Mum's asbestos fear after son swallows part of toy

A mum says her "heart dropped" when she realised her three-year-old son had swallowed contents of a toy that may have contained asbestos.

Charli Aitken, from Lincoln, said she was reassured when retailer Smyths Toys initially told her the "dinosaur sand" from the Let's Dig Out Dinosaur Eggs toy that Rudi swallowed was made from plaster of Paris and was "not considered dangerous".

However, a few weeks later, Smyths issued a product recall notice, which said "the material inside some products may contain trace levels of asbestos".

The company said a review of its sand toy products was taking place and it was waiting for findings and guidance.

Aitken said Rudi was playing with the toys in early February.

"I turned around and Rudi had taken a big spoonful of this dinosaur sand. He looked at me and smiled and his mouth was full of plaster.

"I phoned NHS 111 who put me on to the poison team. They said the risk was in case there was anything toxic in the product."

Aitken said she contacted Smyths who told her the contents of the toy were not toxic.

"I trusted what Smyths said. I trusted it was non-toxic," she said.

However, six weeks later, Aitken received an email containing a product recall notice.

"All I saw was 'asbestos' and my heart dropped," she said.

The recall related to seven toy products sold by Smyths.

It said: "The product presents a risk to health as the sand-like material inside the kit may be contaminated with a small quantity of asbestos".

The notice advised owners to "stop using this product immediately and keep it out of the reach of children".

"I was really confused about why they hadn't contacted me directly when they knew my son had ingested it," Aitken said.

"Also, I'd been given the wrong advice, which led me to not get medical treatment for Rudi."

Aitken said she had raised her concerns with Smyths on 16 occasions before getting a response, which she said had "no empathy, compassion or accountability".

When contacted by the BBC to respond to Aitken's concerns over how the company had communicated with her, Smyths Toys said: "The European Commission & OPSS (Office for Product Safety and Standards UK) are undertaking a review of these (sand toy) products.

"We trust their scientific expertise and independence and await their findings and guidance.

"Smyths Toys have tested the product 166403 - Lets Dig Out Dinosaur Figures Eggs 10 Pack Set and this has shown trace levels of asbestos.

"Although the health risk is low, Smyths Toys Superstores is recalling these products as a precaution."

The UK Health Security Agency offers advice to anyone exposed to asbestos.

It said "all forms of asbestos fibres are hazardous as they can induce cancer following inhalation exposure".

However, it added "the World Health Organization has stated that there is no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is hazardous to health".

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said: "It is shocking that deadly asbestos is being found in children's toys sold at major retailers.

"This points to serious failures in product safety checks.

"Manufacturers and retailers must urgently review their supplier oversight and testing to make sure unsafe products are not reaching stores in the first place.

"The Office for Product Safety and Standards needs to take action and ensure proper checks are being carried out to keep dangerous products off the shelves.

"It should also examine whether toys containing asbestos are being sold on online marketplaces where there is far more limited regulation."

Aitken said she faced an anxious wait for more information about what her son had ingested.

"Rudi is fine in himself but asbestos doesn't affect you straight away - it's the long-term impact," she said.

"Without knowing what asbestos he's had and the actual levels, we don't know how much he's inhaled and eaten.

"As a parent I did everything right. I rang NHS 111, I sought advice from Smyths.

"They told me it was non-toxic. They told me it wasn't harmful. I trusted that. Now I'm questioning everything. It's scary."

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