Safe sand? Where can I get some?

[HonoluluMom]

I just bought DD a sand and water table. Toys R Us sold my family a bag of Quickrete Play Sand claiming several times that it was "silica-free" When I looked at the package closely there's a warning:

Contents of this sand contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer.

I found the Quickrete Play Sand MSDS, which confirms that the the product, which contains crystalline silica, is a known carcinogen.

So, if I can't get safe sand at Toys R Us, where is the best place to get it?

[sariana]

FWIW, California has REALLY stringent guidelines for these warnings. Many products have to put the warning on, even though there is no "real" threat in real-life usage.

We bought sand for our sandbox at Lowe's. It is called Play Sand or something like that. We actually need new sand, as critters used our sandbox as a toilet. Yeah, it was my fault for not being consistent about the cover.

[wellyes]

If you go to the ocean, the beach sand there has crystalline silica. That substance is a known carcinogen for people who make a living grinding/milling it. For playing with, it's fine, not a concern on my radar.

[goldenpig]

OK maybe I'm a bit too paranoid but I bought this sand for my kids' sand table:
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|VS318~~.jsp
It is silica & quartz free. Previously I had the Quikrete play sand. This Clean Sand is a lot finer and whiter, almost like sugar. Maybe a little more difficult to build things with it, but I feel better about the kids sticking their sandy fingers in their mouth. One box is enough to fill the sand part of the table and I bought an extra one to top off periodically.

[HonoluluMom]

OK maybe I'm a bit too paranoid but I bought this sand for my kids' sand table:
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|VS318~~.jsp
It is silica & quartz free. Previously I had the Quikrete play sand. This Clean Sand is a lot finer and whiter, almost like sugar. Maybe a little more difficult to build things with it, but I feel better about the kids sticking their sandy fingers in their mouth. One box is enough to fill the sand part of the table and I bought an extra one to top off periodically.

Thanks! It looks like shipping to Hawaii is pretty reasonable at about $6. I'm also pretty paranoid and wouldn't feel that great if I let DD play with sand that contains chemicals known to be carcinogenic. I also did a quick google search about the Quikrete play sand and it apparently contains tremolite, a form of asbestos. Yikes.