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Schoolyards across Queensland are being combed for a play item suspected to contain asbestos that could have been on the grounds for up to five years.
The Australian consumer watchdog issued a recall notice on Wednesday evening covering several brands of children’s play sand – Kadink Sand, Educational Colours Rainbow Sand and Creatistics Coloured Sand – it suspected could contain the hazardous material.
On Friday morning, Brisbane independent special school Mancel College issued a notice to parents it had located the sand on campus, where it had been used in sensory play activities.
Mancel College, in Brisbane’s west, closed on Friday after finding an item used for sensory play might be contaminated with asbestos.Credit: Mancel College
“It has been used in some of the Junior School and we have now found some in the Senior School,” the notice read.
“While the advice is low risk and there are only minor traces, we are acting with an abundance of caution.
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“We are therefore advising parents that with immediate effect we are closing the entire college today.”
Mancel College, in western Brisbane suburb Fig Tree Pocket, has almost 180 students enrolled and specialises in teaching children who have language disorders.
The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission detected tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, in some samples of the coloured play sand product following lab testing.
The sand – packaged in 1-1.3 kilogram batches – was sold between 2020 and 2025.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said Officeworks was a major supplier, alongside educational supply stores Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids and Zart Art.
Fifteen public schools in Canberra were closed on Friday after traces of asbestos were detected in decorative coloured sand products.Credit: ACCC
On Friday morning, 15 state schools in Canberra were closed following concerns the schools were using the contaminated products and testing began.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said the decision to close schools was made on Thursday night, and the territory would decide whether to reopen affected campuses on Sunday.
Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute chair Peter Tighe told 4BC had likely been in the product from when it was mined.
“When you’re mining mineral sands, which coloured sands usually are, it’s very easy to come across a seam of what they call naturally occurring asbestos,” Tighe said.
He said companies could avoid asbestos seams by testing the ground first, and monitoring the seams to make sure they remained unbroken.
Tighe said the products being sold over a five-year period meant some schools had almost certainly come into contact with contaminated batches.
“Asbestos fibres that are in the sand themselves are the 100th, size of a human hair, so it just shows how difficult they are to detect,” he said.
But he added that exposure would not necessarily lead to an asbestos-related disease, and anyone who thought their family had been “excessively exposed” should seek medical advice.
In Brisbane, no additional schools had closed or reported finding the contaminated material by midday on Friday, although governing bodies were still performing checks across the region.
No daycares or play centres had reported finding the recalled coloured sand either.
There are more than 300 schools in the Brisbane City Council area, including about 240 primary schools.
With Elias Visontay and Emily Kaine
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