Even though asbestos use is banned or regulated in many countries, this hazardous natural mineral continues to rear its ugly head. This time, it has popped up in products featuring diatomaceous earth, such as bath mats and coasters. How did it happen, and why did two companies in Japan have the same problem?  

What is Diatomaceous Earth?

Because two manufacturers selling products with diatomaceous earth were found to have distributed asbestos-containing products, you might assume diatomaceous earth is to blame. After all, it’s the common link between the two.

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring siliceous, soft, sedimentary rock crumbled into a white powder. It’s made up of the fossilised remains of diatoms, which are small, aquatic organisms. Most things that contain this substance are dust. However, it has also been used to manufacture a variety of products.

It can form part of wettable liquids, pressurised liquids, and products for farms, buildings, gardens, and pets. It has also been registered for use against bed bugs, spiders, fleas, ticks, and cockroaches.

Unlike asbestos, diatomaceous earth has not been linked to cancers in people. However, there is a chance it can contain a small amount of asbestos because of the makeup of silica present within diatomaceous earth. Silica is made up of a variety of materials like glass, clay, sand, mica, asbestos, emerald, and quartz.

Japanese Furniture and Home Accessories Retailer – Nitori Taiwan

In December 2020, Nitori Taiwan chose to recall nine different diatomaceous earth bath mats and coasters due to the risk of excessive levels of asbestos. In a notice on their website, they wrote that customers could return these items to a Nitori store with or without a receipt. 

All bath mats and coasters were produced in China, and 2.4 million were sold globally. An additional 54 items were pulled from the company’s shelves to allow for asbestos testing.

A Nitori Taiwan spokesperson said the most significant risk lay in the products being worn or broken, as asbestos particles could be released into the air. These particles can cause a whole host of health conditions, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Hori Mokkosho – Western Japan

In the same month that Nitori Taiwan recalled products over asbestos risks, so too was a western Japanese firm called Hori Mokkosho. Once again, bath mats were among the affected items.

The large-scale recall came about after a local government in Western Japan offered gifts to people who donated to the Kaizuka Municipal Government in the Osaka Prefecture within the hometown tax donation system.

While it’s not known how many gifts were distributed, at least 15,000 bath mats and 2,500 coasters distributed between August 2016 and February 2020 were thought to possibly contain asbestos. When the Kaizuka local government and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, carried out inspections, the asbestos concentration level sat between 0.38-0.61 per cent for bath mats and 0.1-0.3 per cent for coasters. The regulatory limit set by the national government was 0.1 per cent.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

We’ve now established what diatomaceous earth is and how it’s the common link between both these cases. Though, it’s not what caused thousands of bath mats, coasters, and other products to be recalled. Instead, it was cement panels and a changing of regulations.

In 2006, a revision was made to the Industrial Safety and Health Act in Japan, which outlined a new asbestos limit for all products – 0.1 per cent. Before that regulation came into effect, products could contain up to 1 per cent of the total product weight in asbestos. 

In 2001, a company manufactured coasters and bath mats using cement panels from the Fukuoka Prefecture in Kitakyushu. The cement was processed before the new regulations came into effect and were then stored in the years before they were distributed. As a result, what may have passed as “safe” before the new regulations was now no longer considered as such.

Chinese Regulations on Asbestos

Even though many countries have banned or regulated the use of asbestos, such as Japan, China is one that hasn’t. China is both an exporter and a user of the mineral and was even open about using asbestos cement to create their buildings for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Given the prevalence of asbestos in many products they produce, including trains and automotive parts, several countries request asbestos-free manufacturing for anything they import from China.  

Should I Be Concerned?

New Zealand has strict standards when it comes to asbestos. We don’t mine it, and we don’t import it. However, given that it was once one of the most popular building materials, we do have it.  

If you are concerned about a product or building material containing asbestos, get in touch with an asbestos expert. They can provide a definitive answer and advise you on the best next step.