The coloured sand products sold by Kmart NZ have tested positive for tremolite asbestos, prompting last week’s urgent recall notice from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
The coloured sand products sold by Kmart NZ have tested positive for tremolite asbestos, prompting last week’s urgent recall notice from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Some Northland schools either closed or partially closed after multiple brands of coloured play sand were found to contain asbestos.
The Ministry of Education revealed it had received more than 260 queries related to multiple brands of coloured play sand. Fourteen were from Northland schools.
More than 20 schools andearly learning services nationwide closed on Monday.
Students worked in a separate classroom until the school received the all clear which was expected yesterday.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) issued a recall for four Kmart products – the 14-piece sandcastle building set and the blue, green and pink Magic Sand sets, after coloured sand products tested positive for tremolite asbestos.
An earlier recall related to EC Rainbow Sand and Creatistics – Coloured Sand, sold at retailers including Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire and Qizzle.
Licensed Asbestos Assessor Greg Fallon from Asbestos Advice Northern Region said his services had been in demand since last Thursday.
He had visited about 10 schools from across the region so far. He took samples and sent them for testing at an Auckland lab.
Fallon said the sample analysis was a complex process.
If a sample came back as positive, he would then visit the site again, take a series of samples, which includes air monitoring samples to determine where the contamination started and stopped.
That could take anywhere between a few hours and half a day.
Fallon said there was no way of knowing at this stage how long the tail-end of the issue would be.
“It really is hurting the small rural schools when they’ve got to isolate classrooms.”
Some schools had only three classrooms, and closures because of possible contamination had a “massive impact” on learning spaces.
University of Canterbury professor of toxicology Ian Shaw said the sand product contamination was serious because the products were dry and played with. This caused asbestos fibres to become airborne and thus readily inhaled.
“The question is: how long have children been exposed to the asbestos-contaminated product? This will significantly affect the cancer risk.”
Asbestos caused a rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma following inhalation.
“The risk of contracting cancer is high when exposed to airborne asbestos. The longer the exposure, the greater the risk.”
Shaw said the rapid response when the contamination was found was good, as it prevented further exposure.
Senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Adelaide Dr Ian Musgrave said the types of asbestos found in the play sand were chrysotile and tremolite.
“Tremorite is typically non-fibrous, unlike the fibrous blue asbestos, but exposure to any asbestos type will increase the likelihood of lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.”
Musgrave said light, short-term exposure rarely caused disease and one-off exposure was not a major risk.
Director of the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Occupational Lung Disease clinic at Curtin University professor Fraser Brims said the amount people might have been exposed to was “extremely low”.
“So low that it is not possible to measure or estimate any health risk.
“While all forms of asbestos can be harmful, the type involved here (tremolite) is generally considered less hazardous than other types, such as blue or brown asbestos.”
Ministry of Education Hautū (Leader) Operations and Integration Sean Teddy said parents concerned over the use of the products should contact Healthline.
The Northern Advocate approached affected Northland schools for comment but did not hear back by edition time.
Don’t dispose of it in household rubbish or vacuum it up. Contact your local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely.
Once the product is secure, people should contact their retailer for a refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
For further advice, call the MBIE consumer line on 0508 426 678.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
