{"podcast":{"title":"The Bay","slug":"the-bay-504645","podcast_index_feed_id":504645,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327","website_url":"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/thebay/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/55805ad4-88bd-11ea-91c9-3b939e86e535/image/KQED_Podcast_tiles_-_NPR_network_The_Bay.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"KQED","episode_count":1215,"summary":"Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the news, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T20:20:00.238766+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bay-504645"},"episode":{"title":"Your Kitchen Countertop Could Be Making Workers Sick","slug":"your-kitchen-countertop-could-be-making-workers-sick","published_at":"2026-03-16T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bay-504645/your-kitchen-countertop-could-be-making-workers-sick","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bay-504645","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC5337052497.mp3?updated=1773434304","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC5337052497.mp3?updated=1773434304","summary":"Engineered stone, or quartz, is a man-made material made with high concentrations of silica that is commonly used to make kitchen countertops in the U.S. And it’s making the workers who cut this material sick. And even though California has safety rules in place to reduce the risk to workers, some say it’s time to ban the use of engineered stone altogether. This episode first aired on ⁠Dec. 15, 2025⁠. Links: Doctors say measures to control an incurable lung disease aren't enough : NPR As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers - KFF Health News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Engineered stone, or quartz, is a man-made material made with high concentrations of silica that is commonly used to make kitchen countertops in the U.S.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1341,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bay-504645/episodes/your-kitchen-countertop-could-be-making-workers-sick/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bay-504645/your-kitchen-countertop-could-be-making-workers-sick.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}