Two more children’s sand kits available in the UK have been withdrawn from sale after consumer watchdog Which? found they contained dangerous asbestos.
This latest discovery comes after numerous products—especially children’s toys—have been recalled due to asbestos contamination. One of the newly recalled items is a Montessori sand art tray sold on Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop. This educational toy encourages children to draw in sand using pencils or their fingers to develop fine motor skills.
Which? testing revealed the sand contained tremolite asbestos, a banned, naturally occurring mineral known to pose severe health risks. When its fibres become airborne and are inhaled, they can cause serious lung diseases—even at very low exposure levels.
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The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic to humans. In the UK, the sale of any product containing asbestos—even trace amounts—is strictly prohibited.
The second sand kit, also sold on TikTok Shop and Amazon Marketplace by multiple individual sellers, was found to contain asbestos despite having been subject to a recall by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in March. Which? noted the product remained available on these platforms until May. The OPSS has since expanded its recall to explicitly include Amazon and TikTok Shop.
Additionally, Which? identified tremolite asbestos in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set sold at Asda under the brand RMS International Limited. Similar kits were found for sale on eBay from private sellers.
Since November, the OPSS has issued more than 39 recalls relating to asbestos-tainted sand products. The contamination has led to the closure of schools and parks, most recently in North East England. Investigations suggest the contaminated sand originates from Chinese quarries known to harbor naturally occurring asbestos.
Sue Davies, head of consumer rights policy at Which?, condemned the ongoing sales: “It is outrageous that online marketplaces continue selling products that expose children to asbestos, even after recalls. Innocent-seeming toys and craft kits can have grave health consequences if safety checks fail.”
She urged swift government action, highlighting existing proposals to oblige online marketplaces to take stronger responsibility for removing hazardous products. “Ministers must act urgently to implement enforceable legislation. Delay only increases the risk of dangerous goods reaching consumers.”
Amazon stated they are prioritizing customer safety, removing all products in the affected category while conducting a thorough investigation. Asda confirmed they launched a full recall immediately upon learning of the issue, advising customers to stop use and return affected items for refunds.
eBay said they swiftly removed flagged products and are performing further sweeps for similar listings. TikTok confirmed the implicated product had already been removed from TikTok Shop.