Five children's toys on sale in Britain have been found to contain asbestos in tests commissioned by the Guardian, raising fresh concerns about the UK's product safety regime and exposing regulatory gaps between European countries.
Asbestos Found in Popular Toys
The discovery comes after more than 30 toys were withdrawn from sale by retailers since the Guardian first reported on asbestos being found in toy sand in January. The latest round of laboratory analysis examined six toys similar to those previously recalled in the Netherlands but still available in Britain. Five were found to contain asbestos fibres, according to scientists at Brunel University's experimental techniques centre.
"Although the risk to health is small because the quantities of asbestos are small, there is still a risk," said Brunel's lead scientific officer, Ashley Howkins. "The younger the child exposed the more chance they have of developing symptoms."
The five affected products are: Fun Sand, Sand Art Bottle manufactured by the HTI Group and sold by Curious Minds; Glitter & Glow, Magical Sand Art by KandyToys available on Glowtopia; and three products bought from Amazon – Sand Filled Weirdo, Wordpad Montessori Sand Tray, and 4 Pack Stretchy Gorilla Toy.
Retailer Responses and Recalls
Amazon has removed the Weirdo and sand tray from sale and said it is investigating the gorillas. A spokesperson stated: "When we identified safety concerns related to sand-based toys, we proactively removed affected products – including play sand and kits – from our European stores, and now require a test from an accredited lab prior to listing."
Curious Minds issued a recall notice and refunds to customers within an hour of being notified by the Guardian. Glowtopia said it would remove the sand art from its website and contact affected customers while awaiting guidance from KandyToys. HTI and KandyToys were contacted for comment.
Regulatory Gaps in Post-Brexit Europe
The latest recalls highlight the disjointed nature of safety regulation in post-Brexit Europe. Toys recalled in some EU countries after asbestos traces were discovered remain for sale in others, such as the UK. The European Commission's centralised product safety website Safety Gate publishes only a partial list of products recalled by different member states.
Richard Clevers, an investigative journalist on the Dutch news platform Algemeen Dagblad, said: "Product warnings are piling up but differ from country to country and the European system intended to provide an overview is failing consumers. Anyone wanting to know which toys are affected must monitor the websites of different regulators across the continent."
Criticism of UK Product Safety Policy
Retailers have criticised the UK's product safety policy, which relies on manufacturers and importers to ensure products are safe. Post-Brexit health and safety laws have removed powers to ban products thought to pose a health hazard without waiting for scientific evidence. Instead, the onus is on exporters, importers, and retailers to test goods and inform regulators if asbestos is found.
Wendy Hamilton, owner of Curious Minds, said: "There is no requirement for independent verification before products reach the market. It's concerning that no alert was issued to UK retailers when similar products were recalled in the Netherlands. While importers and distributors have a legal duty to notify authorities when they become aware of an unsafe product, there is currently no clear requirement for them to notify retailers. As a small independent retailer we only found out because you contacted us."
Government Response
The UK minister for product safety, Kate Dearden, said: "It is deeply concerning toys are being sold with asbestos, and I know this is worrying for parents. We are continuing to further investigate how products containing this have entered the UK market. We have introduced new powers to ensure product safety is as robust as possible and are consulting on how to strengthen our work on tackling unsafe products online. Businesses must ensure they are selling safe products and act when they have failed to do so. We will continue to work closely with the EU and ensure any toys sold in the UK which test positive for asbestos are removed from sale and recalled."
The European Commission was contacted for comment. Customers are advised to pack the contaminated products in sealed double bags and seek council advice on disposing of them.
