Ban on Domestic Use of Silica on the Cards in Australia

Employment and Workplace Minister Tony Burke speaks during the jobs and skills summit at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2022. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Australian federal workplace ministers will ask state and federal ministers to accelerate the ban on the domestic use of silica due to the risks it carries of causing an incurable, progressive, and in many cases, fatal lung disease.

Each year around 600,000 Australian workers are exposed to silica dust at work, according to the Australian Workers Union.