Schools have also been impacted, with some closing their doors, while others moved classes into different buildings.
The Ministry of Education sent out a warning in the middle of last week warning there may be an issue with a coloured sand product that may contain asbestos.
Independent testing in Australia has confirmed asbestos contamination in products produced by Educational Colours. The company had issued a recall notice for EC rainbow sand (1.3kg) and Creatistics — coloured sand (1kg).
The ministry then updated its advice over the weekend, saying four additional products, sold at Kmart New Zealand, have tested positive for asbestos.
The products were: 14-piece sandcastle building set, blue magic sand, green magic sand and pink magic sand. The ministry urged schools and early learning services who have bought these products to stop using them immediately, secure them safely and contact the local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely.
Those who had higher volumes of these products should contact a licensed asbestos assessor or removalist for immediate advice and support on the situation.
Dunedin Kindergartens Association chief executive Nicola Hogg said eight kindergartens in Dunedin were closed yesterday and would remain shut today.
The first announcement around Educational Colours sand did not worry the association as no Dunedin kindergarten had any, she said.
But that changed with the second announcement, with eight kindergartens which had bought the sand identified.
One of them had a batch which was identified by the ministry. Moulds which had used the sand would also be tested.
Ms Hogg said the eight kindergartens were closed by 1pm yesterday and the sand sent for testing.
"But for safety — and we need to be as safe as possible — we will not be reopening the eight schools tomorrow [Tuesday]," she said.
"We are obviously aware of the impact on parents and tamariki and we will do our best to get back to normal, but we have to exercise utmost caution."
It was not great timing, but it was out of the association’s control, and they had to be cautious.
Balaclava School principal Gary Marsh said the school was closed yesterday.
It had taken advice from the Ministry of Education to be cautious, so decided to close the school.
The school did not have a huge amount of sand, but it did have sand from Educational Colours, so it isolated it and took it away to be tested. All the sand was tested and so far had come back negative.
He said the sand was bought from reputable companies and he did not expect to find asbestos. He said the school community was fully supportive of the closing.
Three rooms had been isolated and three more were being renovated, so the roll of 268 did not have much room to move, which impacted the closure. The school would be open today, with some classes moved into other areas.
Carisbrook School closed its entire junior block, and several classes were relocated to other areas yesterday.
University of Otago associate professor David McBride, who specialises in occupational medicine, said asbestos occurred naturally in sand, but generally not in New Zealand.
"The risks are absolutely minimal, but you can’t ignore them. I mean, you can’t. Parents are going to perceive this risk," he said.
"If it’s wet and you mix it in a bowl and form it into a plaything, the risks are absolutely minimal. But they do exist."
He said it was terrible children were being exposed, but it came down to "cheap" sand being brought into the country.
"So, wherever the sand has come from, it’s associated with asbestos and they shouldn’t have used it for children’s playthings."
The Dunedin City Council had a handful of inquiries about sand yesterday. It said the sand should be disposed of carefully, following government guidelines.
The Green Island landfill can accept asbestos-contaminated waste, but it is important it is handled appropriately.
The product should not be placed in red-lidded wheelie bins.
Closed today
Kindergartens closed today —
Abbotsford, Concord, Mornington, Mosgiel Central, Roslyn, St Clair, St Kilda and Waikari.
