Parents and schools are asking questions about the level of risk posed by the asbestos \u2013 and how the contamination slipped through unnoticed, writes Catherine McGregor in today\u2019s extract from The Bulletin.<\/p>\n
To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday,\u00a0sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chance discovery triggers major recall<\/p>\n The asbestos scare unfolding across New Zealand began with a fluke.\u00a0As the ABC reports (via RNZ)<\/a>, tremolite asbestos was first picked up in children\u2019s play sand \u201cby chance in an Australian laboratory\u201d and was only reported to safety authorities \u201cafter a lab manager mentioned the findings in a podcast interview\u201d. A few days later, asbestos was also confirmed in products sold here.<\/p>\n That prompted a sweeping recall of quartz-based sands stocked by Kmart, education suppliers and stationery stores.\u00a0RNZ reports<\/a>\u00a0that Kmart NZ alone has sold 67,000 units across four children\u2019s sand products, one of which has been on its shelves since 2015. MBIE has now expanded testing to similar products on the market, with results expected \u201clater this week\u201d. In the meantime, authorities have advised schools, childcare centres and parents to isolate any suspect sand immediately. The alert has grown quickly: more than 40 educational settings have closed or partially closed as a precaution, and hundreds more have contacted officials seeking advice.<\/p>\n Schools scramble to reassure families<\/p>\n The disruption has been significant. Deputy prime minister David Seymour\u00a0told RNZ First Up<\/a>\u00a0that the education ministry has fielded several hundreds of calls from schools and early learning services, while a specialist removal company said teams were working \u201cessentially 24 hours a day\u201d to keep up with demand. Matipo School in Te Atatu Peninsula is one of many schools reporting that they have relocated classes, sealed off affected rooms, and begun professional decontamination. While Seymour says clear procedures are in place, on Midday Report, mother Janelle Hill expressed frustration at the lack of specific advice for households whose children used the products outside school.<\/p>\n Experts say risk is low \u2013 but key questions remain<\/p>\n