Australian parents are being urged to immediately check their homes for popular children's coloured sand, following an urgent national recall after a dangerous contaminant was discovered.
What Products Are Affected?
The recall affects 1.3kg packages of colourful sand sold under the Kadink and Educational Colours brands, as well as 1kg packages from Creatistics. The product was available for purchase online and in stores across the country.
Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring form of the hazardous material, in the sand. The affected products were sold at major retailers including Officeworks, Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids, and Zart Art between January 1, 2020 and October 31, 2025.
Immediate Safety Instructions
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued the formal recall notice, with deputy chair Catriona Lowe advising customers to take immediate action.
"We urge customers who own any of the products to stop using them immediately," Ms Lowe stated. She provided clear instructions for handling the potentially dangerous product: "Place the sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag and double tape it securely and keep it out of reach of children."
As an added precaution, customers are advised to wear disposable gloves and a mask while handling the product for disposal.
Retailer Response and Consumer Advice
Officeworks, a major supplier of the sand, has already removed the product from sale and initiated a voluntary recall. The company stated that the withdrawal was taken "purely as a precautionary measure" after a second independent test concluded the safety risk was "negligible."
Despite this, the ACCC continues to engage with all suppliers, expecting them to provide appropriate support to consumers, including responding to queries and arranging refunds.
Importantly, the ACCC confirmed that respiratory asbestos, its most dangerous form, was not detected in lab tests. The recall notice clarified that "the release of respiratory asbestos fibres from the sand is unlikely to occur in its current state, unless the sand is processed by mechanical means such as crushing or pulverising."
Customers are warned not to dispose of the product in general waste and should visit the Asbestos And Silica Safety And Eradication Agency's website for more detailed information.
