Crayola has managed to turn arts and crafts into a potential health hazard after two of its children's craft boxes were recalled over concerns that the included sand might be contaminated with asbestos. Because nothing says "creative play" like a side of carcinogenic fibers.
The UK's Office for Product Safety and Standards announced that owners of the Crayola Touchy Feely Craft Box and Crayola Discovery Craft Box should immediately stop using the products and keep them away from children - which rather defeats the purpose of a kids' craft kit. The agency stated the kits "present a risk to health as the sand may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos," which is a bit like saying a small fire presents a risk of being warm.
The kits, manufactured in China, were sold at major retailers including Argos, Asda, Sainsbury's, and The Works. The Works, in its recall notice, noted that testing showed the sand in some products contained trace levels of asbestos, adding helpfully, "Asbestos should not be present in any amount." Groundbreaking.
The recall covers Discovery Craft Box items sold between August 2025 and April 2026, and Touchy Feely Craft Box items (listed as Sensory Craft Box) sold between March 2025 and April 2026. Asda is recalling the Discovery Craft Box, and Hunter Price International Limited, the importer, is recalling both.
For those who already let their children run wild with the contaminated sand, the government offers a cleanup protocol that reads like a hazmat manual: wear gloves and a mask, use wet cloths to avoid generating dust, double-bag the sand along with gloves, mask, and cloths, and keep children and other people away from the area until cleaning is complete. Alternatively, you could just throw the whole house away.
Customers are advised to contact the retailer where they purchased the kit for a refund, presumably so they can buy a craft kit that doesn't come with an invisible health risk.