Two brands of children's sand kits sold at major retailers including Amazon Marketplace and Asda have been recalled after testing found they contained asbestos. One, a Montessori sand art tray designed for 'hands-on learning', was available on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop, while a second was available from three separate sellers on Amazon Marketplace, as well as on the social media app.
Tremolite asbestos was also found in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, bought from Asda and carrying the brand name RMS International Limited. The same kit was available from three private sellers on eBay.
Around 40 recall notices relating to sand products contaminated with asbestos have been issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) since November. This includes batches of Kids Create Sand Art Kits which 'may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos', the OPSS said in February. Asda issued another recall of its Stretcherz 'Stretch' and 'Slammers' figures earlier that month.
The second tray remained on sale on TikTok Shop and Amazon Marketplace until May, despite being recalled by the OPSS in March due to the contamination. The body has now updated its original recall notice to include both platforms.
All forms of asbestos are classified as carcinogenic – meaning they are capable of causing cancer – to humans. Even at low exposure levels, tremolite asbestos can also cause severe lung disease if inhaled.
Reaction from consumer groups and retailers
Sue Davies, from 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. The longer the government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers.'
A spokesperson 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.'
TikTok said the product had already been removed from TikTok Shop. Asda said it began a full product recall as soon as it was made aware of the contamination and advised customers who had purchased 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.'
