfordshire since 2012.
He was diagnosed with silicosis in April this year, and his condition has sadly deteriorated rapidly since then.
Marzec is currently being treated at the Whittington Hospital in north London and is under the care of leading lung disease expert Dr Jo Feary from the Royal Brompton Hospital.
However, his silicosis – a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust – is now at such an advanced stage that Marzec has only weeks to live.
A recent study found that stone workers like Marzec had developed an acute form of silicosis that causes significant shortness of breath and severe disability, with lung transplants often the only way to treat it.
Unfortunately, Marzec was too ill to undergo such surgery and is now receiving end-of-life care.
Speaking from hospital, Marzec said he was left in “terrible pain” and unable to breathe “just to do my job”.
“I arrived in the UK hoping to build a better life and wanting to make sure my young daughters were financially secure,” he said.
“Instead, because of the work I’ve done cutting quartz worktops, I’ve been left unable to breathe and in excruciating pain.
“I can’t tell you how angry I am that I was allowed to work under these conditions and that my life was cut short just to do my job.
“I am not the only person whose life has been put in danger by this deadly powder.
“It is time for urgent action to stop these dangerous working conditions I had to face before other stone workers contract this terrible disease and die.”
Leigh Day’s legal team say tougher safety measures are urgently needed to stop the rising number of silicosis cases linked to engineered stone cutting – which has already claimed the life of at least one other stone worker.
Ewan Tant, Marzec’s lawyer and a partner at Leigh Day, warned that without these measures, more deaths could be seen in the coming years.
“This is a tragic case, with my client now in end-of-life care as a result of working with engineered stone, in what he claims were appalling conditions, totally unfit for purpose,” Tant said.
“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 see more cases with similar dire – and potentially fatal – outcomes in the near future .”
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