"Undamaged" is the key word there; asbestos at least seems very easy to damage. Is the same true for engineered stone? And even if you do damage it, I would expect it would not kick up enough dust to be a problem.

One difference is that stone countertops are not a danger to homeowners or people doing future basic renovation.

But they are - and the article mentions it. Alterations years later will still Produce dust.

Altering the manufactured stone is a deliberate act, and appropriate safety precautions can be mandated. (If people choose not to take those safety precautions, that's on them.)

Asbestos can get into your air through accidental damage to insulation, or in the case of lead, paint chipping or pipes aging can do the trick. This is just something that happens incidentally through the regular lifetime of the material, not because someone decided to do something to it.

Countertops are isolated units that can be removed safely without damaging them. Worst alteration I can think of is drilling a hole, another small operation that you can cover with water and vacuum.

Opening up a dry wall on the other hand, will inevitably dust up the whole house.

Install a new sink, gotta enlarge the opening, make lots of dust...

Asbestos was banned but lead is still used in many things.

It’s been banned in new residential construction since 1978.

What about faucets?

Lead is used in brass for corrosion resistance even in handling drinkable water. It does not markedly leach into the water and increases the usability of the plumbing from less than 5 years to more than 30 years.

Gas welding the material results in lead fumes. There is a big quarrel about the usage of lead in water pipe connector brass parts going on in the EU.

Lead was banned in a few specific products like paint.

You can still find it all over the place in things like cabinet pulls, door handles, and even ceramic tile.