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My local hobby store has just issued a recall on the following product

Not sure if this is the right forum

Colour Forge Sands and advice from Colour Forge.

Moss Green TCF-BAS-010 & Atlantiko Blue TCF-BAS-007

Defect : The sand in this set may present a risk to health.

Hazard: The product presents a risk to health as the vials of sand may be contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is a banned substance because it poses a risk to health even at low levels of exposure. Health effects from asbestos generally occur many years after long-term inhalation of very small fibres. Testing to date indicates that there is Trace Asbestos Detected in some samples tested.

What to do (customers):

Stop using the product immediately.

If the sand is still in its packaging, place in a heavy-duty plastic bag, double tape it securely, label it clearly and store in a secure location out of the reach of children.

If the sand has been used clean-up sites where the product was used using wet cloths to avoid generating dust. Wear gloves and a mask. Double bag the sand, gloves, mask and cloths.

Keep children and other people away from areas where the sand has been used until the area has been cleaned.

Return the sand vials from the product to the store purchased from in person with proof of purchase for a full refund. If you dont have the receipt we can offer store credit.

If you are unable to get in person to the store purchased from, please follow the instructions above and dispose of the sand in your general household waste. Contact aftercare@thecolourforge.com for a full refund.

It really wouldn't surprise me if more products get recalled because it turns out they're contaminated too.

Good grief… asbestos contamination seems like quite the mistake…

As someone who unfortunately has to deal with asbestos on a regular basis, the trouble is a lot of these products are made in China where their laws are rather lax. As it's naturally occurring, it can also quite easily get caught up in strip mining processes. This is certainly the case for talc which has been an ongoing concern. It's hard to fine those involved in that process, but the retailers can certainly get one.

As I posted here, Hobbycraft have also come forward about it - https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-hobbycraft-giant-box-of-craft-2601-0364 (and the Colour Forge alert - https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-colour-forge-basing-sand-2-colours-moss-green-and-atlantiko-blue-2602-0038). I've not seen any other basing brands yet.

made worse by the fact the China's 'asbestos free' standard can actually have up to 5% asbestos (well that's what's been reported online although ive not been able to track down a solid scientific source for this in English),

so if you as a western buyer don't demand actual 3rd party testing you can get stung without the supplier actually being in the wrong

Oh great, so just 5% cancer then, that’s fine

It’s such a shame it’s basically a wonder material as well as a horrible killer.