Dozens of schools across Australia and New Zealand were shut on Monday after asbestos contamination prompted recall of children’s coloured play sand and clean-up efforts.
The closures follow laboratory results confirming traces of tremolite and chrysotile asbestos in several play sand products widely used in early-learning classrooms.
The initial alert came last week after an Australian safety regulator issued a national recall for sand supplied by Educational Colours. By the weekend, retailers Kmart and Target had voluntarily withdrawn additional items – including a 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set and tubs of blue, green and pink Magic Sand – after further testing revealed contamination.
“While the risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation is low, this may still pose a risk,” the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) warned, adding that respirable fibres had not yet been detected.
Asbestos, a dangerous substance linked to fatal illnesses, has been prohibited in Australia since 2003 and can only be brought into the country under very narrow exemptions.
On its website, Educational Colours Pty Ltd, which issued the recall, said: “Independent laboratory testing of Rainbow Sand and Coloured Sand products has detected traces of naturally occurring tremolite asbestos in some samples. Experts have advised that the safety risk is negligible, but the recall has been initiated as a precautionary measure.”
They also urged consumers to stop using the product immediately and avoid throwing it in regular rubbish or recycling.
The company said: “Place the sand (and any opened packaging) in a heavy-duty plastic bag. Double bag and seal with strong tape. Clearly label the bag ‘Do Not Open – Potential Asbestos Contamination’. Store it securely, out of reach of children.”
According to the ACCC, none of the tested samples contained respirable or airborne asbestos, and “the release of respirable asbestos fibres is unlikely to occur in its current state, unless the sand is processed by mechanical means such as crushing or pulverising”.
After an audit showed the products had been used extensively in public schools, authorities in Australian Capital Territory (ACT) closed 71 campuses on Monday to allow specialist assessors to remove and dispose of the sand.
ACT authorities noted that shutting the schools was “in the interest of the safety of our students, staff and community”.
ACT education minister Yvette Berry defended the sweeping measures, saying the territory’s asbestos rules were among the strictest in Australia. “We’re proud of that,” she said.
“I know it’s a small risk, however under the work, health and safety regulation we are required to eliminate the risk as far as reasonably practicable and that’s what we are doing,” she said.
“I can’t talk for or go through the legislation requirements under other states and territories.
“I understand the requirements of our legislation and those are the requirements that I’m meeting and that’s based on the advice that was first released by the ACCC around contaminated sand being identified.”
The territory’s Work Health and Safety Commissioner, Jacqueline Agius, noted that “low risk does not equate to no risk”.
“The testing that we conducted and the result that we received last Friday found chrysotile asbestos in the sample that we seized from a stationery store in the ACT,” she said.
“The asbestos that has been found in other samples around the country is tremolite asbestos and that asbestos has a more rigid fibre.”
Other Australian jurisdictions have taken a more limited approach. New South Wales issued a safety alert but kept all public schools open, while South Australia and Queensland focused on removals and supplier investigations. One independent school in Brisbane temporarily closed after identifying affected sand.
New Zealand also saw mounting disruption. At least eight schools closed on Monday after identifying recalled Kmart products on site, and around 150 schools and early-learning centres contacted officials over the weekend seeking guidance.
“At Kmart and Target, ensuring the safety of our products for our customers and team members is our number one priority,” Kmart said in a statement on its website. “Whenever there is any potential risk associated with a product, we act swiftly and proactively.
“The New Zealand regulator has advised us that it has detected traces of asbestos in a sand product in New Zealand. This is the Active Sand Tub (14-piece sand castle building set). We are taking immediate precautionary measures, including withdrawing all sand-based toys from sale and recalling four Anko branded products in Australia and New Zealand being the product tested by the NZ regulator, plus three other sand products from the same supplier (Anko Magic Sand in blue, green and pink).
“We understand how concerning this will be to many customers who have purchased these products and apologise for the inconvenience this has caused,” the statement added.
“We recommend they (parents) contact Healthline with any health concerns they may have about their children who may have come into contact with these products,” the education ministry’s spokesperson Sean Teddy said.
“Testing of a range of similar products is under way, so at this point we cannot say for certain if these are the only products that are contaminated,” Ian Caplin, the ministry’s product safety spokesperson said.
