Nearly 70 schools to close in Australia over fears of asbestos in play sand

A total of 69 schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will be forced to close on Monday after coloured play sand was recalled due to asbestos risk, the government has said.

A recall for the products, which were found to have traces of asbestos in some samples, was issued by Kmart and Target on Saturday.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said there was a "low" risk that the asbestos could become airborne or fine enough for inhalation.

Inspections of the schools are under way and could "take days", said ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry in a post on Facebook. She added that air testing so far has come back "negative to airborne asbestos" from all schools.

This comes after several schools and preschools in the region were fully or partially closed on Friday, after a warning over asbestos risks in children's sand sold by Officeworks.

There were also school closures in New Zealand due to fears over sand products, with at least two other schools set to close for testing on Monday according to the New Zealand Herald.

Addressing the new closures, Berry said: "Unfortunately, these sand products are even more widely used in our schools than the Officeworks products."

State Emergency Service volunteers and school staff have been walking through buildings and "mapping all coloured sand they see" over the weekend, she added.

The ACT government said that people who have been in contact with the product do not require a clinical assessment.

Berry said despite the minimal risk, the government is "required to eliminate risk as much as reasonably practicable".

Up to 23 schools will remain open as they either have "small stocks" of the sand or do not have any of the product.

The products set out in the recall notice are labelled as Active Sandtub 14 piece Sand Castle Building Set, and Blue, Green and Pink Magic Sand.

Asbestos, once widely used in building materials, can release toxic fibres into the air if disturbed or processed that can cling to the lungs and - over decades - cause cancer.

Importing or exporting asbestos or goods containing asbestos is prohibited under both Australian and New Zealand law.