Colourful Children's Sand Products Recalled Amid Asbestos Fears
A range of brightly coloured children's sand products sold at major retailers across Australia have been recalled due to concerns they may contain asbestos, a hazardous material that can cause terminal diseases and has been banned in the country since 2003. The Australian Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC) announced the recall on Wednesday after conducting tests on various products supplied by art supplies company Educational Colours, which identified the presence of "microscopic" asbestos fibres.
The affected products include 1.3kg versions of Kadink Sand and Educational Colours – Rainbow Sand, as well as smaller packages of Creatistics – Coloured Sand products from Officeworks. The ACCC has also issued a recall for KD Plain Sand (1.3kg), KD Magic Sand (2kg) in natural and purple, and Kadink six-piece decorative sand.
The products were manufactured in China, with nearly all supplied by Educational Colours, apart from Kadink decorative sand, which was supplied by local wholesaler Shamrock Australia. Officeworks commissioned an independent risk assessment that found no identifiable safety hazard relating to the products, but has commenced its own recall of the sand product supplied Shamrock Australia.
Customers are advised to stop using the affected products immediately and place them in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double taping it securely and keeping it away from children. When handling the product, customers should take precautions such as wearing disposable gloves and a mask.
Experts warn that while the risk of harm may be low, it is not zero, and parents whose children have come into contact with the recalled products are advised to seek advice from their local doctor. Asbestos-related diseases claim around 4,500 Australian lives each year, with no safe exposure level for anyone.
The incident has raised concerns about the adequacy of testing and regulation in Australia's import regime, with experts stating that all imports should be tested if there is any possibility they could contain asbestos.
A range of brightly coloured children's sand products sold at major retailers across Australia have been recalled due to concerns they may contain asbestos, a hazardous material that can cause terminal diseases and has been banned in the country since 2003. The Australian Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC) announced the recall on Wednesday after conducting tests on various products supplied by art supplies company Educational Colours, which identified the presence of "microscopic" asbestos fibres.
The affected products include 1.3kg versions of Kadink Sand and Educational Colours – Rainbow Sand, as well as smaller packages of Creatistics – Coloured Sand products from Officeworks. The ACCC has also issued a recall for KD Plain Sand (1.3kg), KD Magic Sand (2kg) in natural and purple, and Kadink six-piece decorative sand.
The products were manufactured in China, with nearly all supplied by Educational Colours, apart from Kadink decorative sand, which was supplied by local wholesaler Shamrock Australia. Officeworks commissioned an independent risk assessment that found no identifiable safety hazard relating to the products, but has commenced its own recall of the sand product supplied Shamrock Australia.
Customers are advised to stop using the affected products immediately and place them in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double taping it securely and keeping it away from children. When handling the product, customers should take precautions such as wearing disposable gloves and a mask.
Experts warn that while the risk of harm may be low, it is not zero, and parents whose children have come into contact with the recalled products are advised to seek advice from their local doctor. Asbestos-related diseases claim around 4,500 Australian lives each year, with no safe exposure level for anyone.
The incident has raised concerns about the adequacy of testing and regulation in Australia's import regime, with experts stating that all imports should be tested if there is any possibility they could contain asbestos.
these colourful kids sand products are literally everywhere nowadays... i mean who knew asbestos was hiding in plain sight? 
seriously though, its not that big of a deal to check the products before buying them and having them tested if you're unsure. like, we have better things to worry about, right? 
lets just make sure our kids are safe & sound... 
ugh what a nightmare these kids' sand products 
i mean who thought it was a good idea to sell toys with materials that can give u terminal cancer ?? 
and now ppl r gettin all worried cos their kiddos might've come into contact w/ it 
i dont blame the parents either, they should def be takin precautions 
like wearin gloves & masks n stuff...anywayz, hope everyone stays safe n healthy 
i mean who tests these products to make sure they're safe for kids? i dont get how you can just assume something wont contain asbestos and still sell it in australia we need way more transparency here...and what about the company that sold them? educational colours sounds like a total cop-out to me they should be held accountable for this and i want to know what exactly is being done to stop this from happening again 
It's just a nightmare for parents who already worry about their little ones getting sick or injured from playing with toys. I remember when my grandkids were young, they used to love playing in the sandbox at school and at home, not knowing that some of these products might be hiding something nasty. 
. It's also good to see experts reminding parents to take precautions, but it would be even better if the authorities could get ahead of these recalls before they happen in the first place 
Educational Colours needs a major slap on the wrist for selling these products without proper safety checks 
and now its affecting Aussie kids 
4,500 lives lost per year is crazy 
its like we need to step up our testing game in this country 
Australia should be more strict on imports 
and what's even more worrying is that it could've been avoided if they did a thorough risk assessment before selling these products 
it's like, how did this even happen?!? 
the ACCC is taking action but what about all those Aussie kids who might've already played with these sand products without a care 
? I'm all for safety first, let's make sure our little ones are protected 
and also, can we talk about how some companies just don't get it? 
#AsbestosRecall #KidsSafetyMatters #ParentingWins
I mean, we're talkin' about kids here, not just some old toys 
. We need better regulation in this country to ensure our little ones are safe and sound 
. Let's hope they get tested properly from now on 
.
I mean, I'm all for innovation and new ideas, but this is just crazy. I've got a little nephew who loves playing with sand and I'm literally stressing out thinking about him using this stuff. 
My little nephew loves playing with sand, so I'm super anxious that he might've already been exposed to this stuff. We need better testing and regulation in place, like now 
.
. I mean, who wants to take a risk with their little ones playing with sand products that might have asbestos in them? It's like, what even is the point of having a recall if it's just gonna happen again and again? And can you believe they manufactured these products in China? I guess that's where the problem lies 
. We need to be more careful, y'know? Can't have kids playing with stuff that can harm 'em long-term 
! I mean, can you imagine what would happen if some tiny fibres of asbestos were just sitting in a bag of colourful sand for our little ones to play with? 
!
. what i dont get is why everyone's in a tizzy over this when we know the country banned asbestos back in 2003 
. rite now they're sayin ppl with exposure should check w/ their docs, but isnt that kinda obvious? just seems like an overreaction to me 
...
? And the fact that these products were sold by major retailers in Australia without proper testing 
Like, how did this even happen? 
But seriously, can we please do better here? We need to make sure our kids' safety is top priority 
Anyway, seriously though, this is a major red flag. Those bright colours are basically screaming "we're not checking for asbestos!" 