PSA (Public Service Announcement): Not only in the Netherlands, product recalls for play sand are announced.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

PSA (Public Service Announcement): Not only in the Netherlands, product recalls for play sand are announced. The reason? Asbestos. This is truly shocking. Who the hell puts play sand on the market without testing for asbestos and thinks that's a good way to make money? https://nltimes.nl/2026/02/20/hema-recalls-play-sand-products-due-asbestos-contamination

#ProductRecall #Sand #Asbestos

[bjoern@social.sengotta.net]

@jwildeboer WTF is this this kinetic sand stuff?

[bix@chaos.social]

@jwildeboer It’s not added, the sand is sourced from a location where asbestos occurs naturally

[daveburb@mastodon.au]

@jwildeboer
We had the same happen here in Australia late last year. Unsure if same brand but I recall a child-care centre got temporarily closed over it. All countries need to check this.

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@jwildeboer The joy of using Chinese suppliers?

"FAAM, which is a part of leading science charity, the British Occupational Hygiene Society, points out that China will label goods with less than 5% asbestos as being asbestos-free."

5% asbestos! FFS!

[tylnesh@fosstodon.org]

@jwildeboer afaik it’s not that they put the asbestos on, it’s rather that there is a lot of naturally occurring asbestos and they didn’t test the sand for it.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@bix It's 2026. Safety checks exist for reasons. Identifying asbestos contamination should not be an afterthought, but part of the sourcing process, in my opinion. Whoever brought this to market acted in dangerous ways and should be punished to the biggest extent possible.

[jani@floss.social]

@bix @jwildeboer

The recent Veritasium video on asbestos was pretty good. I, too, thought the problem was already under control.

https://youtu.be/cMx139eTxoc

[geoffl@mastodon.me.uk]

@jwildeboer

Asbestos also found in "magic sand" in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK too.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@tylnesh See https://social.wildeboer.net/@jwildeboer/116102659313646835

[meistermeier@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer The latest Veritasium video talks also about asbestos in children toys (at the end). Maybe this happens not on purpose but as a known risk. Which really doesn't make it better, does it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMx139eTxoc

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@meistermeier See https://social.wildeboer.net/@jwildeboer/116102659313646835

[luisfcorreia@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer look at latest veritassium video.

Its complicated....

[mrtnsnp@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer it’s complicated. https://youtu.be/cMx139eTxoc

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

(interesting how many asbestos experts are in the replies, basing all of their expertise on a single veritassium video they've watched. A link to that video has now been posted 4 times in the replies, showing me that at least 3 people didn't bother to read the other replies

[jackeric@beige.party]

@jwildeboer Veritassium is a bigger problem than we thought.