Australia Bans Engineered Stone Nationally

Engineered stone products will be banned across the country to protect workers from developing deadly health conditions. The ban will come into effect from July 1, following an agreement by federal, state, and territory workplace ministers at a meeting on Wednesday. Engineered stone, which is commonly used in kitchen benchtops, has been dubbed a modern-day asbestos, with workers who use the product often developing the incurable and deadly lung disease silicosis. As part of the national measure, the federal government has indicated it will introduce a ban on engineered stone being imported to Australia. A statement from the meeting said a transition period would need to be put in place for contracts involving engineered stone that were entered into before the ban was announced....