Stationery giant Officeworks has taken all its crayons off the shelves while “rigorous testing” is carried out.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said Officeworks took the health if its customers and team members very seriously.
“All crayons have been removed from stores and we are in the process of conducting rigorous testing,” the spokesperson said.
The company did not reveal exactly what testing would be carried out, or what prompted the move, saying it would work with Australian Border Force and “continue to closely monitor the situation” while it awaited results.
“Any customers with concerns can return crayons to stores.”
It comes as The Express today reported fears by the Asbestos Council of Victoria that children may be exposed to harmful asbestos fibres following recent testing of crayons purchased in the Latrobe Valley.
A West Australian laboratory tested samples from two different packets of crayons made in China and found fibres with an elemental composition indicative of types of asbestos.
The crayons were not purchased at Officeworks.
One of the crayon packets tested featured pictures of characters from the Disney movie ‘Frozen’, the other was marketed as ‘Mickey Mouse and Friends’.
ACV chief executive Vicki Hamilton described the decision by Officeworks as “absolutely wonderful”.
“The more stores that do that, the happier I’ll be, because nothing’s more precious than our children,” Ms Hamilton said.
“I’m happy that somebody’s doing something.”
