Nearly 70 schools to close in Australia over fears of asbestos in play sand

A total of 69 schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will be forced to close on Monday following the recall of colored play sand due to the risk of asbestos, the government said.

A recall was issued by Kmart and Target on Saturday for products that contained traces of asbestos in some samples.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the risk of asbestos becoming airborne or becoming fine enough to be inhaled was “low”.

ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said in a post on Facebook that inspections in schools were ongoing and “could take days”. He added that air tests so far have returned “negative for airborne asbestos” from all schools.

State Emergency Service volunteers and school staff walked through buildings over the weekend and “mapped all the colored sand they saw,” the official added.

The ACT government said people who came into contact with the product did not need clinical assessment.

Despite the minimal risk, the government “should eliminate the risk to the extent reasonably practicable,” Berry said.

Up to 23 schools will remain open because they either have “small stocks of sand” or do not have any product.

The products mentioned in the recall notice are labeled Active Sandtub 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set and Blue, Green, and Pink Magic Sand.

Once widely used in construction materials, asbestos, when degraded or processed, can release toxic fibers into the air that can stick to the lungs and cause cancer for decades.

The import or export of asbestos or goods containing asbestos is prohibited under Australian law.