More than 70 ACT public schools closed over health fears from asbestos-contaminated children’s play sand | Australia news

More than 70 public schools in the ACT were closed on Monday as fears grew over children’s play sand products that may contain asbestos.

The territory’s education directorate decided to shut their doors after it found “widespread” use of coloured play sand products sold at Kmart and Target, which were recalled on the weekend.

In a recall notice published on Sunday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said laboratory testing had detected asbestos in some samples of the recalled products.

It warned the products “may cause a risk to health” though the chance of children inhaling airborne asbestos from the products was low.

More than a dozen primary and preschools in the ACT were fully or partially closed last week after another range of children’s sand products, two supplied by local wholesaler Shamrock Australia and the other two by art supplies company Educational Colours, were recalled by the ACCC on Wednesday.

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The latest recall was for Kmart Australia’s Active Sandtub 14 piece Sand Castle Building Set, sold at both Kmart and Target, and Magic Sand tubs in blue, green and pink, that were only sold at Kmart.

Kmart and Target issued a voluntary recall for the products on Saturday.

Asbestos is a hazardous material that can cause terminal diseases and has been banned in Australia since 2003. It is not allowed to be imported into the country except in very limited circumstances.

The ACCC said respirable (airborne) asbestos had not been detected in any of the tested samples, and “the release of respirable asbestos fibres is unlikely to occur in its current state, unless the sand is processed by mechanical means such as crushing or pulverising”.

However they advised consumers to stop using the products immediately and to follow safe asbestos disposal methods.

Its guidelines instruct customers to wear gloves, masks and disposable coveralls and place sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double tape it securely and store it away from children. The sand should be disposed of at an authorised facility.

Since the recall, the ACT education directorate has audited all public schools in the territory for the widely used Kmart and Target products. The directorate found the sand was stocked in 69 schools, stocked in small “isolated” amounts in three schools that was “not impacting learning”, and not stocked at all in 20 schools.

The ACT government closed 71 schools on Monday “in the interest of the safety of our students, staff and community” to assess and clean up the products.

The commonwealth government’s health department advice, published on Friday, said “national regulators and agencies are collaborating with multiple health authorities to ensure precaution, consistency and public safety across the country as the situation unfolds”.

It said there was a “low risk to human health” from the products and, based on current information, there was no need to go see a doctor after exposure to them.

“The recall is a precautionary action based on preliminary results and more comprehensive scientific testing is underway,” the advice said.

Staff and families at the closed schools were to be contacted with updates and a public school hotline was set up at 13 22 81.

In New South Wales, the department of education said no schools were currently closed in the state due to the sand. A safety alert was issued on Friday as a precaution for all public schools in the state “to immediately and safely remove these sand products if they have them”.

Multiple schools in New Zealand were also closed on Monday as classrooms that used the Kmart sand products were tested for asbestos.