Safety alert over Shein children’s toy that’s contaminated with asbestos

Parents are being urged to check their children’s toy boxes for building blocks bought from discount store Shein, over fears they contain deadly asbestos. 

The online retailer has issued a recall for its Children’s Wooden Acrylic Rainbow Sensory Blocks after it was found the sand inside the blocks may be contaminated with the cancer-causing material.

Asbestos is a banned substance that poses a risk to health ‘even at low levels of exposure’, according to safety chiefs. 

The recalled toy does not meet the requirements of official toys safety regulations, health officials have warned. 

In a published warning, the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) added: ‘We recommend owners stop using the product immediately and keep it out of the reach of children.’  

The blocks have been removed from stores and recalled by the global retailer. 

Consumers are urged to check their records for product number sk26062823339701832428. 

Shein has apologised for the inconvenience and said it is offering customers a full refund. 

Customers can also contact customer care on ukcsteam@shein.co.uk for further information. 

The contaminated toy should not be returned to stores and the OPSS has issued disposal instructions for anyone who may still have the toy.

It advises that if the blocks are undamaged, they should be placed in a heavy-duty plastic bag and kept out of reach of children. 

If the toy is damaged and the sand filling is accessible, play areas should be cleaned,  with a wet cloth while wearing protective clothing to avoid generating and breathing in dust. 

After double-bagging the toy, along with any cleaning products that may have been contaminated, parents are advised to contact their local authority for guidance on safe disposal of asbestos.

Asbestos is a heat-resistant mineral that was popular in building and construction until the 1980s until the dangers it posed became clear.

Because it was cheap, durable and resistant to fire, it was commonly used as insulation for buildings and electrical wiring.

The first reports about the cancer-causing properties of asbestos first emerged in Germany in the late 1930s.

However, it was not until the 1960s that serious diseases like mesothelioma – a rare cancer that can develop in the lining of the body’s organ – were found to be caused by asbestos exposure.

The danger of asbestos comes from microscopic fibres which can tear off the material and fester in the body to cause cancer.

Breathing in high levels of asbestos has also been linked to causing lung cancer and ovarian cancer.

Asbestos is allowed to remain in some UK buildings where it is in good condition and undisturbed, as the danger lies with material that is broken, drilled or disturbed, allowing harmful microscopic fibres to enter the air.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, it still kills around 5,000 people every year.

But many anti-asbestos campaigners believe that this figure is a gross underestimate, and the real total is closer to 20,000. 

The Daily Mail’s campaign, Asbestos: Britain’s Hidden Killer, has been calling on the Government to introduce a 40-year phased removal of asbestos from all public buildings, starting with schools and hospitals.