UK — Hobbycraft has recalled more than 30 children's toys in the United Kingdom after asbestos contamination was found in play sand sold in its craft kits. The retailer issued a national recall of its Giant Box of Craft kits two days after a Guardian report on the contamination, and has since recalled four additional craft sets containing sand.

In January, Hobbycraft withdrew the Giant Box of Craft kits from sale after a customer alerted it to asbestos traces in bottles of coloured sand. Customers were instructed to seal contaminated bottles in double bags and seek council advice on disposal. The company said UK authorities had not warned of a risk and there was no evidence of harm to customers.

Over the past three months, retailers including Tesco, Primark, Matalan and M&S recalled children's products ranging from candle-making kits to stretchy rubber toys after they were found to contain asbestos. The affected toys are thought to contain sand from mines in China where asbestos fibres can occur naturally and where labelling rules are less rigorous. The UK prohibits the sale of products containing asbestos in any quantity, and inhaled asbestos can cause cancer in later life.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards issued an advisory note for traders about the most reliable tests, and laboratories reported a surge in test requests from stores and manufacturers afterwards. Traders questioned the industry lab testing methods used at the point of the Hobbycraft recall because they failed to detect small quantities of asbestos. Products certified as safe were found to be contaminated when sent for more reliable testing.

"The Office for Product Safety and Standards needs to take action and ensure proper checks are being carried out to keep dangerous products off the shelves," said Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy. "It should also examine whether toys containing asbestos are being sold on online marketplaces where there is far more limited regulation," she said.

"It took an article in the Guardian to force the UK authorities to engage with the potential threat to public health," said Laurie Kazan-Allen of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat. "The UK recalls since then are a result of individual tests carried out by manufacturers and sellers and not of testing by the UK authorities," she added.

"It is staggering toys are being sold with asbestos. We're taking action with new measures to strengthen consumer protection and clamp down on irresponsible sellers. We work closely with the EU, Trading Standards and the toy industry to ensure businesses act immediately, and any products which test positive for asbestos are removed from sale and recalled," said Kate Dearden, minister for product safety.