Parents confused by what to do with potentially contaminated play sand in their homes

A parent fielding concerns from others after testing found asbestos in a range of coloured play sand says they feel like nobody is giving them clear advice on what to do with sand in their homes.

Several schools and early learning services are closed after asbestos was found in rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics.

But students will be back at at least one of them on Wednesday after tests came back clear.

The products were recalled because Tremolite (a naturally occurring asbestos in quartz) had been found in samples during lab testing.

The recall expanded to four Kmart products over the weekend.

Kmart's advice was to stop using the sand immediately and to wear gloves and a mask while getting rid of it according to local rules.

A Kmart spokesperson said trace amounts of asbestos were found in an Anko-brand 14-piece sand castle building set. It also recalled three other magic sand products in blue, green and pink.

'What if our house is contaminated?'

Christchurch father of two Chris Barnett said it was concerning to hear about the contamination scare.

The play sand in his home had been gifted and used both indoors and outside.

"We're looking at how much have we got in the house and where is it, the kids' craft box which is a giant box with mostly Kmart, or in the cupboard and paint and chalks and colouring books - the works - all sort of contaminated with the stuff," he said.

"So straight away we didn't want that in the house."

He threw the sand out but said it's what didn't happen next that was disturbing.

"And then from there, sort of feeling really quite miffed about the whole process because it seems like there's just no responsibility on the retailers whatsoever," he said.

"If there was an asbestos risk in any public building you'd be going through testing and decontamination and all that sort of stuff."

Barnett said they checked the batch numbers on the sand they had and they were the ones included in the recall.

"And really what I can't understand is as a self-employed contractor, if I cause damage to someone's property... I have to rectify it either off my own back or through liability insurance and it seems to me like a country that supposedly has all this red tape and regulation that they can actually do what they hell they want," he said.

Kmart should be putting money toward clean-ups in homes, Barnett said.

"To me I just would have thought, you're running a business, this is a liability risk and you probably have to do everything you can, in my opinion to rectify the issue."

Barnett said his kids were gutted at losing the sand.

"I'm certainly not going to be going back to Kmart to be resupplying," he said.

"Like, what if our house is contaminated? What if our house is causing potentially a risk for cancer exposure?"

A mother, Janelle Hill, told Midday Report, it felt like the buck was being passed.

She said parents were confused about how much cleaning, testing or decontamination was needed.

"You're asked to contact your local council, WorkSafe... what does this mean when it has been played with in your whare?

"The knowledge around it is so low... what is the risk and how are we getting rid of it? What happens if it was in your house five years ago and you threw it out four years ago?"

Hill said she wanted more guidance for parents that have had the sand in their homes. She wanted to know how things should be cleaned and what should be done with your vacuum if you had vacuumed it up.

How the Kmart recall affected one school

The widening of the call to some Kmart products was also a complication at Maraetai Beach School in Auckland.

"I think it changed things for schools because it went from a very specific set of products that are only available from specific shops to a nationwide brand," principal Lou Reddy said.

"Most people have had them in their houses and teachers have used those products for years in New Zealand, so I think that was the big difference," he said.

Reddy said a number of classrooms were affected either from staff bringing the sand in, or where it was donated by parents or where children brought it from home.

"And kids are kids, they'll do that with lots of different things and toys from home."

Reddy said eight samples had been taken away for testing covering 10 different spaces in the school such as classrooms, the library and the hall.

"My son comes to our school too so I treat the environment for all our kids the same as if they were my own children, and I want to make sure that all of our kids are safe at school," he said.

Tests return clear at Colwill School

Students at Colwill School in the West Auckland suburb of Massey were sent home early on Monday afternoon on the advice of a specialist.

"But fortunately for us the sand tested clear so it means we can be back at school tomorrow," principal Rob Taylor said.

Taylor said it was hard to identify the sand because it had been put in other containers.

"They had been put into trays or other receptacles so they could be used more easily, and they've been here for quite some time, so the actual original where they came from and what they were was a bit like a big question mark, we didn't actually know," he said.

"A couple of teachers remembered where they got it from but on the whole, no, so it was better to err on the side of caution and get all of them tested."

But Taylor said there seemed to be a "lightweight" response when it came to the sand in people's homes.

"A lot of young families with young children have it in their homes so they're all nervous about having to decontaminate homes and all sorts of stuff," he said.

"It's the first time that I can recall anything like this happening, and I've been doing this for quite some time."

'It's particularly concerning'

Sommerville School in Auckland was partly shut, closing 16 out of its 60 classrooms and a shared space.

"And that's had a huge impact where our students would usually come in, so even though their classes aren't closed it's been very difficult to get them to their classrooms today," principal Belinda Johnston said.

The school had 385 students aged 5 to 21, all with disabilities.

"I think all kids like kinetic sand but it's particularly well used in specialist schools because we have lots of kids who like to have concrete things to play with, and kinetic sand can be moulded and formed into lots of different shapes and there are really fun colours so it can be quite a soothing activity," she said.

"For some families of ours it's particularly concerning because we have a lot of learners who've got respiratory issues and other medical concerns, so any time you mention asbestos it can be particularly worrying," Johnston said.

Some testing had been done on Tuesday and Johnston said more would be done on Wednesday.

Schools could claw back testing, repair costs

Professor Alex Sims, from the University of Auckland's Department of Commercial law, said schools could be able to get those costs back.

"Under the Consumer Guarantees Act goods must be safe, which the contaminated sand is not," she said.

Sims said schools were treated as consumers under the law.

"So that means the school is entitled to the same protections as other people and that would include the cost of testing, cleaning and potential repair of materials such as carpets," she said.

Sims said that while such products are banned in New Zealand, they can slip through.

"Due to the large number of products being imported into new Zealand, most products are not inspected, therefore it is not surprising that banned products such as this type of coloured sand have been imported" she said.

"People should not think that laws are being followed and that products are tested before they are sold."

Health NZ advice

On its website, Health NZ said people did not need to take any immediate steps to manager their health if they had been exposed to the products.

"We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children may cause worry for parents and caregivers. We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.

"At this stage we do not have enough information to quantify the risk to people's health, but we advise people to take a precautionary approach and stop using the products."

Health NZ said anyone using the products in their home should stop immediately and if it was still in its original container place it into a thick plastic bag sealed securely with tape.

"Place that bag or container into a second thick plastic bag, seal it securely with tape, and label it clearly as asbestos-contaminated material."

It needed to be taken to a landfill rather than going in a normal bin, it said, and parents should contact their local council for advice on where to go.

If the sand was not in its original container, PPE should be worn while cleaning it up. It should be put in a sealed container or thick plastic bag. All surfaces surrounding where it was should be wiped down with a damp cloth.

Full information was available here.

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