When a Christchurch family discovered that play sand purchased from Kmart contained tremolite asbestos — a carcinogen placed in the hands of their young twins — they faced not only a health crisis but a long and costly road to accountability. Rather than accept a quiet settlement, Elle Chrisp and David Dingwall brought their case to New Zealand's Disputes Tribunal, which awarded them $15,000 and produced the country's first ruling of its kind on recalled contaminated sand. The decision affirms an enduring principle: that the burden of a seller's failure should not be borne silently by those wh
Kmart ordered to pay $15k to family over asbestos-contaminated play sand
Children were exposed to asbestos-contaminated play sand, requiring family relocation and property remediation to address health and safety risks.