Online retailer Shein has recalled a wooden set of children’s toys after cancer-causing asbestos was found inside the product. Anyone who purchased the Children’s Wooden Acrylic Rainbow Sensory Blocks has been told to stop using them and follow safe disposal methods.
Health risk from contaminated sand
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued a warning stating the products are “multiple shapes of wooden blocks containing coloured sand”. The warning says the blocks “present a risk to health as the sand inside the sand-filled blocks may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos.”
Asbestos is a banned substance in the UK as it poses a risk to health, even if exposed to at low levels, reports The Sun. The toy does not meet safety standards for toys in the UK as a result.
Recall and refund details
On the Shein website, the item is called: Children’s Wooden Acrylic Rainbow Sensory Blocks, Geometric Shape Puzzle Blocks, Colourful Sensory Grasping & Building Creative Focus Training Game Toy, Suitable For Boys & Girls, Early Education Toy, Children’s Day Gift, Birthday Gift.
Customers who have purchased the product have been contacted and the toys have been recalled. Anyone who owns the item has been asked to stop using it immediately. Shein has warned: “Please do not donate it, sell it, or give it away.” The online retailer said a refund will be given via the original payment method.
Safety standards for children's products
Recall Scope says children’s products in the United Kingdom must comply with strict safety requirements, but recalls still occur when products present risks to children. It adds that recalls may involve toys, baby products, nursery equipment, children’s furniture, clothing accessories and child restraint systems.
Common hazards include choking, strangulation, button battery ingestion, magnet ingestion, falls, chemical exposure, entrapment and manufacturing defects.
