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Asbestos could be present in a range of brightly coloured sand products aimed at children and sold at retailers including Officeworks, the consumer watchdog has warned.
The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued an urgent recall notice on Wednesday night for products Kadink Sand (1.3 kilogram), Educational Colours - Rainbow Sand (1.3 kilogram) and Creatistics - Coloured Sand (1 kilogram) over fears they may contain the hazardous material that is prohibited in Australia.
Some of the coloured sand that has been recalled.Credit: ACCC
The products were recalled because they may contain tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, the ACCC said, which was detected in some samples after laboratory testing.
The sand products in question were sold across Australia between 2020 and 2025 at various retailers including Officeworks, Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids and Zart Art.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said Officeworks was a major supplier of the products.
“We expect they will take all the necessary steps to alert their customers,” she said.
The 1.3kg EC Rainbow Sand was included in the recall.Credit: ACCC
“We continue to engage with suppliers and expect all to provide appropriate support to consumers including responding to queries, and providing advice about arranging a refund.”
Lowe also issued a warning to customers about how to handle the products suspected of containing asbestos.
“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,” she said.
“When doing so, in an abundance of caution, customers should take precautions such as a wearing disposable gloves and a mask,” Lowe said.
The sand products are being recalled because they may include asbestos.Credit: ACCC
Customers are urged not to dispose of the product in general waste. A voluntary recall was issued in New Zealand earlier on Wednesday.
Officeworks said the risks associated with the sand products were negligible but said it recalled the products as a precaution.
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“Officeworks also obtained an independent health and safety risk assessment on EC’s products conducted by Occupational Hygiene and OHS Solutions, which concluded there is no identifiable safety hazard and therefore the safety risk associated with these products is negligible,” it said in a statement.
“Withdrawal from sale and voluntary recall of the products has been taken purely as a precautionary measure,” it said.
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