Watchdog says it can’t take action on newspaper report of asbestos in sand-based toys
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said Wednesday it cannot take action based solely on a newspaper report that found asbestos in children’s play sand sold in the Netherlands. The regulator confirmed it is investigating the issue independently but stressed that a formal risk assessment is needed before determining potential health risks.
The report, published earlier this week, said laboratory tests found asbestos in six of twelve play sand products purchased from Top1Toys, Bol.com, Amazon, AliExpress, and distributor Koppen Speelgoed. The products included sand tables and sand art kits. The asbestos was primarily non-bonded tremolite, a type considered more hazardous than common white asbestos, which can cause lung cancer or mesothelioma decades after exposure.
“This is really very serious,” said David de Vreede of the Dutch Expertise Center for Asbestos & Fibers. “In construction, this material would be removed by workers in full protective suits. In some products, 2 to 5 percent of the material consisted of non-bonded asbestos, which can be easily inhaled.”
The NVWA said it cannot act on third-party findings alone. “For that, a proper risk assessment is required, as was done previously with potential asbestos in cosmetic products for children. Such an assessment takes time,” a spokesperson said. The agency confirmed that asbestos is prohibited in toys.
The tests followed reports from Australia and New Zealand, where play sand imported from China was found to contain asbestos, forcing about 70 schools to close temporarily. More than 20 contaminated products have since been recalled in those countries. Contamination often occurs naturally during extraction in Chinese mines, making it difficult to predict which products are safe.
Experts caution that negative test results do not guarantee safety. “It can happen that two identical products are tested, and one contains asbestos while the other does not,” said Robert McAllister, director of the Faculty of Asbestos Management Australia and New Zealand.
Three sand tables, purchased from Bol.com, Amazon, and AliExpress, had the highest asbestos levels, while three other products, including two sand painting sets from Top1Toys and a sand-filling kit from Koppen Speelgoed, contained lower levels of tremolite and sometimes chrysotile.
