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20260629_RAG_Risk Assessment_Asbestos_play sand_update June 2026
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Abstract
On February 4th 2026 the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported that asbestos had been detected in children’s play sand products sold on the Dutch market. Similar detections and product recalls had previously been reported in Australia and New Zealand. Belgian authorities have advised precautionary withdrawal of the products pending further investigation. To date, no human disease linked to exposure to these products have been reported.
Based on the very limited available evidence and considering the concentrations of asbestos detected in 3 samples, the original risk assessment performed in February 2026 indicated that the risk for children from exposure to asbestos fibers present in the evaluated play sand was estimated to be low. The risk assessment was associated with a high degree of uncertainty.
An updated risk assessment was performed in June 2026 based upon modelling of the risk using:
o results of dustiness testing (release of asbestos fibers in the air) in experimental circumstances of 3 samples, selected to represent low (Sample 2), intermediate (Sample 1) and high (Sample 3) asbestos concentrations ;
o assumptions regarding exposure (playing time, room volume, mass of sand used…) following the methodology developed by RIVM for its risk assessment of asbestos in toy sand.
The outcome of the updated risk assessment indicates that the overall risk is estimated to be low for play sands containing a low asbestos concentration, like samples 1 and 2.
However, the results of the updated risk assessment also indicate that exposure to the samples containing a high asbestos concentration, like sample 3, exceeds the Flemish reference values of 3 fibers/m3 and 30 fibers/m3 as well as the Dutch MTR of 300 fibers/m3. This means that a health risk cannot be excluded for children exposed over prolonged periods to these samples. The previously published risk assessment from the Netherlands, though using a slightly different methodology, reached the same conclusions. It should be noted that the exposure scenario applied for the risk assessment assumes that a child would always play with a product containing this high asbestos concentration, spending many hours in the same room, a few times a week, for 13 years. Although not impossible, this is highly unlikely and therefore considered a worst-case scenario. If these products are used occasionally, the risk of health effects is considered low. Nevertheless, because in the worst-case scenarios the use of the product can lead to lifetime exposure exceeding the values, further exposure to these products should be prevented as their contribution to the lifetime exposure with inhaled asbestos fibers is unacceptable high.
Our exposure scenarios focused on children using play sand. However, because asbestos fibers released during play activities may remain airborne within the indoor environment, other individuals present in the same space (e.g. parents, teachers, caregivers, and cleaning staff) may also be exposed. While the associated risks are expected to be similar, a more accurate assessment for these groups would require the development of additional exposure scenarios that account for differences in activity patterns, exposure duration, and occupancy characteristics.
Despite using the best available evidence, it should be noted that there is still a high degree of uncertainty in the updated risk assessment:
o Only three samples could be tested in the dustiness experiments. These three samples were selected based on the results of asbestos testing in Belgium (20 samples of which 6 contained asbestos) and the Netherlands (106 samples of which 40 contained asbestos). The amount of asbestos in the positive samples was highly variable, differing by several orders of magnitude (Annex 1). It remains unclear if we can extrapolate the results of the dustiness experiments and of the risk assessment to all the play sands on the Belgian market.
o Although the exposure assessment could be refined using the results of the dustiness tests, these experiments are based on laboratory simulations and do not directly reflect airborne asbestos concentrations generated from play sand under actual play conditions. Currently, no measurements are available on the release of asbestos during real-world play activities, its dispersion in the air, or the frequency and duration of play and the quantities of sand typically used by children.
o Non-asbestos fibers and non-WHO fibers and exposure routes other than inhalation (e.g., ingestion) were not considered in this risk assessment, as the current state of scientific knowledge does not provide a sufficiently robust basis for their inclusion in the assessment methodology.
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Date
2026-07-14
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Sciensano