America’s Favorite Countertop Could Be on Its Way Out. What Could Replace Quartz?

America’s most popular countertop is now at the center of a deadly worker health crisis, as the people who cut and shape engineered quartz develop severe lung disease at an alarming—and rapidly accelerating—pace.Homeowners who already have quartz countertops are not believed to face the same danger.“Available evidence suggests engineered stone products do not pose a safety risk after installation” as long as they are not cut or otherwise processed, according to Safe Work Australia, which oversees workplace safety policy in a country that banned many engineered-stone products in 2024.The mounting evidence is instead threatening the future of the material itself. Australia has already banned many engineered-stone products, while California is pursuing emergency rules that would prohibit fabricating engineered stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica.What happens next could upend a countertop market long dominated by engineered quartz.Why quartz became so popular in the first placeTo understand what could take its place, it helps to unpack what homeowners look for in a countertop to begin with.Loading...Engineered quartz is made from crushed quartz bound with resins and pigmen...