MEDICS have called for urgent action to protect workers who cut artificial stone amid growing fears of another “asbestos-type health catastrophe.”

The government has been urged to consider banning the popular kitchen worktop material after a scientific paper documented a steep rise in an incurable lung condition linked to its manufacture.

Kitchen worktops made from artificial stone are cheaper than natural stone, such as granite or marble, but contain significantly more silica, which is released into the air when the material is cut.