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South AustraliaEducation Minister of India has demanded an immediate nationwide inquiry into this. asbestos containing sand crisis Due to which about 450 schools have been closed across the country.
Blair Boyer said he wants to know how colored sand gets contaminated asbestos, a poison, Was imported into Australia.
South Australia on Tuesday added hundreds of schools across the state to the list of sites affected by a kinetic sand recall.
A national recall was issued last week by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission after testing found traces of asbestos in several colored sand products.
“I want to know how this stuff got through our borders, how it got onto the shelves of major retailers like Kmart and Target, and then into schools, preschools and thousands of homes,” Mr. Bauer said on Wednesday.
The minister said, he had written to the federal government to investigate the origin of the product.
“What tests go with products like this?” he asked. “Especially now that we know in cases with a product that was made and marketed to children, what checks go on with a product like that?”
Some colored sand products containing asbestos have been found at a mine in China, the Competition Commission told ABC News. Deputy chairperson Catriona Lowe could not confirm which company or operation in China was responsible for the export of the sand, but said an investigation was ongoing.
“We are continuing to receive information on a daily basis, but the focus is on making sure the public has the information they need,” he said.
The regulator first issued a voluntary recall for colored sand supplied by Educational Colors and Officeworks over concerns about asbestos contamination. Subsequently, Kmart and Target withdrew similar products from sale.
Educational Colors Pvt Ltd, which issued the recall, said on its website, “Independent laboratory testing of Rainbow Sand and Colored Sand products has found traces of naturally occurring tremolite asbestos in some samples. Experts have advised that the safety risk is negligible, but the recall has been initiated as a precaution.”
According to ABC News, Officeworks said the asbestos was discovered when it conducted analytical testing on its sand supply, which identified the presence of asbestos fibers.
Tests have detected traces of two forms of asbestos – tremolite and chrysotile – in various colored sand products, which more than 1,000 schools and early education centers across the country have reported using in classroom activities.
Asbestos, once widely used in construction materials, is a group of naturally occurring minerals composed of short, heat-resistant fibers. When distributed they can release toxic particulates into the air and can lodge in the lungs when inhaled. Long-term exposure has been linked to health problems such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
However, in the case of contaminated sand found in schools, the commission said there was a “low risk” of asbestos becoming airborne or fine enough to be inhaled.