Asbestos in kids sand!

[atodhi]

I’m sure everyone’s seen all the recalls of the kids sand due to potentially containing asbestos!
One of the sets we got my little one for Christmas has been recalled and I’m having a stress (understandably) worrying about all of our health (we also have a baby)! However she didn’t play with it much, maybe 3/4 times, we’ve returned it to smyths and cleaned the cupboard it was in/any toys it was touching.
however- I know that I definitely hoovered some of the sand up (months ago) when it got into the floor! I’ve seen online lots saying ‘do not hoover’ which obviously I had no clue at the time! I have been hoovering my floors for months with this hoover that is potentially contaminated with asbestos! Both hard wood and carpet and in all our bedrooms! I am now stressing that all our rooms will be contaminated or filled with asbestos? Is this ridiculous to think?
we have bought a new Hoover -not down to this we’ve needed a new one for a while and this just kicked us into actually getting one! So that’s no longer an issue but am I stressing for no reason that the whole house may have asbestos about it? Obviously not 100% that all of the toys contain it but we will never know!

Honestly I had a little panic when I first seen the recalls for this, DD had 2 sets in the craft cupboard and we've had many others over the last 4 or so years which were also on the recall list. I binned the whole craft cupboard because, with a crafty 6 year old, the sand was everywhere and on everything.
its obviously scary but there is literally nothing else we can do that we haven't already done so I've put it to the back of my mind. It does make me so angry to think that If anyone is actually affected it won't be for years to come and then it will be almost impossible to know where they came into contact with it.

It’s just crazy how this has all been allowed! We returned ours Friday and cleaned the cupboard (thankfully was in a sealed box the whole time anyway) and I’ve tried to not think about it too much! I keep reminding myself we wouldn’t have let them have it if we’d known so there’s nothing we could’ve done! But I just keep seeing these comments saying not to hoover and it’s made me stress more 😅 but I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s hoovered it and thankfully we just needed a new one anyway!

Not sure if you can clean the hoover outside OP. Just be careful if you take the old one to the tip as someone else may decide to take it!

I was anxious recently when a box of fidgets we bought off Amazon was suddenly recalled after 6 months purchasing them due to toxic chemicals possible in the toys. Cue a few days of manic hunting and comforting my eldest daughter who is obsessed with fidgets to part with those had from the box and explaining why. Out of 75 I managed to return approx. 70 which was accepted as a couple broke, found 2 later and binned them.

Does it help to tell you that there is asbestos in the atmosphere in the UK? So just walking around outside, you will be breathing it in. 60%+ of adults who die in this country, for whatever reason, will have asbestos fibres in their lungs. This goes up to 100% in heavy urban areas. Yet only 5000 people a year in the UK die of asbestos related illness. Obviously still 5000 too many.

Asbestos is scary and absolutely does need treating with care, but the 'one fibre can kill' mantra is based on theoretical risk and perpetuated by ambulance chasing lawyers. Exposure effects are cumulative. Generally speaking, large exposures are needed before asbestos related illness forms, and that risk is amplified if the person also smokes. You are not going to get sick because of the play sand. Send your kids off to cut asbestos insulation board day in day out, over a 20 year career, and that risk profile changes.

Make sure the hoover is binned and don't worry further 💐