A Canberra mother who used coloured sand to celebrate Diwali in her backyard wants more help from WorkSafe ACT after being advised to cordon off the area, a thoroughfare to her home, and call an asbestos company.

Schools closed as a result of the coloured sand recall are starting to reopen, however some will remain closed on Friday.

One school which had earlier been re-opened will now be closed for the rest of the week.

The SA and ACT education ministers are calling for a national inquiry into how coloured play sand contaminated with asbestos was imported into the country, with more than 450 SA Department for Education sites now impacted. 

One Queensland grandmother says her daughter had vacuumed, and even replaced her vacuum cleaner, after removing the asbestos-contaminated sand following "confusing" advice.

Some of the coloured sand found to contain asbestos has been traced to a quarry in China, according to the ACCC.

Coloured children's sand is being urgently tested for asbestos as authorities scramble to remove the product from schools, retailers and homes. 

More than 50 Tasmanian schools will either close or be partially closed from Wednesday in response to ongoing public health concerns relating to asbestos in coloured sand.

An Australian lab discovered asbestos in children's play sand by chance and regulators only found out about it because of a podcast interview, the ABC can reveal.

More schools have reopened in Canberra, with a list of current closures to be updated today.

The number of public education sites in South Australia that have reported coloured sand linked to an asbestos contamination scare rises above 350, but authorities say there is no plan for closures at this stage.

Dozens of schools remain closed in the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia today as the clean-up and disposal of potentially asbestos-laced coloured sand continues. What risk does it actually pose?

While some Queensland parents are angered by the nationwide recall of coloured sand that may have traces of asbestos, others are less concerned.

Dozens of public schools in the ACT will reopen or partially open on Tuesday, but 25 remain closed for all students.

After asbestos was found in a range of coloured sand, early childhood centres and schools in Australia and New Zealand are hurrying to dispose of potentially contaminated products. 

The ACT has closed 70 schools over the coloured sand asbestos scare. Why is it the only jurisdiction to do so? 

Concerned families and retailers are inundating a materials testing laboratory with enquiries, since news broke that asbestos had been detected in decorative and coloured sand for children.

The ACT will close more schools after additional coloured sand products were recalled by Kmart and Target, while the schools that were shut on Friday will reopen on Monday. 

Kmart has recalled four coloured sand products over concerns of asbestos contamination, prompting the ACT education department to close dozens more schools. 

Coloured sand products linked to an asbestos contamination scare have so far been identified at more than 100 sites in South Australia following checks at schools and preschools, the state's education department says.