Hobbycraft has recalled the My Living World Worm Kit after it was found that sand included in the product may be contaminated with asbestos. Parents have been told to stop using the product immediately and keep it out of reach of children.
The kit, designed for educational science activities involving live earthworms, includes sand that may contain a small quantity of the banned substance. A Hobbycraft spokesperson said: “Asbestos is a banned substance because it poses a risk to health even at low levels of exposure. The product does not meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.”
The Worm Kit has been withdrawn from sale, and customers who have already purchased one are being urged to follow specific disposal instructions to minimise potential exposure. Those unable to return the sand to a store are advised to dispose of it in their general household waste. A full refund will be issued for returned products.
If you have one of these at home, the guidance is clear: stop using it, seal it, and either return it or bin it. The amounts involved are described as small, but asbestos is not a substance where “probably fine” is an acceptable threshold, particularly when children are involved.
Customers with questions can contact Hobbycraft’s customer service team on 0330 026 1400. Asbestos turning up in a children’s science kit is the sort of thing that sounds like it should not be possible in 2026, but product recalls like this serve as a reminder that supply chain oversight is not always as rigorous as you might hope.