Silica dust has moved from a jobsite safety topic to a legal, purchasing, and design issue. The new silicosis law now in effect this year is part of a wider push to reduce worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica, the fine dust released when materials such as engineered stone, concrete, brick, mortar, tile, and natural stone are cut, ground, drilled, or polished. For contractors, builders, countertop fabricators, remodelers, and homeowners planning a kitchen, the chan

Quartz is easy to overlook because it is almost everywhere. It sits in beach sand, sparkles inside granite, keeps time in wristwatches, strengthens concrete, and helps carry signals through the devices people use every day. Few materials have traveled so far without losing their identity. At its simplest, quartz is a crystal form of silicon dioxide, written as `SiO₂`. At its most useful, it is a bridge between Earth’s deep past and modern technology. Its story begins in cooli