HSE’s updated model attributes about 700 annual lung cancer deaths in Great Britain to past occupational silica exposure, averaged over 2020–2024. Specialist reporting also identified 24 estimated new silicosis cases in 2024.
Respirable crystalline silica is fine dust generated when silica-containing materials are cut, drilled, ground or polished. This guide separates modelled lung cancer burden, silicosis surveillance, benefit assessments and HSE’s 2026 engineered-stone inspection programme. Each measure has its own population and reporting period.
Key facts and figures
- 1,020 estimated annual lung cancer registrations attributable to silica in Great Britain, average 2018–2022.
- 700 estimated annual lung cancer deaths attributable to silica in Great Britain, average 2020–2024.
- 500+ construction lung cancer deaths were attributed to silica in historical research for 2005; not a current annual count.
- 24 engineered-stone silicosis cases had been reported within THOR by the end of 2024; this is not a complete national total.
- 40 new IIDB assessments for pneumoconiosis from agents other than coal or asbestos in 2024; HSE considers most to be silicosis.
- 12 deaths with silicosis as the underlying cause in Great Britain in 2024, a separate measure from modelled lung cancer deaths.
- 0.1 mg/m³ is the Great Britain WEL for respirable crystalline silica, averaged over eight hours; exposure must also be reduced as low as reasonably practicable.
- 1,000+ inspections of stone fabricators were planned by HSE over the twelve months from May 2026. Dry cutting is unacceptable unless controls are at least as effective as water suppression.
Checked on 15 October 2026. HSE’s 2025 silicosis report contains 2024 surveillance data; the updated cancer tables use 2020–2024 mortality and 2018–2022 registrations. The May 2026 inspection programme is a planned programme, not a completed inspection count.
How many UK workers are exposed to silica dust?
Silica exposure occurs across construction, stone fabrication, quarrying, foundries and ceramics. The widely repeated workforce estimate is not a current exposure census, so this page focuses on HSE’s dated disease measures. Neither a diagnosis count nor a cancer burden estimate tells us how many people are exposed today.
Cutting, drilling or grinding silica-containing material can generate respirable dust, including during brief tasks. Assess the process and controls, not only products with hazard labels. Supplier information can help, but the absence of a safety data sheet or visible dust does not establish safety.
How many people die from silica dust in the UK?
HSE’s updated model estimates 700 annual silica-attributable lung cancer deaths in Great Britain for 2020–2024 and 1,020 registrations for 2018–2022. It applies historical attributable fractions to more recent cancer statistics. HSE’s older construction study attributed more than 500 deaths in 2005 to silica; that remains a historical sector estimate. The broader occupational lung disease estimate is about 11,000 deaths annually across all agents.
HSE records 12 deaths with silicosis as the underlying cause in Great Britain in 2024, and an average of 12 annually over the preceding ten years. Separately, an ONS response dated 6 February 2026 reported a provisional 7 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025 under ICD-10 J62. That early provisional figure should not be treated as a final UK total.
Modelled silica-attributable lung cancer deaths and registered deaths with silicosis as the underlying cause measure different diseases and use different methods. The 700 estimate is not a count of death certificates naming silica. The smaller silicosis death count is also distinct from all deaths involving silicosis as a contributory condition.
Silica dust statistics at a glance
The table below summarises the headline UK measures and where each one currently stands.
| Measure | Latest figure | Period / trend |
|---|---|---|
| Silica-attributable lung cancer registrations, GB | 1,020 a year | Average 2018–2022, HSE model |
| Lung cancer deaths attributed to silica (GB) | 700 a year | Average 2020–2024, HSE model |
| Construction deaths from silica-related lung cancer | 500+ in 2005 | Historical HSE-commissioned estimate |
| New IIDB pneumoconiosis assessments, mainly silicosis | 40 | 2024; 35 in 2023 |
| Silicosis cases reported by chest physicians (SWORD) | 24 estimated cases | 2024; 12 in 2023 |
| Deaths with silicosis as underlying cause, GB | 12 | 2024 |
| Engineered-stone silicosis reports within THOR | 24 cumulative reports | By end of 2024 |
| Workplace exposure limit for RCS | 0.1 mg/m³ (8-hour TWA) | Current, HSE EH40 |
How many silicosis cases are diagnosed each year?
HSE reports 40 new IIDB assessments in 2024 for pneumoconiosis due to agents other than coal or asbestos, compared with 35 in 2023. It considers most of these to be silicosis, although the specific causal agent is not recorded by IIDB. THOR/SWORD separately estimated 24 new silicosis cases in 2024, compared with 12 in 2023. By the end of 2024, 24 engineered-stone cases had been reported within THOR, including 17 in 2024 and 5 in 2023.
Both IIDB and specialist surveillance are likely to substantially underestimate silicosis incidence. Assessments are not the same as successful benefit awards, and THOR depends on referral and reporting. HSE cautions that small numbers, changing reporting and pandemic disruption limit trend interpretation. Do not add the two series together.
Why is engineered stone a particular concern?
HSE’s latest published surveillance summary identifies 24 engineered-stone silicosis reports within THOR by the end of 2024. Its May 2026 announcement refers to the deaths of two young workers in recent years, without giving a comprehensive national case total. Engineered stone can contain up to 95% crystalline silica, and severe disease can develop after much shorter exposure than is typical of chronic silicosis.
Great Britain’s May 2026 response strengthened guidance and enforcement rather than creating a new statutory product ban. HSE says dry fabrication is unacceptable unless equally effective or better controls can be demonstrated. The applicable requirements concern the real exposure and the effectiveness of controls, not a comparison with another substance.
HSE’s research found dry fabrication typically produced respirable silica exposure five to ten times higher than wet methods using equivalent tools. This is a comparison under the researched conditions, not a universal multiplier for every process or a conversion from years of exposure to disease. Wet methods still require effective mist and residual exposure control.
What is HSE doing about silica dust?
More than 1,000 inspection visits to stone fabricators across Great Britain are being carried out over the 12 months from May 2026, when HSE announced its engineered-stone crackdown and declared that dry cutting of engineered stone is unacceptable unless equally effective controls can be demonstrated. The inspection programme runs through 2026/27, and the first visits were already under way when the announcement was made on 11 May 2026.
Alongside the inspections, HSE published its first-ever COSHH guidance sheet specifically for engineered stone. It tells employers to switch to low-silica stone where possible, use on-tool water suppression, control the mist that wet cutting creates, provide respiratory protective equipment, and run health surveillance for exposed workers — a direct application of the COSHH hierarchy of control, with substitution first and PPE last. For any business cutting stone, concrete or brick, the practical starting point is the same as for any hazardous substance: a suitable and sufficient COSHH risk assessment covering the dust the work creates, not just the products bought in.
What is the workplace exposure limit for silica dust?
The Great Britain WEL for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ as an eight-hour time-weighted average in HSE’s EH40. A workplace limit is not a boundary between harmless and harmful exposure. Use the applicable national rules and task-specific controls rather than relying on an international comparison alone.
COSHH requires adequate control, including reducing exposure to respirable crystalline silica as low as reasonably practicable and meeting the WEL. Use the relevant HSE task guidance for water suppression or extraction, suitable RPE where needed, and safe cleaning. Tight-fitting RPE needs suitable face-fit testing and an effective seal; do not dry-sweep silica-containing dust.
Frequently asked questions
How many people die from silicosis in the UK each year?
HSE records 12 Great Britain deaths with silicosis as the underlying cause in 2024. This differs from its updated estimate of 700 annual lung cancer deaths attributable to silica for 2020–2024. The two figures concern different diseases and methods.
How many workers are exposed to silica dust in the UK?
There is no current exposure census established by the sources used here. Relevant work includes construction, stone fabrication, quarrying, foundries and ceramics. Exposure depends on the material, task and controls; disease statistics cannot be converted into an exposed-worker count.
What is respirable crystalline silica?
Respirable crystalline silica is the very fine fraction of silica-containing dust that can reach deep into the lungs. Cutting, drilling or polishing materials such as concrete, brick and stone can generate it. Exposure can cause silicosis and lung cancer and contribute to COPD; the risk depends on the exposure.
Is engineered stone banned in the UK?
HSE’s May 2026 announcement did not introduce a new statutory product ban in Great Britain. It set out controls, effectively ruling out dry cutting unless equally effective or better control can be demonstrated, and announced more than 1,000 fabricator inspections over the following twelve months.
Is silica dust covered by COSHH?
Yes. Respirable crystalline silica has a workplace exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m³ and is treated as a carcinogen under COSHH, so employers must assess the risk and reduce exposure as low as reasonably practicable — even though silica dust is generated by the work rather than supplied in a labelled container.
Which jobs are most at risk from silica dust?
Stone fabrication, construction, quarrying, foundry and ceramics work can create serious exposure. Engineered stone can contain very high silica concentrations. Actual risk depends on the task and controls; these are examples of hazardous work rather than a verified national ranking.
Related guides
- COSHH Statistics UK: Hazardous Substances at Work
- Occupational Dermatitis Statistics UK: Work-Related Skin Disease
- What Substances Are Covered by COSHH? (And What Isn’t)
- How to Carry Out a COSHH Risk Assessment
- The COSHH Hierarchy of Control: How to Choose Controls in the Right Order
Sources & references
- HSE CAN02: annual cancer deaths, average 2020–2024
- HSE CAN03: annual cancer registrations, average 2018–2022
- HSE: Silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis statistics, 2025
- HSE: silica in construction and historical cancer burden
- HSE: Occupational lung disease statistics, 2025
- HSE: engineered-stone controls and inspection programme, May 2026
- ONS: provisional 2025 silicosis deaths, response of 6 February 2026
- HSE EH40: workplace exposure limits
Silica dust is a COSHH substance — make sure your team can recognise the risk and apply the right controls before the dust flies.
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, COSHH and accredited online training for COSHH Training, part of Online CPD Academy.