Asbestos Testing Cost in Australia

How Much Should You Be Paying?

Just the idea of finding asbestos in your home is a nightmare. It is one scary nightmare with a known health risks associated with asbestos. Unfortunately, for some homeowners, that nightmare do come true. Next to it is worrying about the cost of the whole procedure from testing sample to removing the contaminated material.

Michael Roche, an expert from VIP Asbestos Removal Sydney talks about how much asbestos testing cost nowadays.

Why get tested?

If your home was built between the 1940s and 1990s, there’s a huge possibility that it was made by an asbestos material. Australia was among the countries that had a high asbestos consumption that peeked during the 1950s to the 1970s. It was extensively used in building materials. Then, it was later found out that this could caused several fatal illness like Mesothelioma.

Treatment is available, but there is no cure—serious stuff. As they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Thus, do not wait for the worse to come. If you have been exposed to Asbestos, get yourself tested right away.

Testing Options

It is best to get a licensed and certified professional so that the testing can be done correctly. Otherwise, if you decide to do-it-yourself use a reliable testing kits. Make sure to check its label and see if it’s approved by a government body.

Here’s how to collect samples:

Wear a respirator mask before cutting or breaking into the material- Don’t breathe the dust! Use a wet wipe to clean any created dust. Wash tools that you used for the removal.
Take an inch or two of questioned material, or if it is insulation, a large cupful will be the right sample size and then place in a zip lock bag.
Zip another bag over that bag. It should be zip tightly.
While placing your sample in your shipping box, think of the others who may also handle your sample. Ensure that you safely packed it.

The lab will sample the material by looking at it under a microscope using polarized light.

Costs in Australia

The cost to get suspected asbestos product tested varies upon what is being tested. Remember that nightmare turned into reality? Well, here it goes, it can cost from about $25.00 to over $3,000. Prices may vary depending on several factors. It generally costs between $25.00 to $150.00 per square metre.

Factors that can affect the price are lab inspection and audit reports. It would be wise to get at least three different quote for a quality base estimate. The average cost of testing from a lab generally runs from $200.00 to $800.00, give or take, depending on the amount and type of material tested.

Tips

Your home should be your safe haven. The cost nightmare may be searing in your brain, but it is also necessary to keep a clear head. Do your research, keep quality notes on that research. Talk to others who have a similar home to yours. Have they experienced the same?

Learn from them. Teach them what you have learned. With that clear head, watch out for scammers. Only seek out professional contractors that have a quality reputation. If the price seems too low from one estimate received, compared to what you have researched, it is most likely a scam.

A professional inspector will have about five different testing quoted in your estimate; less than that may be one of your red flags for a potential scammer. Also, a true professional would be happy to show you their license at the ready.

Conclusion

There is no excuse for not getting testing done for potential exposure. Think of your loved ones and again, do your homework. You may consider checking with your homeowner’s insurance as they might be willing to cover part of the removal and testing cost.