A construction worker who began his career at 16 is urging younger colleagues to insist on proper protective equipment after exposure to toxic dust left him with three life-threatening illnesses, including cancer.
Athol Hill, 56, has silicosis, a chronic lung disease, as well as lung cancer that spread to his pancreas and led surgeons to remove half of his left lung.
The stonemason was also diagnosed with scleroderma in the 2000s. The autoimmune disease causes the skin to thicken and harden and, in some cases, can damage internal organs.
Athol believes all three conditions are connected to inhaling silica dust, which becomes airborne when materials including brick, concrete, stone, asphalt and tile are cut.
Once inhaled, silica particles can travel deep into the lungs, causing permanent damage and potentially triggering fatal respiratory and autoimmune diseases.
Although Athol says construction safety rules in the UK have “improved” during the 35 years since he entered the trade, he believes many workers remain exposed to serious risks.
“When you’ve been in this job long enough, there will be silica exposure.
“Companies can put every possible safeguard in place, but responsibility still comes down to the individual.
Athol Hill has developed three conditions linked to inhaling toxic particles from quartz worktops
“It’s too late for me, but I’m telling the younger guys to keep pressing their employers for the best equipment available. That way, they can work safely and enjoy long, healthy careers.”
Silicosis is still considered uncommon, but health specialists are increasingly concerned about cases among workers who cut engineered-stone kitchen worktops, including quartz products containing more than 90 per cent silica.
Official figures recorded 12 silicosis deaths in Britain in 2024, but experts warn that lung cancer may account for a far greater proportion of the health damage caused by workplace exposure.
The Health and Safety Executive estimates that occupational silica exposure is associated with around 700 deaths every year.
The growing concerns have prompted many medical professionals to call for engineered stone to be banned outright.
“I know a few guys who have died because of complications from inhaling silica dust, and I just want that to stop,” Athol said.
“It’s too late for me now, but I’m sharing my story for the young guys coming into the industry.”
Athol began work as an apprentice stonemason at 16. He recalls being “thrown in at the deep end”, cutting stone almost immediately after starting his career.
Athol says he knows several colleagues who have died from construction-related illnesses
At the time, he says building sites offered virtually no protection, apart from a paper mask “if you were lucky”.
By the late 1990s, Athol first heard about silica dust after learning that older colleagues were “suffering ailments” linked to exposure.
Around the same period, the company he worked for introduced regular chest X-rays and breathing tests, he said.
Those checks ultimately led to his scleroderma diagnosis in 2000, after he noticed that his fingers had become hard and difficult to move.
By February 2006, Athol said the pain had become so severe that he had “not had a full night’s sleep in over a year”. The condition eventually resulted in the amputation of his right index finger.
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He continues to experience ulcerations on some of his fingers.
Athol has undergone regular lung monitoring since 2000. During one scan in 2010, doctors spotted something that required further investigation.
A chest specialist ordered a more detailed CT scan, which revealed early-stage silicosis in both lungs.
Athol said he only realised “how dangerous it can be” after researching the condition himself.
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of silicosis include a persistent cough, breathlessness, weakness and fatigue.
As the disease progresses, scarring develops in the lungs and limits the amount of oxygen transferred into the bloodstream.
This damage can lead to heart failure, severe lung infections and high blood pressure in the arteries supplying the lungs.
Fashionable quartz kitchen worktops have been linked to a rise in silicosis among workers
Athol said his lung capacity steadily declined over time.
Then, in December 2021, when he was 52, his rheumatologist noticed a change in his breathing and referred him for a CT scan. The scan showed an abnormality in his left lung.
Further testing confirmed a cancerous growth. “I was gutted, scared and shocked – all of those words and all of the emotions you can imagine,” Athol said.
“It felt like a kick in the proverbial you-know-what.”
A biopsy carried out in February 2022 revealed three malignant tumours. Surgeons removed half of his left lung in an effort to eliminate the cancer.
Although doctors told Athol they had “got it all”, tumours returned in his lung four years later, in April this year.
Doctors also found cancer in his pancreas, although they said it was unrelated to the lung cancer.
In September this year, Athol had part of his pancreas and spleen removed. He is now waiting to learn whether he can begin chemotherapy.
Doctors believe the powerful cancer treatment could worsen his silicosis.
Scott McGibbon, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building who previously worked on construction sites, is calling for “stronger government leadership” to tackle the issue.
“We have an opportunity to prevent thousands of future cases of occupational disease, but that requires stronger government leadership, improved training and silica dust management built into the way projects are procured, planned and delivered.”
The workplace exposure limit is 0.1 milligrams of silica dust per cubic metre of air, averaged across an eight-hour period. Employers are legally required to introduce controls such as risk assessments, health monitoring for vulnerable workers and suitable respiratory protective equipment.
For particularly hazardous tasks, this can include air-purifying respirators and FFP3 masks, the highest level of filtering face-piece protection.
Mr McGibbon has created a toolkit to help construction professionals and people carrying out DIY projects at home understand the dangers of silica dust.
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