Specialist asbestos removal teams were deployed to Black Mountain School in Canberra on Monday, urgently extracting play sand found to be contaminated with the hazardous material. The discovery has triggered a nationwide product recall and forced the temporary closure of dozens of educational institutions.
Border Force Revises Stance on 'High Risk' Imports
In a significant policy shift, the Australian Border Force (ABF) confirmed that coloured sand products used for children's sensory play will now be classified as 'high risk'. This change mandates that importers must provide proof the products are asbestos-free before they are permitted into the country.
This action comes after it was revealed that suppliers were previously not obliged to test these goods for asbestos at any point in the supply chain. Because these products had been deemed low risk, they were not required to undergo testing before export or after arriving in Australia.
Widespread School Disruptions and Recall
The contamination scare has caused substantial disruption to the education sector. On Monday, more than 70 public schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) closed for emergency cleaning and inspection. While schools in New South Wales and Victoria remained open, many notified parents that they had been using the affected products.
The ACT government announced that dozens of schools would reopen on Tuesday, with another 16 operating on a partially open basis. However, approximately 25 sites were expected to remain closed. The impact also extended to nine Catholic schools in Tasmania, which were either closed or partially closed, and several schools in New Zealand.
Health Experts Assess the Risk
Despite the alarming discovery, health authorities have sought to reassure the public. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stated that respirable, or airborne, asbestos had not been detected in any of the tested samples. This suggests the products are unlikely to release asbestos fibres fine enough to be inhaled.
Echoing this assessment, Prof Fraser Brims, a consultant respiratory physician at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, confirmed the risk to children is low. "Any exposure to asbestos and all of its forms is definitely undesirable, but there is a really important message that the risk of developing asbestos-related diseases is dose-related," Brims said. "[With] very low exposures, which is what no doubt is the case with this sand, the risk is unmeasurably low."
He suggested that the differing decisions by states on school closures came down to their own interpretations of safety and risk. The Australian Education Union, representing public school teachers, has declined to comment on the situation.
