A 22-year-old Gold Coast man says he's struggling to cope with social isolation, after becoming the youngest Queenslander to be diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease, silicosis.
The incurable condition is caused by exposure to silica dust from engineered stone benchtops and Connor Downes had been working with the material for just three years when he submitted himself for testing after a workmate was diagnosed. "When they did the respiratory tests with the CT scan you could straight away see the nodules all through my lung, big white powder sort of thing everywhere," he said.
"It has been a pretty rough process and right now I'm not allowed to work in the stone industry, there are a lot of jobs that I am not allowed to work in."It is tough because my days aren't getting filled with a whole lot apart from doctors appointments." Law firm Slater and Gordon has established a national registry of workers affected by the silica dust, in preparation for a class action against the manufacturers of the stone bench tops.
No one should die from going to work and earning a living.
Wheres the Unions protecting the workers? Is this the middle ages?
No PPE?