Asbestos-laced coloured sand used in Brisbane school
School grounds in Queensland are being scanned for a play item suspected to contain asbestos and may have remained there 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 Colors Rainbow Sand and Creatistics Colored Sand – which it suspects may contain hazardous substances.
On Friday morning, independent private school Mancel College in Brisbane issued a notice to parents finding that sand was being used in sensory play activities on campus.
Mancel College in Brisbane’s west was closed on Friday after an item used for sensory play was found to be contaminated with asbestos.Credit: Mancel College
“It was used in some of the primary schools and now we have found some in the High Schools,” the announcement said.
“Although the recommendation is low risk and there are only minor scars, we proceed with extreme caution.
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“We therefore advise parents that we immediately close the entire university, starting today.”
Located in the west Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket, Mancel College has an enrollment of approximately 180 students and specializes in teaching children with language impairments.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission detected tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, in some samples of the colored play sand product following laboratory testing.
