Dangerous IKEA benchtops allegedly linked to deadly disease
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Do-it-yourself (DIY) home renovations can be a great way to save money.
And if you're particularly skilled with a hammer and saw, there's no reason why you can't take on some of the work yourself!
One of the most common places DIY enthusiasts and renovators seek affordable and stylish fixtures is IKEA. However, a frightening revelation about one of their kitchen fixtures could potentially be putting buyers', DIY enthusiasts' and renovators’ health at risk, leading to a potentially incurable disease.
IKEA recently encountered a surge of backlash due to their engineered stone benchtops—a commonly purchased fixture in many Australian homes.
They have been accused of 'hypocrisy', with critics calling for the immediate removal of the product from shelves over unsettling links to a deadly disease.
Australia's national construction union had addressed a scathing letter to IKEA’s Australian Chief Executive, Mirja Viinanen, expressing their outrage over the company’s failure to recall these potentially lethal benchtops following a horrifying revelation by Safe Work Australia.
An alarming report released recently by federal and state workplace ministers highlighted a recommendation for a complete ban on engineered stone products to protect current and future generations of workers from contracting a lethal disease known as silicosis and even lung cancer.
Silicosis, a devastating and incurable disease, is caused by inhaling particles of silica dust which came from the cutting, grinding and polishing of benchtops that contain a high concentration of crystalline silica
'There is no shortage of public information available about how engineered stone products lead directly to the untimely deaths of workers,' Zach Smith, Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union’s (CFMEU) National Secretary said.
'It is hard to see IKEA Australia’s latest sustainability report as anything more than greenwashing hypocrisy when IKEA completely ignores the consequences of the killer stone that is creating a once-in-a-generation workplace human tragedy.'
According to Mr Smith, Ms Viinanen who is coincidentally IKEA Australia’s Chief Sustainability Officer as well, should utilise her 'personal power to save lives now'.
'The science is clear: there is no safe way to work with these products.'
'It is completely foreseeable that, in the near future, engineered stone benchtops will be viewed like asbestos: a toxic material in homes that should be removed as soon as possible.'
This comes after news of major protests at Bunning stores across Australia.
In a concerted effort, hundreds of union members marched outside stores across the country on a Saturday, as part of the Stop This Killer Stone campaign.
The union's goal was to highlight the same stone bench product's potential hazards, ensuring the safety of both workers and consumers.
‘Bunnings customers deserve to know it is profiting from killer stone benchtops,’ said CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith.
‘Our members have today been educating Bunnings customers so as many people as possible have the facts about engineered stone and the alternatives that don't kill workers.’
‘Bunnings will stop selling Killer Stone immediately if it really cares about Australian workers’ lives.’
You can read more details about this story here.
Other diseases that silica dust may cause are as follows:
'The cost to industry, while real and relevant, cannot outweigh the significant costs to Australian workers, their families and the broader community that result from exposure to respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone,' the report said.
The question remains: has IKEA done enough to mitigate these risks?
IKEA’s response has been to assure its customers that it works directly with its custom-made engineered stone suppliers, ensuring that they adhere to the highest safety standards and that they are ‘closely monitoring’ updates from the government.
'IKEA conducts regular third-party supplier audits to make sure these standards are strictly followed,' a spokesperson for the company said.
'We are closely monitoring any regulatory changes from the government on custom-made engineered stone products, based on the report and recommendation from Safe Work Australia, and will take any action required to ensure the safety of our suppliers.'
What will come of the engineered stone benchtops remains undecided.
State and federal workplace ministers recently stumbled in reaching a definitive decision, and we will have to wait until the end of the year to learn of the benchtops’ fate.
The CFMEU, however, has vowed to ban its memes from utilising or importing engineered stone products starting July 2024, should the federal and state governments take no action.
In light of the severe health risks and the possible ban on engineered stone benchtops, we advise all members to give serious thought before purchasing these types of benchtops for your renovations.
Let us know your thoughts on this news in the comments below!
And if you're particularly skilled with a hammer and saw, there's no reason why you can't take on some of the work yourself!
One of the most common places DIY enthusiasts and renovators seek affordable and stylish fixtures is IKEA. However, a frightening revelation about one of their kitchen fixtures could potentially be putting buyers', DIY enthusiasts' and renovators’ health at risk, leading to a potentially incurable disease.
IKEA recently encountered a surge of backlash due to their engineered stone benchtops—a commonly purchased fixture in many Australian homes.
They have been accused of 'hypocrisy', with critics calling for the immediate removal of the product from shelves over unsettling links to a deadly disease.
IKEA faces backlash due to the risk that comes with their engineered stone benchtops. Image source: IKEA (left), Freepik (right).
Australia's national construction union had addressed a scathing letter to IKEA’s Australian Chief Executive, Mirja Viinanen, expressing their outrage over the company’s failure to recall these potentially lethal benchtops following a horrifying revelation by Safe Work Australia.
An alarming report released recently by federal and state workplace ministers highlighted a recommendation for a complete ban on engineered stone products to protect current and future generations of workers from contracting a lethal disease known as silicosis and even lung cancer.
Silicosis, a devastating and incurable disease, is caused by inhaling particles of silica dust which came from the cutting, grinding and polishing of benchtops that contain a high concentration of crystalline silica
'There is no shortage of public information available about how engineered stone products lead directly to the untimely deaths of workers,' Zach Smith, Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union’s (CFMEU) National Secretary said.
'It is hard to see IKEA Australia’s latest sustainability report as anything more than greenwashing hypocrisy when IKEA completely ignores the consequences of the killer stone that is creating a once-in-a-generation workplace human tragedy.'
According to Mr Smith, Ms Viinanen who is coincidentally IKEA Australia’s Chief Sustainability Officer as well, should utilise her 'personal power to save lives now'.
'The science is clear: there is no safe way to work with these products.'
'It is completely foreseeable that, in the near future, engineered stone benchtops will be viewed like asbestos: a toxic material in homes that should be removed as soon as possible.'
This comes after news of major protests at Bunning stores across Australia.
In a concerted effort, hundreds of union members marched outside stores across the country on a Saturday, as part of the Stop This Killer Stone campaign.
The union's goal was to highlight the same stone bench product's potential hazards, ensuring the safety of both workers and consumers.
‘Bunnings customers deserve to know it is profiting from killer stone benchtops,’ said CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith.
‘Our members have today been educating Bunnings customers so as many people as possible have the facts about engineered stone and the alternatives that don't kill workers.’
‘Bunnings will stop selling Killer Stone immediately if it really cares about Australian workers’ lives.’
You can read more details about this story here.
Other diseases that silica dust may cause are as follows:
- acute silicosis - can develop after a short exposure to very high levels of silica dust, within a few weeks or years, and causes severe inflammation and an outpouring of protein into the lung
- accelerated silicosis - can develop after exposures of 3 to 10 years to moderate to high levels of silica dust and causes inflammation, protein in the lung and scarring of the lung (fibrotic nodules)
- chronic silicosis - can develop after long term exposure to lower levels of silica dust. It can lead to fibrotic nodules, shortness of breath, and progressive massive fibrosis
- chronic bronchitis
- emphysema
- lung cancer
- kidney damage, or
- scleroderma - a disease of the connective tissue of the body resulting in the formation of scar tissue in the skin, joints and other organs of the body.
'The cost to industry, while real and relevant, cannot outweigh the significant costs to Australian workers, their families and the broader community that result from exposure to respirable crystalline silica from engineered stone,' the report said.
The question remains: has IKEA done enough to mitigate these risks?
IKEA’s response has been to assure its customers that it works directly with its custom-made engineered stone suppliers, ensuring that they adhere to the highest safety standards and that they are ‘closely monitoring’ updates from the government.
'IKEA conducts regular third-party supplier audits to make sure these standards are strictly followed,' a spokesperson for the company said.
'We are closely monitoring any regulatory changes from the government on custom-made engineered stone products, based on the report and recommendation from Safe Work Australia, and will take any action required to ensure the safety of our suppliers.'
What will come of the engineered stone benchtops remains undecided.
State and federal workplace ministers recently stumbled in reaching a definitive decision, and we will have to wait until the end of the year to learn of the benchtops’ fate.
The CFMEU, however, has vowed to ban its memes from utilising or importing engineered stone products starting July 2024, should the federal and state governments take no action.
Let us know your thoughts on this news in the comments below!
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