Lung Disease: Dad dies after being told he had just weeks to live

A dad-of-three who developed a lung disease after years of cutting kitchen worktops in "appalling working conditions" has died.

Marek Marzec had recently shared the devastating impact on his health caused by "lethal" dust from cutting quartz worktops. The 48-year-old was too ill to undergo a potentially lifesaving lung transplant, and was given just weeks to live after his condition worsened, the MirrorUK reported.

In his final months, he hoped to prevent others from dying by simply "doing their job" by raising the alarm over the risks involved in his trade. Mr Marzec was in the process of taking legal action against the companies he used to work for.

Marek, who was originally from Poland, had worked for several engineered stone manufacturers in north London and Hertfordshire since 2012. He sadly passed away at the Whittington Hospital in London on November 30 from respiratory failure due to silicosis.

The cause of death was listed as 'Artificial Stone Silicosis' on his proposed death certificate, law firm Leigh Day said. Following Marek's death, his sister Monika Woźniak, who lives in Poland, spoke of the importance of raising awareness about the conditions he worked in. She said: “The family and I are all very saddened by the death of Marek. 

"[He] fought so bravely in the face of his diagnosis, as well as for future victims of this terrible condition, by speaking out to the media about engineered stone and the appalling conditions in which he worked. Marek was a beloved father and brother who will be missed by all of us, but we are proud of the legacy he has left by speaking up for the victims of silicosis.”

Leigh Day is representing Mr Marzec along with several other former stoneworkers similarly diagnosed with silicosis, and is demanding "urgent" safety changes. Mr Marzec was diagnosed with silicosis in April earlier this year, and his condition deteriorated rapidly in the months that followed.

He was being treated at the Whittington Hospital in London under the care of leading occupational lung disease expert Dr Jo Feary, from the Royal Brompton Hospital. However, his silicosis - a long-term lung disease caused by the inhalation of large amounts of crystalline silica dust - had reached such an advanced stage that he was given just weeks to live at the end of October.