Asbestos in Schools: Australia's Playground Sand Incident and India's Evolving Regulatory Response

The Australian Incident

In late November 2025, approximately 70 schools in Australia's Capital Territory (ACT) were temporarily closed after coloured play sand used in playgrounds and classrooms was recalled following the discovery of asbestos contamination in some samples. ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry confirmed that inspections were ongoing and that initial air quality tests had returned negative results for airborne asbestos fibres at all affected schools. Authorities advised that individuals who had come into contact with the sand did not require medical evaluation at that stage.

The concern extended beyond Australia. Several schools in New Zealand also closed for precautionary testing. Staff and emergency personnel were deployed across ACT schools to inspect classrooms and identify all remaining stocks of the recalled product. The sand had been sold through Officeworks retail stores before the contamination was identified.

Why Asbestos in Schools Is Treated as a Serious Concern

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used in building construction for much of the twentieth century, valued for its fire resistance, durability, and insulating properties. When asbestos-containing materials are damaged, drilled, or disturbed, they can release microscopic fibres into the air. Inhaled fibres can become permanently lodged in the lungs and, after a latency period that can extend to several decades, cause serious disease.

Prolonged exposure is associated with mesothelioma — a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lungs or abdomen — as well as asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis, a progressive scarring of lung tissue that causes chronic breathlessness. The World Health Organisation has recommended the complete elimination of asbestos use globally and considers all forms of asbestos to be Group 1 human carcinogens. Both Australia and New Zealand have imposed comprehensive bans on asbestos and all products containing it.

India's Regulatory Position

India's approach to asbestos is more nuanced than that of countries that have enacted outright bans. The domestic mining of asbestos is prohibited, as is trade in asbestos waste including dust and loose fibres. However, the import of raw white chrysotile asbestos for use in manufacturing continues to be permitted, and India remains one of the world's significant importers of the material, sourcing it primarily from Russia and Kazakhstan for use in asbestos-cement roofing sheets, pipes, and friction materials.

In 2025, the Ministry of Education issued guidelines prohibiting the use of asbestos in any new construction or renovation projects at Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) — the two national networks of centrally administered schools. Minister of State for Education Jayant Singh Chaudhary described the directive as a first step toward broader change. "I hope this starts a movement to gradually phase out asbestos use throughout the country, and we build a healthier and cancer-free nation for our children," he said.

India's Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, formally notified in November 2025, consolidates the country's legislative framework governing hazardous substances in the workplace, including asbestos. While the Code acknowledges the hazardous nature of asbestos, it does not impose an outright prohibition on its use in manufactured products.

The issue has also carried a diplomatic dimension. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed to Parliament that the presence of asbestos had presented a significant obstacle in preparing the Indian government's property in Washington D.C. — acquired in 2013 for the establishment of an Indian Cultural Centre — for use, alongside other structural challenges.

National Green Tribunal Issues Landmark Directive

In early November 2025, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a significant directive instructing the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) to undertake a thorough review of global scientific evidence and established best practices within six months, and to formulate a clear policy position on the use of asbestos-cement roofing sheets and other asbestos-based materials in schools, residential buildings, and other structures. The bench, comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Dr. Afroz Ahmad, also directed the Ministry to develop comprehensive guidelines covering the full lifecycle of asbestos products — from manufacturing and installation through to maintenance, dismantling, and disposal — and to establish a time-bound action plan for their safe management.

The Tribunal emphasised that children's health must be treated as a paramount consideration in any policy decision, and that the government is obligated to apply the precautionary principle enshrined in Section 20 of the NGT Act 2010. At the same time, the bench clarified that an immediate nationwide ban on asbestos roofing was "not warranted at this stage" in the absence of specific domestic scientific evidence to support such a measure. "Children are a vulnerable group. In the face of scientific uncertainty, the benefit of doubt must go to public health," the Tribunal stated, setting out a position that favours cautious, evidence-based regulation rather than abrupt prohibition.

The Fibre Cement Products Manufacturers' Association (FCPMA), representing the asbestos-cement manufacturing industry, argued before the Tribunal that asbestos-cement sheets are safe under normal conditions of use because fibres are bound within the cement matrix and are not ordinarily released into the surrounding air. The association maintained that its members comply with all applicable environmental and occupational safety requirements, and cautioned that sudden restrictions on asbestos could threaten employment and damage the small-scale manufacturing sector that relies on the material. It also noted the affordability and durability of asbestos-cement products, particularly for rural and semi-urban communities with limited access to alternative roofing materials.

The NGT directed the MoEF & CC to base its eventual policy decision on a rigorous and comprehensive review of both international practices and India-specific data, ensuring that the outcome is scientifically sound and socially practicable. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was tasked with developing standard operating procedures for the safe disposal of asbestos waste to prevent fibre re-entrainment into the environment. The Ministry of Education was directed to advise schools to maintain existing asbestos-cement roofs in good condition using protective coatings, to adhere strictly to Bureau of Indian Standards specifications during any installation or maintenance work, and to ensure that all asbestos waste is disposed of exclusively at authorised facilities in accordance with the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules 2016.