United Kingdom: asbestos in sand-containing toys — OPSS tells businesses that testing the finished product is not enough, because the nature of contamination and sampling limitations do not provide assurance
On 20 July 2026 the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published an advisory note on assuring the absence of asbestos in sand-containing toys. Following a growing number of recalls due to asbestos, the office reminds businesses that testing can only be one part of broader supply chain assurance.
- The note states plainly: testing can help identify the presence of asbestos in products, but because of the nature of asbestos contamination and the limitations of sampling, testing alone cannot provide assurance that products are free from it. Testing should be treated as one component of supply chain assurance rather than relied on in isolation.
- Businesses should, among other things, obtain assurance from suppliers, understand the origin of raw materials, maintain quality controls during manufacturing and processing, and use established supply chain assurance processes, including BSI PAS 7050 “Bringing Safe Products to Market”. They should also keep documentation and provide it to regulators on request; sand-containing toys whose freedom from asbestos cannot be assured should not be supplied.
- Earlier, on 19 June 2026, OPSS, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a joint statement: craft kits, science kits, toys containing sand and decorative doorstops found to contain small amounts of asbestos had been recalled; no play pit sand was subject to a recall. The UK applies zero tolerance to asbestos in consumer products — its use and importation have been banned since 1999.
- According to the joint statement, the presence of asbestos in a product does not always mean an immediate danger: the risk depends on how the product is used and on the amount and duration of exposure, and undisturbed material is unlikely to release fibres. For the recalled products the risk in normal use was assessed as low; users should stop using them and follow the recall instructions.
Source: OPSS — Assuring the absence of asbestos in sand-containing toys (nota doradcza, 20.07.2026)