CHILDREN’S play sand has been removed from shelves following tests that found it contained asbestos.
Craft retailer withdrew the products after the alarm was raised by a parent, who chose not to be named, whose children had played with the sand at a party.
Traces of asbestos fibres were found in yellow, green and pink sandCredit: Getty
The distressed parent sent samples to a testing lab, which found traces of asbestos fibres in yellow, green and pink sand included in Hobbycraft’s Giant Box of Craft arts kit, per The Guardian .
Asbestos is known to cause cancer later in life if inhaled, although experts believe the risk to children who played with the sand is low.
The scare comes just two months after were recalled in following asbestos finds, forcing the closure of schools and nurseries across the country and in .
The products sold in the UK are made in , where rules allow goods containing up to five per cent asbestos to still be labelled asbestos-free.
The parent said: “The bottles of coloured sand looked extremely similar to ones I had seen on a news report of play sand recalled in Australia.
“I was concerned enough to buy a set at Hobbycraft and send it to an accredited lab for testing. Three of the five colours came back positive for fibrous tremolite asbestos.”
While Hobbycraft has pulled the product from their shelves, they have not yet been .
The parent added: “I am getting increasingly upset thinking that kids are being exposed unnecessarily.”
A Hobbycraft spokesman said: “As a precaution, we have voluntarily removed the product from sale while we carry out independent testing …
“We will update customers as soon as we are in a position to do so.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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