By Rachael Ward

Fears students may have been exposed to asbestos have triggered the sudden closure of schools and preschools across Australia.

Some 23 schools and preschools were shut or partially shut in the ACT on Friday, while one Brisbane school closed for the day after the consumer watchdog warned a coloured sand may contain asbestos traces.

Health risks to children are low after initial air tests at eight ACT schools came back negative for asbestos but results of other forms of testing are not yet known, the territory’s WorkSafe commissioner Jacqueline Agius said.

ACT authorities want all schools to re-open on Monday and parents will be notified of a decision on Sunday afternoon or evening, ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said.

“Our first priority is the safety of our schools and students, and it is a workplace as well, so we need to make sure that all school staff are safe and protected,” she told reporters in Canberra.

Ms Berry said authorities did not want children or staff to see asbestos workers in biohazard suits conducting tests, and revealed some parents were not aware of closures until school drop-off.

Mancel College in Brisbane was initially open on Friday morning but quickly shut after the product was discovered at its junior and senior schools.

Parents were urged to pick up their children immediately and told students would be kept away from the sand.

“While the advice is low risk and there are only minor traces, we are acting with an abundance of caution,” the college said on social media.

“We are therefore advising parents that with immediate effect we are closing the entire college today.”

A Victorian Department of Education spokesperson said it received advice the risk to health was low and had no indication of a need to close schools or early childhood services.

The coloured sand product found at ACT schools was imported from China and is sold as Kadink Decorative Sand in tubes weighing 10 grams, Worksafe ACT said.

It comes after a national recall of children’s sand products sold at retailers including Officeworks, Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids and Zart Art.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued alerts after asbestos traces were detected in laboratory testing.

Products affected are labelled as Kadink Decorative sand 10g 6 pack, Kadink Sand (1.3kg), Educational Colours Rainbow Sand (1.3kg) and Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg).

The sand has been on sale in Australia since 2020 and is used for crafts or sensory play.

Worksafe ACT urged anyone with the sand at home to dispose of it immediately but do everything they can to prevent fibres from becoming airborne.

That includes wearing disposable gloves, a P2-rated face mask and protective eyewear when  disposing of it.

“Do not disturb or use it, and isolate the product,” the authority said.

“Carefully double wrap the sand, its container, and any related materials in 200-micron plastic bags, seal securely with tape, and clearly label the package as asbestos waste.”

Asbestos cannot be disposed of in general waste and must be taken to resource management facilities.

Officeworks said the safety risk was “negligible” after commissioning an independent health and safety risk assessment, but it recalled products as a precaution.

Asbestos-contaminated mulch prompted the closure of schools, hospitals and parks in Sydney in 2024 while historic dumping and legacy contamination was blamed for traces found at parks in Melbourne’s west.

Some 1000 ACT homes were found to be riddled with loose-fill asbestos installed by insulation company Mr Fluffy up until the 1970s.