Schools shut as asbestos recall spreads to Kmart, Target

More than 70 schools across the ACT and Queensland have been forced to close over fears of children being exposed to asbestos-laden coloured sand products, as retailers Kmart and Target joined Officeworks in taking the items off their shelves.

A number of schools and preschools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and one in Brisbane shut on Friday after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week issued an urgent recall notice for products Kadink Sand (1.3 kilogram), Educational Colours - Rainbow Sand (1.3 kilogram) and Creatistics - Coloured Sand (1 kilogram). The products were recalled because they may contain tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, the ACCC said, which was detected in some samples after laboratory testing.

Kmart and Target then pulled the products (a 14-piece sand castle building set as well as blue, green and pink magic sand) that are used in some sensory play and arts and craft.

The ACT government on Monday said the use of the tainted products is widespread across public schools in the territory, with 69 schools stocking the products and three schools holding small amounts.

The coloured sand products sold under the Educational Colours and Kadink brand, and potentially other sand products related to these brands, have been manufactured and imported from China, according to WorkSafe Queensland. They were sold across Australia between 2020 and 2025 at various retailers, including Officeworks, Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids and Zart Art.

“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,” a Kmart spokesperson said.

“All customers should stop using these products immediately and place the product in a heavy-duty plastic bag.”

The Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth), which advises chief health officers in each state and territory about environmental factors affecting health, said the recall was “a precautionary action” to minimise potential risk after an Australian-accredited laboratory found asbestos contamination in some imported products.

“Preliminary assessment indicates that there is a low risk to human health from these products,” enHealth advised.

Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute research director Associate Professor Anthony Linton said the actual risk to children was “actually very, very low”.

“The way in which these asbestos fibres are found within the sand has a very, very low risk of actually being respirable, that can actually enter the airways,” Linton told ABC Radio National.

Kmart and Target said respirable asbestos – the tiny fibres small enough to be breathed and trapped in the lungs – was not detected in any of the tested samples that had found tremolite asbestos, which is often considered more dangerous.

“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,” the retailers said. “The risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation, is low.”

ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said last week that Officeworks was a major supplier of the products. “We expect they will take all the necessary steps to alert their customers,” she said.

“We continue to engage with suppliers and expect all to provide appropriate support to consumers, including responding to queries and providing advice about arranging a refund.”

Lowe also issued a warning to customers about how to handle the products suspected of containing asbestos.

“We urge customers who own any of the products to stop using them immediately and place the sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag and double-tape it securely and keep it out of reach of children,” Lowe said.

“When doing so, in an abundance of caution, customers should take precautions such as wearing disposable gloves and a mask.”

Customers are urged not to dispose of the product in general waste. A voluntary recall was issued in New Zealand earlier on Wednesday.

Officeworks said that risks associated with the sand products were negligible but it recalled the products as a precaution.

“Officeworks also obtained an independent health and safety risk assessment on EC’s products conducted by Occupational Hygiene and OHS Solutions, which concluded there is no identifiable safety hazard and therefore the safety risk associated with these products is negligible,” it said in a statement.

“Withdrawal from sale and voluntary recall of the products has been taken purely as a precautionary measure.”

With AAP

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