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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Catie McLeod Consumer affairs reporter

Contaminated children’s play sand sold in Australia can release toxic airborne asbestos, research finds

Colourful buckets of EC Rainbow Sand in various colours displayed with product labels showing rainbow bottles
Educational Colours sand products are among those recalled over concerns that they may contain asbestos. Photograph: ACCC

Colourful children’s play sand that was sold in Australia while contaminated with asbestos can release hazardous airborne fibres of the toxic mineral, researchers have discovered.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the lead researcher of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) study, which found 90% of craft sand samples released asbestos into the air when played with, confirmed the products had been sold in Australia.

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