TWO more children’s sand kits sold widely in the UK have been removed from sale after they were found to contain asbestos by a consumer group.
The testing by Which? follows numerous products – many of them children’s toys – being recalled from shelves because of asbestos contamination.
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One of the latest two recalls was marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, and was being sold on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop.
It is designed for hands-on learning to support fine motor skills by encouraging children to draw in the sand using pencils provided in the kit or with their fingers.
Which? testing revealed that the sand in the kit contained the banned substance tremolite asbestos, a harmful naturally occurring mineral that can become airborne and cause severe lung diseases if inhaled, even at low levels of exposure.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans.
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Products containing asbestos in any quantity, including trace amounts, are prohibited for sale in the UK.
A second sand art tray tested by Which? was bought from TikTok Shop and was also found for sale from three individual sellers on Amazon Marketplace.
Which? said the set remained on sale on both platforms until May, despite the same product being subject to a recall by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in March because of asbestos contamination.
The OPSS has now updated the original recall notice to include Amazon and TikTok Shop.
Which? researchers also found tremolite asbestos in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, bought from Asda and carrying the brand name RMS International Limited.
But the watchdog also found what appeared to be the same kit for sale on eBay from three private sellers.
More than 39 recall notices have been issues by the OPSS since November relating to asbestos-contaminated sand products.
The issue has also led to the closure of schools and parks, most recently in North East England.
It is believed the affected toys contain sand sourced from specific quarries in China, where naturally occurring asbestos is present.
Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, said: “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.”
A spokesman for Amazon said: “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 said they began a full product recall as soon as they were made aware that the product had failed testing.
They advised customers who had bought the product to stop using it immediately and return it to their nearest store for a full refund.
A spokeswoman for eBay said: “We swiftly removed the items identified by Which? and are conducting further sweeps to identify similar listings.”
TikTok said the product identified during the investigation had already been removed from TikTok Shop.
Your product recall rights
CHIEF consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know.
Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.
As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.
But it’s often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk.
If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer’s website to see if a safety notice has been issued.
When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you – the customer – to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don’t there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault.
If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.
They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice.
In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected.
You should not be charged for any recall work – such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item.
