Prince Alfred College among more than 300 SA schools hit by asbestos sand school recall

A father has revealed parents have received conflicting information about the level of contact their children have had with asbestos sand as the number of schools affected hits 300+.

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An elite Adelaide private college is among more than 300 South Australian schools which have now reported asbestos-contaminated sand as Premier Peter Malinauskas has called for a federal inquiry into how the product entered the country.

The brightly coloured “kinetic sand”, which the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) identified may contain asbestos, was only reported in about 139 school sites as of Monday afternoon.

As of Monday evening, the Education Department revealed “more than 300 sites have contacted the department”.

Parent Richard Matthews said parents had been left “confused” at communication about the sand from the Education Department.

On Tuesday morning, the department website had listed the product at Paradise Primary School, the campus Mr Matthews’ six-year-old autistic son attends, as “sealed” and “secured”.

But the father, 36, told The Advertiser his son was playing with the open sand just days ago and classes had been moved to decontaminate the affected areas.

“The information we’ve been given seems to be changing every other day,” he said.

Paradise Primary School parent Richard Matthews was left alarmed at the communication from the Education Department about his son’s contact with the asbestos sand. Picture: Ben Clark

By Tuesday afternoon, the status of the sand at the school was changed on the website to “loose” and detailed that areas had been isolated.

An Education Department spokeswoman said initially one type of sand was sealed and secured at Paradise Primary until the list of recalled products was updated.

Products from Kmart were subsequently added to the list, which accounted for the discrepancy.

“We’re doing our best to ensure the information we provide is as timely and accurate as possible,” the spokeswoman said.

Among other schools affected was Prince Alfred College, in Kent Town, which closed two of its early learning centre classrooms and relocated its OSHC service and a year 1 class due to the contaminated sand.

Prince Alfred College principal David Roberts. Picture: Supplied

Prince Alfred College headmaster David Roberts told The Advertiser the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution”.

“The college has engaged a licensed asbestos removal specialist to complete an assessment,” Mr Roberts said.

A full clean and decontamination of affected areas will be undertaken.”

He detailed that children would “not move back into the classrooms until a clearance certificate has been issued by the assessor”.

“The health and safety of our students, staff and families remain our highest priority,” Mr Roberts said.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said after “young people in South Australia have their health interests protected” there would need to be a federal inquiry into how the sand entered Australia.

“At some point, I think there will need to be lines of inquiry made at a federal level around how the sand was to get into the nation in the first instance,” Mr Malinauskas said.

Education Minister Blair Boyer told FIVEAA Radio there was the possibility the number of schools affected “grows again”.

Education Minister Blair Boyer says more than 300 schools are now reporting asbestos-contaminated sand. Pic Roy VanDerVegt

“This stuff is so prevalent, not just in schools but in households as well,” he said on Tuesday’s breakfast show.

“Having visited hundreds of schools over the last four years, certainly I’ve seen this kinetic sand very, very often, so it’s not surprising the number, but of course it sets us a challenge in terms of being able to dispose of it all and where it’s loose, having those contractors come in and do a deep clean.”

The ACCC said the imported products – manufactured in China – could include tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, which was detected in some samples after laboratory testing.

Chronic exposure to airborne tremolite can increase the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and non-malignant lung and pleural disorders.

Currently only two schools have closed as a result of the contamination in South Australia, both being in the Catholic education system.

The Response Building Group, specialist cleaners seen removing materials which believe to be the coloured play sand which is feared to contain asbestos particles at Aldgate Primary school, Aldgate. Picture: Emma Brasier

Our Lady of La Vang Special School at Flinders Park and St Patrick’s Special School in Dulwich announced they would temporary close from Monday due to the sand at their sites.

Mr Boyer said those were the only schools disrupted but that wouldn’t stop the government “doing the right thing” if the contamination worsens.

As the numbers of schools reporting the asbestos-contaminated sand continue to rise, Mr Boyer said he remembered seeing it in classrooms for the first time as a “sensory product”.

“I remember when I first saw it, it was quite a remarkable thing, setting aside the obvious question about how the hell this stuff managed to get in the country without anyone realising it’s full of asbestos,” he said.

“I hope at some point we get around to a conversation nationally around how that happened.”

Originally published as Prince Alfred College among more than 300 SA schools hit by asbestos sand school recall