Concerns over asbestos in children’s sand toys are not over yet, with The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery recalling Uniti sand art products as a “precaution”.

Last year, major retailers recalled a range of play sand products after tremolite and chrysotile asbestos were detected.

Silv Roest, chief legal and corporate affairs officer at The Warehouse Group, said customer safety, particularly children’s safety, remains the retailer’s priority.

“As soon as concerns about asbestos in sand products emerged in New Zealand last year, we took action,” Roest said.

“We arranged independent testing of all our sand products with a fully accredited laboratory, and the results showed that no asbestos was detected.”

However, Roest said the company was later approached by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) with test results showing positive traces of asbestos from the same batch of a Uniti sand art set.

The Warehouse said 4678 units have been sold since January last year (featuring Octopus and Monkey designs) and September (featuring Unicorn and Dinosaur designs).

MBIE testing reveals it has not detected “airborne asbestos”, the form considered to pose the greatest health risk.

The Warehouse claims the release of airborne fibres is considered very unlikely unless the sand is mechanically crushed and inhaled.

“While MBIE’s test result differs, all that matters is the safety of the families who shop with us,” Roest added.

“That’s why we’re recalling these products and treating them as containing asbestos as a precaution. We’re very sorry for any worry and inconvenience this will cause, and we’ll do everything we can to help our customers through this recall.”

Customers who purchased Uniti sand art products are advised to stop using them immediately, store them in heavy-duty plastic bags, and keep them out of reach of children.

Products should not be disposed of in general household waste; instead, they must be returned to any The Warehouse or Warehouse Stationery store for a full refund.