In late 2025 and early 2026, several major news outlets reported on asbestos findings in children’s play sand and kinetic sand in multiple countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the UK.1 Because asbestos inhalation increases the risk of cancer, these findings have raised understandable concerns among parents and authorities, prompting product recalls and investigations that have primarily focused on sand-based toys imported from China.2
In addition to toys, asbestos remains a concern in the construction industry, where legacy materials can lead to workplace exposure during renovation and demolition. Bicycle, moped, and motorcycle brake pads have also been found to contain asbestos during recent EU market surveillance projects.3
For manufacturers and importers of products at risk of asbestos contamination, laboratory testing is a reliable way to determine whether these carcinogenic fibers are present. Pre-emptive screening before placing products on the market can help avoid costly recalls and reputational damage.
Regulatory background for asbestos testing
Placing asbestos-containing products on the market is prohibited in the EU under the REACH Regulation, a central pillar of EU chemicals legislation.4 The restriction covers the manufacture, use, and placing on the market of the following asbestos fibers and articles containing them:
Crocidolite
Amosite
Anthophyllite
Actinolite
Tremolite
Chrysotile
No acceptable limit for trace-level contamination is specified in REACH. This means that qualitative identification of asbestos fibers is typically enough to deem a product non-compliant.
Similar regulations with a zero tolerance for asbestos are also in place in other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. In China, however, products may be labeled as “asbestos-free” if their asbestos content is below 5%.5 This discrepancy is one of the reasons for the recent controversy, where sand-based toys manufactured in China were found to contain traces of asbestos despite being compliant in their country of origin.
How is asbestos testing conducted?
Qualitative identification of asbestos in material samples is often performed using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) in accordance with the ISO 22262-1 standard method. The method is capable of detecting all asbestos types covered by the REACH Regulation with a 0.1% detection limit.
If asbestos is detected, further quantitative analysis can be performed in accordance with ISO 22262-2 to determine the asbestos content of the sample.
Both of these methods are suitable for a wide range of solid and powder-form materials, including play sand and kinetic sand, talc, cement, asphalt, minerals, construction products, and consumer articles.
Our solutions for asbestos analysis
Measurlabs offers asbestos testing with the SEM-EDX method for a comprehensive range of sample materials. More information about the initial, qualitative analysis can be found through the link below:
We can also provide quantitative determination of asbestos content if traces of it are detected. Do not hesitate to contact our experts through the form below for more information or a quote.
References
1 See 7NEWS Australia: Asbestos found in children’s sand toys, ABC News: Asbestos sand contamination also affecting New Zealand, after 70 Australian schools close, and The Guardian: Asbestos found in children’s play sand sold in UK.
2 Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued close to 20 recalls on sand-based toys since November 12, 2025. In the Netherlands, Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is investigating the issue after asbestos was found in several sand toy samples sent for analysis by the daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD).
3 According to the European Commission’s Safety Gate rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products, 17 products were withdrawn or recalled from the EU market in 2025 for containing asbestos, the majority of these being brake pads.
4 Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The asbestos restriction is outlined in Annex XVII, Entry 6.
5 British Occupational Hygiene Society: Experts Warn of Asbestos Contaminated Play Sand