Two more children’s toys pulled from shelves over ‘asbestos content’
Two additional children’s sand sets commonly sold in the UK were withdrawn from sale after a consumer group found they contained asbestos.
Findings According to Which? It follows a series of product recalls due to asbestos contamination.
One of the recently recalled products, marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, is designed for hands-on learning to support fine motor skills by encouraging children to draw in the sand using the pencils included in the set or with their fingers. Sold through Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop.
Which? Tests revealed that the sand contained tremolite asbestos, a banned, naturally occurring mineral that can become airborne and cause serious lung disease when inhaled at even low levels.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans.
Products containing any amount of asbestos, including trace amounts, are prohibited for sale in the UK.
A second sand art tray tested by Which? It was purchased from the TikTok Shop and is also available for sale at three separate sellers on Amazon Marketplace.
Which? He said the set remained on sale on both platforms until May, despite the same product being recalled by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in March due to asbestos contamination. OPSS has now updated the original recall notice to include Amazon and TikTok Shop.
Which? Investigators also found tremolite asbestos in a GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set purchased from Asda and bearing the RMS International Limited brand.
But the watchdog also found the same kit being sold on eBay from three private sellers.
More than 39 recall notices regarding asbestos-contaminated sand products have been issued by OPSS since November.
The issue has also led to the closure of schools and parks, most recently in North East England.
The affected toys are believed to contain sand from certain quarries in China where naturally occurring asbestos is present.
Which? Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Policy, said: “It is outrageous that online marketplaces are selling products that could expose children to asbestos, especially when some of these products have already been recalled by the OPSS.
“Seemingly innocent items such as toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if appropriate checks are not carried out to ensure they comply with safety laws.
“The government has issued recommendations requiring online marketplaces to exercise due diligence in preventing, identifying and removing dangerous products sold through their platforms, an area where regulation is currently very limited.
“Ministers now urgently need to introduce legislation that will make these duties sufficiently robust and appropriately enforceable.
“The longer the government delays action, the greater the risk of more dangerous products reaching consumers.”
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “Customer safety is our top priority and we take this matter very seriously.
“We are in the process of removing all products in this category from our store while we investigate further, and as a result, the featured products have been removed.”
Asda said they began a full product recall as soon as they became aware the product had failed testing.
They advised customers who purchased the product to immediately stop using it and return it to the nearest store for a full refund.
An eBay spokesperson said: “We quickly removed the items identified by Whichever and are conducting further scanning to identify similar listings.”
TikTok said that the product identified during the investigation has already been removed from the TikTok Shop.
