Dozens of South Australian schools report presence of coloured sand potentially contaminated with asbestos
Dozens of schools in South Australia have reported the presence of colored sand products just days after the ACCC issued a warning about potential asbestos contamination.
On Tuesday, the Australian Consumer Competition Commission announced a national recall of products released by supplier Educational Colours, saying they may contain tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring asbestos, which was detected in some samples after laboratory testing.
Batches from January 1, 2020 to October 31, 2025 will be affected by the recall; The sand was previously available at more than 80 retailers, including Officeworks, Woolworths and other smaller stores nationwide, online and internationally.
The recalled products were labeled as Kadink Sand (1.3 kg), Educational Colors – Rainbow Sand (1.3 kg) and Creatistics – Colored Sand (1 kg) and were manufactured in China.
This week, on advice from the ACCC, schools in Canberra and Brisbane were closed after sand products were used for sensory play and arts and crafts.
A South Australian Department of Education spokesperson said a Hazard Alert was issued to schools and out-of-school hours care centers across the state following the recall warning.
“Schools and nurseries have been advised on how to check for the product, what to do if there is one on site and how to communicate with families,” the spokesperson said.
“Approximately 130 sites in South Australia have reported to the ministry – confined sand at approximately 88 sites and loose sand at approximately 20. The ministry is helping to manage the safe and secure removal of this through a licensed contractor.
“The safety of students and staff remains the department’s highest priority. The risk is low and is managed in line with national standards and expert advice from SafeWork SA.
“This approach is consistent with actions taken in other states, including Victoria and New South Wales.”
On Friday, SafeWork SA urged the state’s residents to remain vigilant and urged anyone in possession of the recalled litter to “stop using the products immediately”.
“If the sand is loose (i.e. not in its original packaging) remove people from the area and contact a licensed asbestos removal professional to remove the sand,” SafeWork SA said.
“If the sand is still in its packaging, place the sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double-tape it securely and seal it out of reach of others before contacting a licensed asbestos removal professional to remove the sand.
“Do not dispose of the product with general waste.”
SafeWork SA said no “respiratory asbestos” was detected in any of the samples, indicating a low risk of asbestos fine enough to be inhaled.
Officeworks said in a statement that it was voluntarily recalling the products after testing through Hazcal detected the presence of “microscopic asbestos fibers.”
“Officeworks also obtained an independent health and safety risk assessment of EC products by Occupational Hygiene and OHS Solutions, which concluded that there was no identifiable safety hazard and therefore the safety risk associated with these products was negligible,” the statement said.
“The withdrawal from sale and voluntary recall of products have been taken as a purely precautionary measure.”
