CANBERRA — A total of 69 schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will be closed on Monday after coloured play sand was recalled over potential asbestos contamination, authorities announced.

Kmart and Target issued a recall on Saturday after some samples of the children’s play sand tested positive for traces of asbestos.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the risk of the asbestos becoming airborne or fine enough to be inhaled was “low.”

ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said inspections across affected schools are ongoing and could “take days,” noting that air testing so far has returned “negative to airborne asbestos” at all schools tested.

The closures follow several full or partial shutdowns on Friday after similar concerns emerged over sand products sold by Officeworks.

The scare has extended to New Zealand, where schools also announced closures pending testing.

“Unfortunately, these sand products are even more widely used in our schools than the Officeworks products,” Berry said in a statement.

State Emergency Service workers and school staff have spent the weekend identifying and mapping all coloured sand across school grounds.

The ACT government said individuals who have come into contact with the recalled products do not require medical assessment.

Up to 23 schools will remain open due to having only small quantities of the sand or none at all.

The recalled products include the Active Sandtub 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set and the Blue, Green, and Pink Magic Sand lines.

Asbestos, once common in construction materials, can release hazardous fibres when disturbed, posing long-term cancer risks. Both Australia and New Zealand prohibit the import or export of asbestos-containing products. — Agencies