'I'm 48 and have just weeks to live after years of cutting kitchen worktops'

Dad-of-three Marek Marzec moved from Poland to the UK successful hopes of gathering a amended beingness - but years of moving cutting room countertops has near him with a devastating diagnosis

A dad-of-three has been told helium has lone weeks near to unrecorded aft processing a disease arsenic a effect of years of cutting room worktops.

Marek Marzec is present taking ineligible enactment against his erstwhile employers after helium developed lung illness silicosis. He says he's furious astir the interaction the "lethal" particulate produced by years of cutting quartz worktops has had connected him.

At conscionable 48, Marek is present connected his deathbed, having been excessively unwell to acquisition a perchance lifesaving lung transplant. He has complained of "appalling" enactment conditions, but helium hopes to forestall others from dying by simply "doing their job".

Marek is being represented by instrumentality steadfast Leigh Day, who are besides representing respective different erstwhile stoneworkers who were likewise diagnosed with silicosis and are demanding "urgent" information changes. Marek, primitively from Poland, has worked for respective engineered chromatic manufacturers successful northbound London and Hertfordshire since 2012.

He was diagnosed with silicosis successful April earlier this year, with his information sadly having deteriorated rapidly since. Marek is presently being treated astatine Whittington Hospital successful northbound London and is nether the attraction of starring occupational lung illness adept Dr Jo Feary from the Royal Brompton Hospital.

But his silicosis, a semipermanent lung illness caused by the inhalation of ample amounts of crystalline silica particulate - is present astatine specified an precocious signifier that Marek has been fixed conscionable weeks to live. A caller survey has recovered that chromatic workers similar Marek had developed an acute signifier of silicosis that causes important shortness of enactment and terrible disability, with a lung transplant often being the lone attraction option.

But for Marek, helium was excessively unwell to acquisition the large country and is present receiving end-of-life care. Speaking from hospital, helium said helium had been near successful "terrible pain" and incapable to respire "simply for doing my job".

"I arrived successful the UK hoping to physique a amended beingness and wanting to marque definite that my young daughters were financially secure," helium explained. "Instead, due to the fact that of the enactment I did cutting quartz worktops, I person been near incapable to respire and successful unspeakable pain.

"I cannot archer you however aggravated I americium that I was allowed to enactment successful these conditions and that my beingness has been chopped abbreviated simply for doing my job. I americium not the lone idiosyncratic whose beingness has been enactment astatine hazard by this lethal dust. It is clip for urgent enactment to halt these unsafe moving conditions I had to look earlier different chromatic workers declaration this unspeakable illness and die."

Leigh Day's ineligible squad accidental tougher information measures are urgently needed to halt the increasing fig of cases of silicosis linked to cutting engineered chromatic - which has already claimed the beingness of astatine slightest 1 different chromatic worker. Ewan Tant, Marek's solicitor and spouse astatine Leigh Day, warned that without these measures, further deaths could beryllium seen successful the coming years.

"This is simply a tragic case, with my lawsuit present connected end-of-life attraction arsenic a effect of moving with engineered stone, successful what helium alleges were appalling conditions, wholly unfit for purpose," said Mr Tant. "No 1 should extremity up facing the bleakest of outcomes simply arsenic a effect of going to work. We are profoundly acrophobic that, unless thing is done to code the dangers of moving with engineered chromatic without due protection, we whitethorn beryllium looking astatine much cases with likewise appalling - and perchance fatal - outcomes successful the adjacent future."