Asbestos Fears Force Closure of Australian Schools, Leaving Thousands Without Education.
Over 70 public schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are currently shut due to fears that children's play sand products may contain toxic asbestos. The territory's education department has confirmed that only a handful of schools will reopen on Tuesday, while others remain closed indefinitely.
The scare stems from an audit that found widespread use of coloured play sand across the ACT's public schools. Concerns were triggered when laboratory testing detected asbestos in some samples of the products supplied by local wholesaler Shamrock Australia and art supplies company Educational Colours.
As a result, 25 public schools will remain closed on Tuesday, leaving thousands of students without access to education. The situation has sparked chaos for parents and staff, with many being contacted via email to provide updates on school closures.
Meanwhile, nine schools in Tasmania have also been forced to shut down due to similar asbestos fears. Six schools will be fully closed from Tuesday, while a further three will partially close to undertake removal, testing, and cleaning of potential asbestos materials.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a recall notice for the products, warning consumers that they may cause a risk to health if not disposed of properly. The government's health department has advised that there is a "low risk" to human health from exposure to the products, but that more comprehensive scientific testing is underway.
As a precautionary measure, schools across Australia have been ordered to remove any sand products suspected of containing asbestos. In New South Wales, a safety alert was issued on Friday as a precaution for all public schools to safely remove the products.
In New Zealand, multiple schools were closed on Monday due to classrooms that used Kmart sand products being tested for asbestos. The situation has highlighted concerns over the safety of children's play equipment in Australian and New Zealand schools.
Over 70 public schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are currently shut due to fears that children's play sand products may contain toxic asbestos. The territory's education department has confirmed that only a handful of schools will reopen on Tuesday, while others remain closed indefinitely.
The scare stems from an audit that found widespread use of coloured play sand across the ACT's public schools. Concerns were triggered when laboratory testing detected asbestos in some samples of the products supplied by local wholesaler Shamrock Australia and art supplies company Educational Colours.
As a result, 25 public schools will remain closed on Tuesday, leaving thousands of students without access to education. The situation has sparked chaos for parents and staff, with many being contacted via email to provide updates on school closures.
Meanwhile, nine schools in Tasmania have also been forced to shut down due to similar asbestos fears. Six schools will be fully closed from Tuesday, while a further three will partially close to undertake removal, testing, and cleaning of potential asbestos materials.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a recall notice for the products, warning consumers that they may cause a risk to health if not disposed of properly. The government's health department has advised that there is a "low risk" to human health from exposure to the products, but that more comprehensive scientific testing is underway.
As a precautionary measure, schools across Australia have been ordered to remove any sand products suspected of containing asbestos. In New South Wales, a safety alert was issued on Friday as a precaution for all public schools to safely remove the products.
In New Zealand, multiple schools were closed on Monday due to classrooms that used Kmart sand products being tested for asbestos. The situation has highlighted concerns over the safety of children's play equipment in Australian and New Zealand schools.
70+ Aussie schools are shut down due to asbestos fears in play sand products 
Like, what's the deal with that?! 
According to reports, lab testing found asbestos in some samples from Shamrock Australia and Educational Colours 
. That's over 25 schools closed indefinitely, leaving thousands of students without education 
. Tasmania is also getting hit hard, with 6 schools fully closed and 3 partially closing for removal and testing 
. The ACCC just issued a recall notice, but the gov't says there's a "low risk" to human health 
. Still, I think it's better safe than sorry 
. Has anyone else heard about this? 
can't believe tasmania is affected too, hope they get those schools cleaned up soon 
especially considering all the young kids who'll miss out on a week or more of learning - it just doesn't seem like a responsible way to address this issue... at least there is some kind of recall notice being issued for the products which should help mitigate any potential harm. The fact that multiple states are dealing with similar asbestos concerns in their schools is really concerning though... how's everyone handling all these closures & what kind of backup plans do schools have in place?
this is getting out of hand... I mean, I get it, safety first and all that but like, how are we gonna keep our kids safe when they're stuck at home with no education? 
It's so frustrating. The government needs to step in and figure out a plan, like, what are we gonna do about all these kids who need their edumacation? 
As a parent, it's hard enough to send the kids off to school without worrying about their safety. Now schools are closed and thousands of kids don't get to learn anything today... how is this going to affect their education? 
. I mean, I get it, safety first and all that, but can't we just take some precautions and not freak out over everything? 
I mean, I get that safety is important and all, but what's the point if schools can't even open without freaking everyone out? 
on top of stress. Can't they just test it once and be done with it? 
. Shamrock Australia and Educational Colours need to really get their act together, pronto! 
They're like, the ones who supplied this stuff in the first place... 
And now there are thousands of kids without school? 
How's this gonna affect their future? 
Tasmanian schools too? 
i know my fave school is closed rn and i'm freaking out lol, what am i supposed to do now? 
this just sucks 
how can this be happening? 
and btw, what about the ones who already got to go home from school today 
lets all send some positive vibes to these schools & the kids 
, but 70+ schools closing down? That's just devastating for families who rely on them 
.
... until then, I'm just going to take some deep breaths and stay calm 
.
This is a real worry 
... how can we be so sure what our kids are playing with at school? I mean, I'm all for being safe, but shutting down entire schools seems extreme 
. This whole thing feels like a classic case of over-precaution, but at least everyone is aware of what's going on 
.