Ian Caplin: MBIE Product Safety Spokesperson issues warning over asbestos-contaminated sand

MBIE says it's working hard to deal with issues regarding sand products potentially contaminated with asbestos. 

EC Rainbow Sand 1.3 kilos, Creatistics Coloured Sand, 1 kilo, and four Kmart NZ Magic Sand products have been recalled.

MBIE Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin says they are acting with an abundance of caution - and people shouldn't panic. 

"The potential impact of asbestos exposure is a long-term thing, people don't need to take immediate steps to manage their health."

Anyone concerned about health effects should call Healthline. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you've got kids who play with colored sand, listen up.
Seven different Magic sand products have now been recalled because
it turns out they might actually contain asbestos. The products
are Kmart, Blue, Pink and Green Magic Sand. Some schools
and ecs have had to close classrooms and call in
asbestos specialists. Ian Kaplan is NB product safety spokesperson on

(00:23):
the line. Ian good afternoon, Hi Rayan, So what is this?
How dangerous is the sand product?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, first of all, everyone is working through this speed
to just work out actually what the kind of the
nature and the extent of the problem is in terms
of in terms of that sort of thing. We have
treated it and we are taking a really really across
government precautious approach because obviously this product finds itself in
schools and early learning centers and kids who are involved.

(00:53):
So we're not hanging about.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
So have you tested one batch and it's come up
with aspestos or have you done multiple how many? How
many people?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
So testing is continuing. There have been what what triggered
this initially was last week in fact, when there was
an independent test in Australia on another firm EC with
their colored sand Educational colors, and the company has done
a voluntary product recall for those. Testing has happened here

(01:22):
for this kmart sand and again that's come up, so
we responded to that, but we're continuing to get testing
in process. Others are testing and we're and the suppliers
Kmar and EC the earlier one are looking across their
supply line, so they're recalling the product voluntarily. They're absolutely
complying and looking at just where they put these things

(01:45):
out where these things have been sold.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
If you have kids at home who play with the stuff,
should you be really worried about it or should you
be a bit relaxed.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Of course, I'm a dad. If you've got kids at home,
I completely understand that there any any parents or caregivers
will be concerned. What I would say is if you
are concerned, and saying don't panic makes people panic, I know.
But what I would say is potential impact of a
SPECIALS exposure is that is a long term thing. People

(02:16):
don't need to take immediate steps to manage their health
if there is any concern. What I would encourage any way, Ryan,
is for people to go to the Health New Zealand website.
They've got a massive amount of really understandable information on
this situation. In particularly if you've.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Got that's all great, But if if, how likely is
it that if your kid's been playing with this, they
have been exposed to asbestos in a dangerous form.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, again, we can't We can't actually give you the
answer to that, right.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
What we can say so we just know that there
is a little bit of a spiestos in the product
in a testing batch that's been done, but we don't
know the concentration on each.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Right absolutely, So we're looking at the whole context. We're
going and look at looking as far as we can,
so we're going out on abundance of caution. What I
was going to say, Ryan.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Is it fine enough that that's being ingested into the
kids system? Does it measure if they eat it or
is it only if they inhale it into the lungs?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Were We're not in a position to talk about that
yet in terms of health risks, We're still looking at
what the nature of the problem is. What I will say,
if you let me finish my sentence, is that we
want people to check their health. New Zealand website for
directions on what to do, how to bag this stuff up.
It's very very clear. If people are still concerned, then

(03:38):
phoning up Health sign or going to the GP would
be the ways forward. I also want to say that
if you're a place of work, which can include a
school but it might be other places as well, work
safe are the people to talk to there if and
that the councils are getting ready to receive disposable asbestos.
So the process and Health New Zealand advice is to

(04:00):
get rid of this stuff once you've bagged it up
in the proper way and put it out through there.
I do understand in the bed no, this isn't. This
isn't this isn't a wastepin job, this isn't a hoover job.
So the Health New Zealand site has got it all
in there, but very baldly speaking, if it's in the tub,
double bag it, put it out the way. If it's
not in the tub and lying around on the floor,

(04:22):
the Health New Zealand site will talk about ways in
which you can clear it up. If there is any
uncertainty over that, then having to call him expert maybe necessary,
But get people to the Health New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Site, so no one can throw it on the burn,
double bag it, and then it's going to go somewhere.
We'll look on the Health newsand website for weir how
many houses have got this, how many products have been so,
how much is out there?

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, Yeah, we're still we're still working through that. Rhye.
We're still looking the the companies a lot. I'm not
going to speculate and give you finite numbers because that's
not responsible and it doesn't actually reflect a correct answer.
What the supplies are doing at the moment is what
they do in a standard product safety recor, which is
checking their inventories, checking their stocks, checking what other supply

(05:05):
lines these things have got into. This is a prohibited substance,
and it's on the retailers once they are disclosed, they've
got it to check just where it is that they
have sold it. We're obviously broadcasting this as far and
as wide as possible, and they've dealt the first available opportunity.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
Ian appreciate your time this afternoon, Ian Kaplan from Mbeat.
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