Two additional children's sand kits widely available in the UK have been removed from sale after consumer group Which? discovered they contained asbestos. This follows numerous other products, many of them children's toys, that have been recalled due to asbestos contamination.
Latest Recalled Products
One of the recalled items was marketed as a Montessori sand art tray, sold on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop. Designed for hands-on learning, it aimed to support fine motor skills by encouraging children to draw in the sand using pencils or their fingers. Which? testing revealed the sand contained tremolite asbestos, a banned substance that can become airborne and cause severe lung diseases if inhaled.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans. Products containing any amount of asbestos, even trace amounts, are prohibited for sale in the UK.
A second sand art tray, also tested by Which?, was purchased from TikTok Shop and found for sale by three individual sellers on Amazon Marketplace. Which? reported that the set remained available on both platforms until May, despite the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issuing a recall in March due to asbestos contamination. The OPSS has now updated the recall notice to include Amazon and TikTok Shop.
Which? researchers also identified tremolite asbestos in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, sold at Asda under the brand RMS International Limited. The same kit appeared to be sold on eBay by three private sellers.
Broader Context
Since November, the OPSS has issued more than 39 recall notices related to asbestos-contaminated sand products. The issue has led to school and park closures, 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?, stated: “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. Seemingly innocent items like toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if there are not proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws. The Government has published proposals that would require online marketplaces to exercise due care in preventing, identifying and removing dangerous products sold through their platforms, an area where regulation is currently far too limited. Ministers now urgently need to introduce legislation that makes these duties sufficiently robust and properly enforceable. The longer the Government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers.”
Company Responses
An Amazon spokesman 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 stated they began a full product recall as soon as they were made aware of the failed testing, advising customers to stop using the product and return it to their nearest store for a full refund.
An eBay spokeswoman said: “We swiftly removed the items identified by Which? and are conducting further sweeps to identify similar listings.”
TikTok confirmed that the product identified during the investigation had already been removed from TikTok Shop.
