NSW childcare centres, schools call on asbestos specialists amid sand scare

Major retailers have recalled eight products after finding asbestos in children's play sand, while removal experts warn against DIY clean-up attempts.

Multiple sand products have been recalled after they were found to contain traces of asbestos. Picture: Facebook

The scale of Australia’s latest asbestos scare remains unknown in NSW almost a week after children’s sand sold by some of the nation’s biggest retailers was found to contain the cancer-causing mineral.

Tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring instance of the cancer-causing mineral, has been found in at least four brands of colourful art and craft sand sold wholesale to childcare centres and preschools, and off the shelf at major retailers Kmart and Officeworks.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a voluntary recall notice for an initial tranche of products sold in buckets last Wednesday, but the list has since grown to eight different items.

Though the federal government’s Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency indicated that “the risk of exposure is low”, more than 70 schools across the ACT and Jervis Bay Territory were closed in response to the discovery.

Hazard signs and caution tape at the closed Weetangera Primary School in Canberra on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Specialist decontamination teams were sent into more than 130 South Australian schools over the weekend, and individual schools in Brisbane and Tasmania chose to close.

“It’s an evolving situation that we’re continuing to monitor,” a spokeswoman for the Asbestos Safety agency said.

“A precautionary approach is warranted.”

However, despite the prevalence of the products and interstate responses, no NSW schools have been closed for clean-up.

The NSW Department of Education issued an alert to its public schools on Friday, urging them to “immediately and safely removed these sand products if they have them”, a spokesman said, but all schools – including Catholic and independent schools – remain operational.

Hunter Asbestos Services were called in to clean-up a local NSW school over the weekend. Picture: Facebook

Meanwhile, a small number of childcare centres and preschools have enlisted the services of asbestos removalists. However, there is no public register of closures or clean-ups.

Australian Childcare Alliance NSW chief executive Chiang Lim said “at this stage, we don’t know” how widespread the issue is.

“It’s even available on Amazon, so we have no idea how much has been supplied into the sector,” he said.

Neither the NSW Environmental Protection Agency, which co-ordinated the state’s response to last year’s mulch asbestos crisis, NSW Health nor SafeWork NSW were able to indicate how the state government intended to respond to the sand scare, or which agency would take the lead.

A NSW Health spokeswoman confirmed the department was “aware” of the recalls, but said “preliminary assessment has not found any respirable asbestos in the samples tested”.

“In the short-term consumers and schools and childcare centres should put these products in heavy duty plastic bags and store them out of reach until definitive disposal advice is available,” she said.

The advice echoed the ACCC’s latest missive which stated consumers should “stop using any identified sand products immediately”. If the sand has been used, consumers should “wear gloves, mask, (and) disposable coveralls” while cleaning up “using wet cloths to avoid generating dust”.

Recall notice for Anko play sand products issued by Kmart on Monday afternoon. Picture: Supplied

Hunter Asbestos Services owner Aidan Halliday has already cleaned up one after-school care classroom over the weekend, and said five more centres had since rung up for advice.

He expressed concerns after finding out at least one service had thrown its sand bucket straight in the bin before calling a specialist.

“Contact an environmental hygienist or asbestos removal specialist and they can guide you in the direction of what to do first,” he said.

Mr Halliday said affected schools and childcare centres should call an expert before trying to remove the sand themselves. Picture: Facebook

Licensed removalists have access to specialise equipment. Picture: Facebook

“Some people have taken advice from Officeworks or Kmart to bag it up and send it to them, but their bags aren’t asbestos-graded.”

Mr Halliday said it was possible the list of affected products would continue to grow, and that the full extent of the risk was not yet known.

“It all takes time and testing, so the best thing you can do is take the precaution,” he said.

Originally published as NSW childcare centres, schools call on asbestos specialists amid sand scare