Play sand appears to contain asbestos: ministers Beenders and Clarinval ask that sales and use be put on hold

There are “disturbing” amounts of carcinogenic asbestos fibers in play sand. This is evident from a study by the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. The newspaper had twelve packages of play sand analyzed, all of which came from China. It concerns sand that you can use to make works of art, and ‘sand tables’ that you can use to write on. Six of the twelve were found to contain asbestos.

This mainly concerns so-called “non-bonded tremolite”. “That is a type of asbestos that poses a greater risk of lung cancer than other forms, such as ‘white asbestos’, says Jan Van Bouwel of Fedasbest, the association of recognized laboratories and asbestos experts in our country. “Now, the type of asbestos in itself does not play such a role. Asbestos is always a dangerous substance that you must handle very carefully. It is also prohibited to sell them in our country. All these products must therefore be withdrawn from the market as quickly as possible.”

Zand table

The Dutch newspaper bought the play sand via websites such as AliExpress and Amazon, but also from Bol.com and a Dutch toy wholesaler. The three most heavily contaminated were sold at various sites under the name ‘Montessori sand table’. These are small tables where you can write in the play sand. The highest percentages of tremolites were found there. Tremolites, albeit to a lesser extent, and ‘white asbestos’ were also found in three other packages.

Amazon and Bol.com already had the product in question removed from their websites. AliExpress is also conducting an investigation.

Double packaging

The products in question have disappeared from the websites, but the range of these online stores varies constantly: there are hundreds of similar products for sale. What should you do now as a consumer?

“If you still have the play sand at home in which the asbestos was found, it is better to put it in a double package that you seal hermetically,” says Elvira Abdulovic of Nomacon, the laboratory that carried out the analyses. “Try to avoid dust formation. It is best to clean the surfaces where the sand has often been used with a damp cloth. Caution is advised, because non-bonded asbestos fibers are easily released and can therefore easily be inhaled.”

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It is no coincidence that the asbestos-contaminated boxes of play sand all come from China. The rules are much less strict than in Europe, where asbestos is absolutely prohibited. In China, percentages of up to 5 percent are sufficient to be declared ‘asbestos-free’. “It also makes it very difficult to prevent those products from coming to our country,” says Jan Van Bouwel.

Don’t panic

What should you do if your children often play with play sand and you no longer remember where you ordered it? “There is no need to panic,” says Jan Van Bouwel. “Your child will not play with that sand for eight hours at a time every day. It is important to realize that the more and the longer you play with sand that is contaminated with asbestos, the greater the risk. You will never immediately notice any concrete consequences; it takes between thirty and forty years for lung cancer to develop that can be linked to inhaling asbestos. There is also no point in lying awake every night if your children have played with this play sand. Do realize that the risk there, and that it gets bigger the longer you play with it.”

“That is precisely why my advice would be: get rid of it,” says Tim Nawrot, professor of environmental epidemiology at Hasselt University. “We cannot accept that we would let children play with products that potentially contain asbestos. The best precautionary principle is therefore to simply not let your child play with them.”

Keep locked

“It can be a good idea, if you have play sand, to keep it closed until there is more clarity,” says Jan Van Bouwel of Fedasbest. “The FPS Economy urgently needs research, because they must ensure consumer safety.”

That investigation has already been initiated after major recalls of play sand took place in Australia and New Zealand in November last year. Seventy schools then had to temporarily close their doors to determine whether asbestos was still present. Twenty products were recalled. Minister of Consumer Protection Rob Beenders (Vooruit) then announced that it would be investigated whether the products could also be found on the Belgian market. A recall campaign was also launched in the United Kingdom about two weeks ago, because a play set from the Hobbycraft chain turned out to contain asbestos in the play sand.