Oversight Gaps in Global Supply Chains Facilitate Sale of Toxic Toys
The scandal over the sale of asbestos-contaminated children’s toys has been making headlines in the UK ever since a bombshell article appeared in The Guardian on January 24, 2026.1 The initial response by Hobbycraft, the company which sold the toxic product, was to withdraw the item from sale; they subsequently issued a national recall. The UK’s Office of Product Standards and Safety (OPSS) reported this action on January 27.2 Since the floodgates opened, dozens of other products have been recalled in the UK including playsets containing magic sand, drawing sand and modelling sand; science kits; and stretchable figurines such as Monster Truck Toys,3 Sand Toy Pigs,4 and Sleepy Dino Toy5 made in China.6
While some national regulators took baby steps, on February 26, 2026, the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control issued a nationwide suspension of the sale of all sand-based toys “to protect children from any potential exposure to asbestos.”7 Elsewhere responses to the crisis varied with warnings from one or two European Ministers8 and consumer groups and scattered reports from individual countries, one from North America (Canada), a couple from Asia (Japan) and none from Latin America or Africa. Australia and New Zealand remained on high alert after multiple recalls in November and December 2025.
The failure of the EU market surveillance system – Safety Gate Alert – was signposted by MEPs including Manuela Ripa whose priority question of February 23, 2026 was finally answered on April 8, 2026 by the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Séjourné:
“The Toy Safety Regulation… that will start applying on 1 August 2030 will strengthen the protection of children from harmful chemicals in toys and allow for additional measures to be taken against categories of toys that pose a risk to children.
Furthermore, the Commission is working on the revision of the Market Surveillance Regulation… to strengthen enforcement on products imported from third countries and to reinforce cooperation mechanisms between Member States to ensure more effective cross-border enforcement.” 9
For distressed parents and beleaguered governments the Commission’s response rang hollow. A more proactive response was given to Dutch journalist Richard Clevers on March 13, 2026, by a Commission spokesperson who confirmed that all the recalls of Chinese products were shared with the Chinese authorities: “It is up to them to do something about this now.”10
The problem is, however, that under Chinese regulations there is nothing wrong with selling these toys. In fact, despite the international outrage, there has been no coverage in the Chinese media of this scandal since an article uploaded in November 2025.11 Although China appears to be modernizing and tightening its toy safety regime, asbestos is not on the list of banned substances under the old regulations nor under those due to come into force later this year!12
The response of one expert I contacted about the lack of reaction by the Chinese Government to the situation was informative:
“What I have not found is a corresponding public Chinese government statement or public enforcement initiative specifically addressing these exported toy contamination cases... the exported-product cases appear to have been identified and acted on mainly by destination-market surveillance authorities rather than, at least publicly, by Chinese regulators. I have not identified a public Chinese government statement on planned action, and that confirmation would likely require direct inquiry with Chinese counsel, a China-based testing/certification body, or a local trade association.”13
It is clear that market surveillance is not working on national, regional or international levels. China is, by far, the world’s largest manufacturer accounting for ~30% of annual manufacturing global output and up to 75% of all toys! As such, this lack of attention by the authorities is disturbing, to say the least.
As I was finalizing the text for this article I came across a recent EU press release entitled MEPs conclude China visit advocating sustainable e-commerce, fair competition and product safety which detailed a trip by nine members of the EU’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee to Beijing and Shanghai on March 31-April 2, 2026.14
 MEP Anna Cavazzini in EU-China discussions on April 1, 2026, Beijing, China. Photo courtesy of European Parliament 2026. |
Commenting on the bilateral discussions, Committee Chair Anna Cavazzini said:
“It was important to come to China to meet with our counterparts and representatives of key e-commerce companies, to explain our rules in person. We have seen the e-commerce model shifting dramatically in recent years – it is a new reality but not a sustainable one if the rules are not enforced. While all consumers should have access to affordable consumer products, they should not have to worry about their health and safety when shopping.
More needs to be done to ensure companies are held accountable when rules are not followed. Whether it is about selling consumer products, removing dangerous toys from the market before they reach children, or paying customs fees – the same rules apply to everyone. We want to see rapid improvements and we want to ensure that our warnings are being taken seriously by China’s authorities and companies.”
One can but hope that these discussions will bear fruit and that the authorities in Beijing will implement protocols to protect all children from exposures to asbestos in contaminated toys exported from China. In the meantime, our enquiries continue.
April 23, 2026
_______
1 Tims, A. Asbestos found in children’s play sand sold in UK. January 24, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/24/childrens-play-sand-hobbycraft-asbestos-removed-recall
2 Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). Product Recall: Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft (2601-0364). January 27, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-hobbycraft-giant-box-of-craft-2601-0364
3 OPSS. Product Recall: HGL Stretchy Sand Monster Truck Toys (2604-0037). April 9, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-hgl-stretchy-sand-monster-truck-toys-2604-0037
4 OPSS. Product Recall: HGL Stretchy Sand Pig Toy (2604-0035). April 9, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-hgl-stretchy-sand-pig-2604-0035
5 OPSS. Product Recall: Scrunchems Stretchies Sleepy Dino Toy (2604-0038). April 9, 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-recall-scrunchems-stretchies-sleepy-dino-toy-2604-0038
6 UK Asbestos Product Recalls between January 27, 2026 and April 16, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-uk-asbestos-product-recalls-jan-27-apr-16-2026.pdf
7 DGCCRF. Alerte sur la présence d’amiante dans des jouets à base de sable. February 26, 2026.
https://presse.economie.gouv.fr/alerte-sur-la-presence-damiante-dans-des-jouets-a-base-de-sable/
Kazan-Allen, L. “Beware the Ides of March.” April 8, 2026.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka-blogzxa245.php
8 Clevers, R. In zeker zeventig soorten speelgoed is asbest gevonden, maar nergens is makkelijk te vinden in welke precies [Asbestos has been found in at least seventy types of toys, but nowhere is it easy to find exactly which ones]. March 23, 2026.
https://www.ad.nl/economie/in-zeker-zeventig-soorten-speelgoed-is-asbest-gevonden-maar-nergens-is-makkelijk-te-vinden-in-welke-precies~a89b42f6/
9 Asbestos in imported children’s play sand – protection of children and effectiveness of EU controls. Parliamentary question – P-000754/2006 by Manuela Ripa. February 23, 2026.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-10-2026-000754_EN.html
Joint answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission.
April 4, 2026.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-10-2026-000754-ASW_EN.html
European Commission. Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products.
https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/search
10 Clevers, R. NVWA: Asbest in speelzand in 1 op de 3 producten, maar in lage concentraties [Asbestos was already found in ‘Glow Sand Art’ in an AD investigation weeks ago]. March 13, 2026.
https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/nvwa-asbest-in-speelzand-in-1-op-de-3-producten-maar-in-lage-concentraties~a6ffeb2a/
11 澳洲石棉玩具沙重大公共安全卫生事件浅析与对中国家长的警示 [Analysis of major public safety and health incidents related to asbestos toy sand in Australia and warnings to Chinese parents]. November 18, 2025.
https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2025-11-18/doc-infxvtut4397489.shtml
Kazan-Allen, L. Beijing, We Have a Problem! November 25, 2026.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-beijing-we-have-a-problem.php
12 “GB 6675.1-2025 (‘Safety of toys Part 1: Basic code’) is a mandatory Chinese national standard announced in October 2025 to replace GB 6675.1-2014, covering toys for children under 14 years old within the China Compulsory Certificate (CCC) scope. It introduces stricter chemical requirements (formaldehyde, azo dyes, PAHs, SCCP), new odor/hygiene standards, electromagnetic compliance for electric toys, and enhanced labelling rules.”
13 Email received April 14, 2026.
14 European Parliament. MEPs conclude China visit advocating sustainable e-commerce, fair competition and product safety. April 2, 2026.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260326IPR39405/china-visit-sustainable-e-commerce-fair-competition-and-product-safety
Also see various texts about the trip at the link below:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/imco-in-china-meps-push-for-safer-e-comm/product-details/20260417CAN77661
