Asbestos Triggers School Closures Across Australian Capital Territory
CANBERRA,Australia – Schools in the Australian Capital territory (ACT) began Monday with 69 facilities closed due to the discovery of asbestos in children’s play sand,according to a statement from the ACT government. The closures follow product recalls issued Saturday by major retailers Kmart and Target after asbestos traces were found in widely distributed play sand.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry announced the precautionary closures, explaining that inspections are underway and “could take days.” In a Facebook post,Berry stated that initial testing has so far revealed “negative to airborne asbestos” at all schools. Health officials have advised that individuals who have come into contact with the sand do not require medical evaluation.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) assessed the risk of asbestos becoming airborne or inhalable as low. This incident marks the second sand-related scare in the region within a week, after schools and preschools were previously closed Friday due to asbestos concerns in sand sold by officeworks.
“Regrettably, these sand products are even more widely used in our schools than the Officeworks products,” Berry said, noting that State Emergency Service volunteers and school staff spent the weekend identifying and mapping all colored sand within school buildings.
The government is prioritizing the elimination of risk “as much as reasonably practicable,” Berry added.
Asbestos, a mineral formerly common in construction materials, is a known carcinogen linked to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and over 40,000 deaths annually in the United States. Australian law already prohibits the import and export of asbestos and asbestos-containing goods. In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a complete ban on the mineral.
