Revealed: the number of Perth schools that used recalled asbestos sand

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has revealed 76 schools have purchased the coloured sand product recalled because it contained asbestos, but said there was no need to shut the schools down.

“The Chief Health Officer has been working with the Department of Education to advise those schools about how they can respond to any risks that they might entail,” Cook said.

“Our view is that they can be managed inside the school environment, and that the schools are talking to both their parent groups, but also to the Department of Education on how they can now remediate and respond to that particular product report.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a recall notice on Wednesday evening on a range of coloured sand brands in which they had detected a naturally occurring asbestos following lab testing.

The ACT shut down 70 schools on Monday to deal with the issue, while last week a major Queensland childcare provider C&K revealed it had used the sand at several of its centres.

But Cook said school shutdowns were not necessary in WA.

“We’re not anticipating these closures. The chief health officer has advised us that school closures aren’t necessary,” he said.

The Department of Education did not provide a list of the schools but deputy director general of schools Steve Watson said the safety of students and staff was its first consideration.

“We sent communication to all WA Public School principals on Friday to explain the immediate steps they need to take as outlined by the ACCC in the product safety recall,” he said.

“The Department of Education is acting on the advice of the Chief Health Officer and the Department of Health and will continue to update schools with timely advice and further action. This includes supporting schools to provide information to families.”

The recalled brands included Kadink Sand (1.3kg), Educational Colours - Rainbow Sand (1.3kg) and Creatistics - Coloured Sand (1kg) sold between 2020 and 2025.

Officeworks recalled KD Plain Sand (1.3kg), KD Magic Sand (2kg) in natural and purple, and Kadink six-piece decorative sand.

Over the weekend, Kmart and Target also recalled the Active Sandtub 14 piece sand castle building set as well as the blue, pink, and green magic sand tubs.

“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,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

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

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