More than 20 schools and early learning services across the country have closed after multiple brands of coloured play sand were found to contain asbestos.

The figures come as the Ministry of Education revealed it had received more than 260 queries related to multiple brands of coloured play sand.

The ministry’s leader of operations and integration, Sean Teddy, said as of 1pm today, it has been in contact with 167 schools and 95 early learning services.

“Sixteen schools and seven early learning services have informed us they are temporarily closed or planning to close to address possible contamination,” Teddy said.

“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children will cause worry for parents and caregivers. We recommend they contact Healthline with any health concerns they may have about their children who may have come into contact with these products.”

On Saturday, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) issued a recall for four Kmart products – the 14-piece sandcastle building set and the blue, green and pink Magic Sand sets, after coloured sand products tested positive for tremolite asbestos.

An earlier recall related to EC Rainbow Sand and Creatistics – Coloured Sand, sold at retailers including Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire and Qizzle.

Several schools have closed today as a precaution while they undergo testing. This afternoon, Maraetai Beach School advised the school would be closed to all students tomorrow, “to allow for immediate professional assessment and remediation of affected areas.”

Teddy earlier said he appreciated that parents and caregivers would be anxious and urged anyone concerned to contact Healthline for advice.

“We have sent out advice to schools and early learning services via special bulletins on Saturday afternoon. And we followed up on Sunday afternoon with an alert to all schools and early learning services, pointing them to the bulletins.

“We are working closely with MBIE and WorkSafe to provide schools and early learning services with advice on testing, remediation and closure decisions.”

Kmart NZ Magic Sands products are being recalled after asbestos was detected. They are the 14-piece Sandcastle Building Set (left) and the Blue, Green and Pink Magic Sand sets. Photo / Kmart recall notice

A union representing the education sector said reports of asbestos-contaminated products in our early childhood centres and primary schools were “deeply alarming”.

President of NZEI Te Riu Roa Ripeka Lessels said the union was urgently seeking clarity from the Government on the health risks and what specific support relevant agencies would provide for the swift and safe removal of contaminated products and decontamination of all affected sites.

Jason Miles, vice-president of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) said it put “trust in the Ministry of Education staff to provide schools that require support with the best advice and resourcing to keep their children, staff and communities safe”.

Lessels said the union was also calling for “an urgent, high-priority, system-wide investigation and review into the regulatory system failures which have led to this situation”.

Miles said “in the current political climate of our Government pushing to lighten up on regulation, we need to take care that we don’t become light on health and safety for our children’s protection”.

“NZPF advocates to uphold stringent standards of health and safety to protect our children from harm.”

“We urge anyone who has bought these products, either for personal use or potential use in a workplace, to act immediately,” MBIE product safety spokesman Ian Caplin said.

“Stop using the sand, contain it, secure it in a safe place and arrange for safe disposal through licensed professionals; a list of these is available on the WorkSafe website.”

Teddy said schools and early learning services who have these products should follow WorkSafe’s advice.

Affected products under recall notice

EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg) – previously recalled

Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg) – previously recalled

14-piece Sandcastle Building Set (batch number 42975724)

Blue Magic Sand (batch number 42304364)

Green Magic Sand (batch number 432919650)

Pink Magic Sand (batch number 42304371)

Immediate advice for consumers:

Stop using the product immediately.

Don’t let children touch or play with the sand.

Place the sand in a sealed container then double-bag it in thick plastic, seal with tape and clearly label as “Asbestos-Contaminated Material”.

Don’t dispose of it in household rubbish or vacuum it up. Contact your local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely.

Refer to the clean-up and disposal instructions in this Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora webpage.

Once the product is secure, people should contact their retailer for a refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

For further advice, call the MBIE consumer line on 0508 426 678.