Source: Radio New Zealand
Asbestos contamination in coloured play sand has raised fears of what exposure could do. 123rf
Explainer – Schools and health authorities have been scrambling after the revelation that popular children’s play sand products have been contaminated with asbestos.
The product has been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.
What kind of asbestos is it, and just how dangerous can it be? Here’s a quick look at the facts.
What’s the worry about asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that’s highly heat resistant and had been used in construction industries for years. It’s made up of tiny fibres which can be released into the air. These fibres can become stuck in the lungs and cause disease, including cancer.
“Unfortunately it is a cancer causing, type 1 carcinogen,” AUT associate professor and asbestos expert Terri-Ann Berry told RNZ Afternoons.
There are six types of asbestos, all dangerous, and the kinds that have been found in the sand products are tremolite and chrysotile (often called white asbestos).
Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, is widely considered the most dangerous form of asbestos and has not yet been reported in the sand.
“Asbestos causes a rare form of lung cancer (mesothelioma) following inhalation,” University of Canterbury professor of toxicology Ian Shaw said.
“The risk of contracting cancer is high when exposed to airborne asbestos. The longer the exposure the greater the risk.”
Multiple products have been recalled. Supplied
So how dangerous is it?
Molecular pharmacologist Ian Musgrave from the University of Adelaide said the forms of asbestos found in the sand were less likely to create fibres than types like blue asbestos.
“Tremolite, the predominant form found in these play sands, in particular, is rarely used industrially, but can be found in minerals like talc or vermiculite,” he told the Science Media Centre.
“Asbestos typically causes lung issues and lung cancer from inhalation of the crystalline fibres that asbestos forms. Tremolite is typically non-fibrous, unlike the fibrous blue asbestos, but exposure to any asbestos type will increase the likelihood of lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.
“I would be worried if it were my children,” Berry said. “However, I do need to offer some reassurance and that is that not everyone that gets exposed to asbestos will develop cancer.”
Shaw said much depends on how much exposure children may have had to the sand.
“The children’s sand product asbestos contaminations are serious because the products are dry and played with which would cause asbestos fibres to become airborne and thus readily inhaled.
“The question is: how long have children been exposed to the asbestos-contaminated product? This will significantly affect the cancer risk.
“The rapid response when the contamination was found is good, since it has prevented further exposure and thus continued risk.”
How contaminated is the sand?
“We do not have any indication of actual levels of these asbestos forms in the play sand,” Musgrave said.
“However, both WorkSafe and the (Australian) ACCC say these are trace levels (and/or present only in some samples).”
Health New Zealand has said, “We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.”
Laura Gemmell from Eco Choice Aotearoa told Morning Report recently she believed there was no indication that the asbestos had been intentionally added.
“Asbestos occurs naturally so it could be in a quarry where they got this sand, through equipment or storage containers that were also contaminated.
“I’m mystified as to exactly how it ended up in there and how it wasn’t checked,” Berry said.
“I would say that that sort of checking (in play sand) isn’t commonplace, checking it in a building material probably more so, probably because we expect it to be there.”
Robert McAllister, a director of the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand, alerted workplace safety authorities in NZ on 5 November and then Australian regulators were contacted.
Authorities in Australia have sought to reassure the public that the risks of harm are low and that asbestos fibres in the sand are not in a “respirable” form.
McAllister said he would “argue that the level of testing required to demonstrate that has not been done”.
“In this particular case, you’re talking about young children, who are highly susceptible to asbestos fibre, playing with this product up close and personal,” he said.
The products have been used by children. Supplied / Product Safety NZ
Will people see symptoms of asbestos problems right away?
It can be a long period of time – sometimes decades – between exposure to cancer-causing material like asbestos and the development of cancer.
“There is a time period between when you are exposed to asbestos and the development of any related disease (called the latency period) which is usually between 15 and 40 years,” Berry said. “This means that the impact of exposure is highly unlikely to be detected in the short term.”
A small amount of asbestos can be dangerous, but risks rise sharply with long-term exposure, University of Technology Sydney professor of life science Brian Oliver has written.
“Those who encounter asbestos once or twice in small amounts have a far lower risk of developing health complications, compared to people continually exposed to large quantities, as we’ve seen in the construction and mining industries.”
What do I do with the contaminated sand?
Short answer – get rid of it, safely, and don’t throw it in your rubbish bin. WorkSafe recommends contacting a licensed asbestos removalist.
Parents have expressed concern over what to do and the school closures have also caused angst.
There’s plenty of information out there on Health New Zealand’s website and the Product Safety Recall website.
I’m still worried, what’s the next step?
The clean-up and investigations over this sand scandal will carry on for some time, but there are resources galore out there for those with worries.
Berry is a trustee and board chairperson for the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Trust, which offers support to those with concerns.
“If they are worried and just want to talk, reach out to the MSAA trust, because we are there to help.
“I do think that this is a random and unfortunate one-off, however, I would say that asbestos awareness in New Zealand is generally relatively poor.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand