Can Asbestos-Containing Products Still Enter New Zealand?

October 27, 2026

Can Asbestos-Containing Products Still Enter New Zealand?

New Zealand banned the importation of asbestos-containing products in 2016. However, new international research provides an important warning: an import ban does not guarantee that every product purchased online is asbestos-free.

Researchers recently purchased two pairs of newly manufactured heat-resistant gloves from a major international online marketplace. Laboratory testing found that both pairs contained a very high proportion of chrysotile asbestos.

The study did not involve New Zealand, and there is no evidence that these particular gloves were sold here. However, it demonstrates how international online marketplaces can bypass normal supply-chain controls and potentially send asbestos-containing products into countries where they are prohibited.

The practical message is simple: new does not always mean asbestos-free.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers purchased the same type of heat-resistant gloves twice, approximately two weeks apart.

The gloves were labelled as being manufactured in China. They did not declare that they contained asbestos and reportedly released dust when handled.

Laboratory examination used two different analytical techniques:

  • X-ray diffraction, known as XRD; and

  • scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, known as SEM-EDS.

The XRD analysis estimated that the gloves contained approximately 89% chrysotile asbestos by weight . SEM-EDS confirmed the presence of chrysotile fibre bundles in both purchases.

Some of the identified fibres met regulated fibre dimensions.

This was not an old product found in storage. It was a newly manufactured item purchased through an ordinary online retail platform.

How can this happen when asbestos is banned?

Asbestos-containing products have generally been prohibited from being imported into New Zealand since 1 October 2016, except in limited circumstances requiring specific authorisation.

However, asbestos has not been banned worldwide.

Chrysotile asbestos continues to be mined, manufactured and incorporated into products in several countries. International online marketplaces allow consumers and businesses to purchase goods directly from overseas sellers, sometimes with very little information about the manufacturer, materials or supply chain.

A product may therefore be:

  • manufactured in a country where chrysotile remains legal;

  • incorrectly described or labelled;

  • sold by a third-party marketplace seller;

  • shipped directly to the purchaser; and

  • imported without its asbestos content being recognised.

The packaging, safety data sheet or online description may not identify the presence of asbestos.

Online marketplaces can also make responsibility difficult to establish. The platform, seller, manufacturer and exporter may all be different businesses operating in different countries.

New Zealand is introducing mandatory testing for sand toys

New Zealand is introducing stronger controls for consumer products containing sand following multiple asbestos-related recalls.

At the time of writing, suppliers had carried out 23 recalls affecting approximately 46,000 sand products supplied to New Zealand consumers.

From 1 February 2027 , the Unsafe Goods (Consumer Sand Products) Notice 2026 will prohibit certain products from being imported into or supplied within New Zealand unless the sand has been tested for asbestos.

The requirements will cover:

  • toys containing accessible sand;

  • toys where sand is contained inside flexible plastic, rubber, silicone, gel or similar material;

  • tubs of coloured sand;

  • craft sand;

  • sand-containing sensory products; and

  • decorative, artistic or craft products containing accessible sand.

Natural sand produced by geological processes and intended for sandpits, playgrounds or recreational areas is excluded. Board games are also excluded where their sand is not accessible.

How will the new sand-product testing system work?

Testing must be undertaken by an appropriately accredited laboratory using one of the approved asbestos-testing standards:

* ISO 22262-2:2026;

* ISO 22262-2:2014; or

* ISO 22262-1:2012.

The laboratory must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by a recognised accreditation body.

Suppliers must hold a test report that:

* is no more than 12 months old when the product is imported or manufactured;

* clearly identifies the product or product variant tested;

* identifies the laboratory that completed the analysis;

* records the testing method and standard used;

* confirms that no asbestos was identified; and

* contains the information required by the applicable testing standard.

The report must be available to New Zealand Customs or the Commerce Commission upon request.

This creates a tested-before-import-and-supply system for the defined consumer sand products. It recognises that relying on labels, supplier assurances or the existing asbestos prohibition has not been sufficient to prevent contaminated products reaching New Zealand consumers.

If sand in a workplace tests positive for asbestos, WorkSafe advises that it must be managed and removed as friable asbestos-containing material.

Which modern products may deserve additional scrutiny?

The research does not mean that every imported product should be treated as asbestos-containing.

However, further investigation may be justified when a recently imported product relies on exceptional heat resistance, friction resistance or thermal insulation, particularly when its composition and manufacturing history are unclear.

Examples may include:

  • specialist heat-resistant gloves and textiles;

  • furnace, kiln and foundry products;

  • welding blankets and heat shields;

  • gaskets, seals and packing materials;

  • brake and clutch components;

  • heat-resistant mats;

  • laboratory heating equipment; and

  • replacement components for older machinery.

  • Fire doors.

Country of manufacture alone does not establish that a product contains asbestos. It should form part of a wider assessment that considers the product’s purpose, construction, labelling, supplier information and condition.

A modern appearance, recent purchase date or online claim that a product is “asbestos-free” should not override credible evidence that testing may be warranted.

What should a workplace do with a suspicious imported product?

If there is a reasonable concern that a product may contain asbestos, do not cut, sand, tear, brush, clean or otherwise disturb it to investigate.

The initial response should generally include:

  1. Stop using and disturbing the product.

  2. Secure it against further handling.

  3. Preserve its packaging and labels.

  4. Record the seller, manufacturer and country of origin.

  5. Save the online listing, order details and product description.

  6. Record any model, SKU, lot or batch numbers.

  7. Arrange an assessment and suitable laboratory testing.

Where several products or batches have been supplied, one result may not represent every item. The sampling strategy may need to account for differences in appearance, batch numbers, purchase dates and suppliers.

Testing should be completed through an appropriately accredited asbestos laboratory using an analytical method suitable for the particular material.

If asbestos is confirmed, preserve the supply-chain information. Other products from the same shipment, batch, supplier or manufacturer may also require investigation.

What does this mean for asbestos surveys?

Building age remains an important part of asbestos risk assessment. Buildings constructed or renovated before 2000 are considerably more likely to contain traditional asbestos building materials.

However, construction date should not be treated as absolute proof that every material or item inside a newer building is asbestos-free.

A modern workplace may contain:

  • imported machinery and replacement components;

  • specialist heat-resistant products;

  • older equipment relocated from another site;

  • imported materials installed during later alterations;

  • products purchased directly from overseas suppliers; or

  • new goods containing undeclared or naturally occurring asbestos.

When an unusual product has a function historically associated with asbestos, its age should be considered alongside its composition, origin and intended use.

This does not mean routinely sampling every modern product. It means remaining open to credible evidence that does not fit the usual building-age assumptions.

What does this mean for asbestos management plans?

This issue reinforces why workplace asbestos management cannot rely entirely on the original construction date of a building.

An effective asbestos management plan should record confirmed and presumed asbestos-containing materials, assess their condition and disturbance risk, and provide clear controls for their ongoing management.

The plan should also be reviewed when:

  • previously unidentified suspect materials are discovered;

  • new information about an existing product becomes available;

  • asbestos-containing material is damaged or disturbed;

  • building alterations are planned;

  • imported machinery or components present a credible asbestos concern; or

  • removal or remediation work changes the asbestos register.

Recently imported products will not automatically belong in an asbestos management plan. However, a confirmed or reasonably suspected asbestos-containing item in a workplace must not be ignored simply because it is new.

Management plans should remain living documents that reflect the materials and risks actually present at the workplace.

Why refurbishment and demolition surveys remain important

Before renovation or demolition begins, a suitable refurbishment or demolition survey is required to investigate the materials that will be disturbed by the planned work.

These surveys involve intrusive investigation because asbestos can be concealed inside:

  • wall and ceiling systems;

  • service risers and penetrations;

  • plant and equipment;

  • floor coverings and adhesives;

  • roofing and cladding systems;

  • fire-resistant components; and

  • later alterations or additions.

Recent installation or manufacture may indicate a lower likelihood of asbestos. However, it should not override credible concerns about a material’s origin, purpose or composition.

Finding suspect material after work has started can lead to work being stopped, emergency testing, contamination assessment, specialist removal and significant project delays.

Identifying the material before work begins allows the project team to plan the work, removal, budget and programme properly.

What does the glove study not tell us?

The research involved one product type purchased twice from one undisclosed marketplace seller.

It does not establish:

  • how common asbestos-containing products are across online marketplaces;

  • whether the gloves were available in New Zealand;

  • how many people may have used similar products;

  • how much asbestos became airborne during use; or

  • the health risk from a particular handling event.

No air monitoring or simulated-use testing was undertaken. The reported asbestos percentage therefore cannot be converted into an airborne-fibre concentration or an individual exposure estimate.

The study confirms the composition of the tested gloves. It does not quantify the exposure caused by using them.

It also does not justify treating every modern imported product as asbestos-containing. Product function, construction, origin, documentation and the likely consequences of disturbance should determine whether testing is reasonably warranted.

The practical lesson

Asbestos is usually discussed as a legacy problem associated with older buildings. This research shows that it can also be a modern supply-chain problem.

New Zealand’s import prohibition remains an essential control, but international online trade makes complete oversight difficult.

The new mandatory testing requirements for consumer sand products are a significant improvement. They require defined products to be supported by recent accredited laboratory testing before they can be imported or supplied.

However, the requirements apply specifically to certain sand-containing toys, sensory products and craft materials. They do not create mandatory testing requirements for every imported product that could potentially contain asbestos.

Product age, a modern-looking label or an online claim that an item is asbestos-free should not override credible evidence to the contrary.

If an imported heat-resistant, friction or sand-containing product has an uncertain composition, obtain competent advice before disturbing, cleaning or disposing of it.

Independent asbestos advice in New Zealand

Asbestos Safe Consultancy provides independent:

  • asbestos management plans and re-inspections;

  • refurbishment and demolition surveys;

  • asbestos sampling and laboratory analysis;

  • air monitoring; and

  • clearance inspections and certification.

We work across Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Taupō and Manawatū, helping homeowners, property owners, PCBUs, builders and project managers identify and manage asbestos before work begins.

If you are concerned about an imported product, sand-containing toy or unidentified material, contact us before attempting to sample, clean or remove it.

Further information

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