UK Craft Store Removes Children's Play Sand Over Asbestos Concerns Amid Brexit Health Safety Gaps
A UK craft store has withdrawn its children's play sand product after a parent discovered it contained asbestos, highlighting the need for stronger post-Brexit health and safety laws. The move comes two months after similar products in Australia were recalled, leading to school closures across several countries.
The affected sand is manufactured in China and contains less than 5% of asbestos, which can cause cancer if inhaled. UK law has no safe limit for exposure to the mineral, but no authority had previously warned of a risk associated with this product.
A parent who bought the sand reported it looked similar to recalled products in Australia and sent samples for testing, revealing traces of asbestos fibres in three out of five colours. The craft store removed the product from sale as a precaution after conducting independent testing.
However, a spokesperson for Hobbycraft said there was no evidence of harm to customers and that they would update customers once the results were available. Critics argue that this response is insufficient, given the potential health risks associated with asbestos exposure.
The case has sparked debate about post-Brexit gaps in health and safety law, which leave authorities unable to issue recalls without concrete evidence of harm. Campaigners are calling for stronger regulations to protect public health from hazardous products.
"It's a wake-up call for regulatory change," said Prof Kevin Bampton, CEO of the British Occupational Hygiene Society. "Governments should be proactive in protecting human health from risks before prioritising profit."
A UK craft store has withdrawn its children's play sand product after a parent discovered it contained asbestos, highlighting the need for stronger post-Brexit health and safety laws. The move comes two months after similar products in Australia were recalled, leading to school closures across several countries.
The affected sand is manufactured in China and contains less than 5% of asbestos, which can cause cancer if inhaled. UK law has no safe limit for exposure to the mineral, but no authority had previously warned of a risk associated with this product.
A parent who bought the sand reported it looked similar to recalled products in Australia and sent samples for testing, revealing traces of asbestos fibres in three out of five colours. The craft store removed the product from sale as a precaution after conducting independent testing.
However, a spokesperson for Hobbycraft said there was no evidence of harm to customers and that they would update customers once the results were available. Critics argue that this response is insufficient, given the potential health risks associated with asbestos exposure.
The case has sparked debate about post-Brexit gaps in health and safety law, which leave authorities unable to issue recalls without concrete evidence of harm. Campaigners are calling for stronger regulations to protect public health from hazardous products.
"It's a wake-up call for regulatory change," said Prof Kevin Bampton, CEO of the British Occupational Hygiene Society. "Governments should be proactive in protecting human health from risks before prioritising profit."
it's like they're saying "oh it's only 5% so what's the big deal?" Um, have you seen how toxic that is? and the fact that they need to send results from testing before making a statement is just ridiculous 
should've been taken off shelves ASAP. this whole thing highlights the post-brexit health safety gaps in the UK 
need stricter regulations stat! 
My little cousin has that play area at school and I was like, always worried about her playing with all those materials. It's crazy that UK law doesn't have a limit for asbestos exposure, that's just not right. I feel bad for the parents who bought the sand before they took it off the shelves... did they even know? 
. I mean, who wants to play sand with a known carcinogen lurking around? 
And don't even get me started on the lack of regulations 
. It's all like "oh no, we might have a problem" and then just sweep it under the rug 
. What kind of system is that? 
Asbestos is not something you want to mess around with, let alone sell to kids! 
And what's up with the "no evidence of harm" from Hobbycraft? 
. Not about keeping our communities safe 
. We need some real change around here! 
Anyway, I guess we need to be calling for stronger regulations now, 'cause this stuff just isn't good enough. We can't keep relying on parents to do our job of keeping their kids safe from hazardous products. That's just not how it works...we need better laws and enforcement to make sure everyone is protected 
.
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The fact that the craft store is still claiming there's no risk is super concerning and I don't think they should be allowed to say that 
. We need to make sure our kids are playing with safe products and we can trust the companies we buy from. Anything less is just unacceptable 
.
? I get it, asbestos is bad news, but shouldn't we be checking products before they hit the market? It's like, what if this happened a few years ago and nobody knew about it because the rules were too lax? Now the company got fined for not doing more testing...not good 
. And yeah, I'm with Prof Bampton on this one - governments need to step up their game before profits get in the way of public safety 
Hobbycraft is like so lax about asbestos safety!!! I mean i no they said theres no evidence of harm but c'mon that's not good enuf! 
. And the fact that they're just updating customers once the results are available, like that's not enough?!