Which? said that ‘seemingly innocent items like toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if there are not proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws’
Purple kenetic sand (file image)(Image: Getty)
Two further children’s sand kits widely available across the UK have been pulled from sale after a consumer group discovered they contained asbestos.
The investigation by Which? follows a string of products – many of them children’s toys – being withdrawn from shelves due to asbestos contamination.
One of the two latest recalls was marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, and had been available on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop. The product is designed for hands-on learning to develop fine motor skills by encouraging children to draw in the sand using pencils supplied in the kit or with their fingers.
Which? testing revealed that the sand contained the banned substance tremolite asbestos, a dangerous naturally occurring mineral that can become airborne and trigger severe lung diseases if inhaled, even at minimal levels of exposure.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans. Any products containing asbestos, including trace amounts, are banned from sale in the UK.
A second sand art tray examined by Which? was purchased from TikTok Shop and was also found listed by three separate sellers on Amazon Marketplace, reports the Mirror.
Which? revealed the set remained available on both platforms until May, despite the identical product being subject to a recall by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in March owing to asbestos contamination.
The OPSS has since updated the original recall notice to incorporate Amazon and TikTok Shop. Which? researchers additionally discovered tremolite asbestos in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, purchased from Asda and bearing the brand name RMS International Limited. The consumer group also identified what seemed to be the identical kit available on eBay from three private sellers.
More than 39 recall notices have been issued by the OPSS since November concerning asbestos-contaminated sand products. The problem has also resulted in the closure of schools and parks, most recently in North East England. It is understood the affected toys contain sand obtained from particular quarries in China, where naturally occurring asbestos is present.
Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, commented: “It is outrageous that online marketplaces are selling products which may expose children to asbestos, especially when some of these products had already been recalled by the OPSS. Seemingly innocent items like toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if there are not proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws.
“The Government has published proposals that would require online marketplaces to exercise due care in preventing, identifying and removing dangerous products sold through their platforms, an area where regulation is currently far too limited.
“Ministers now urgently need to introduce legislation that makes these duties sufficiently robust and properly enforceable. The longer the Government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers.”
An Amazon spokesman commented: “Customer safety is our top priority and we are taking this issue very seriously. We are in the process of removing all products in this category across our store while we investigate further, and as a result the highlighted items have been removed.”
Asda stated they initiated a complete product recall immediately upon learning the product had failed testing. They urged customers who had purchased the item to cease using it straightaway and return it to their nearest branch for a full refund.
An eBay spokeswoman remarked: “We swiftly removed the items identified by Which? and are conducting further sweeps to identify similar listings.”
TikTok confirmed the product flagged during the investigation had already been taken down from TikTok Shop.
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