You might think that the real cost of asbestos contamination is just what the bill is after an asbestos removal expert has visited your home. While removing asbestos-contaminated building materials can be a considerable investment, it’s also worth looking at the bigger picture, alongside your own personal situation. 

Entire towns have closed down, thousands of lives lost, and millions of dollars dedicated to research and healthcare. You might be asking, how much does asbestos removal cost? But that question is far more loaded than you may have thought.

The Town That the Government Paid People to Leave

Imagine being told you had to pack up the only home you had ever known and leave forever, but that you would be paid for doing so. That was the reality for thousands of people living in Wittenoom, Australia.

In 1939, the town became home to an asbestos crushing mill. It operated until 1966 and was the very reason why the township became the most contaminated site in the southern hemisphere. Around 2,000 residents and workers also died from asbestos-related cancers and conditions.

When the harsh realities of asbestos were uncovered, the Western Australian government took action. They de-gazetted the town in 2007 and offered owners money for them to relocate.

Wittenoom, Australia, is one of many towns around the world that has paid the price for having asbestos mills within their boundaries.

The Death Toll

It can be hard to gauge precisely how many people have been affected by asbestos. It can take up to four decades for an asbestos-related condition to appear. As a result, we are only now starting to see the effects of asbestos exposure from the 1980s.

The World Health Organization states that around 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in their workplace. And in 2004 alone, 107,000 people died from asbestos-related conditions like mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Every year, around 90,000, on average, die.

In 2019, the United Kingdom saw a peak in the death rate, with over 2,500 people dying in 2017 from mesothelioma alone. Between 1995 and 2017, the number of fatalities nearly doubled.

The Financial Costs

The global healthcare cost of asbestos health effects is in the billions, which doesn’t include welfare loss, pain, and suffering. Nor does it include non-cancerous asbestos-related conditions, such as asbestosis.

The financial costs also relate to research projects to combat the mineral as we advance. In recent years, Unitec launched an environmental research centre with what was toted as a “ground-breaking” asbestos project.

This project would examine the treatment of asbestos-contaminated waste and how micro-organisms could degrade asbestos fibres and remove cancer-causing elements. A grant of nearly $400,000 came in from the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund, and Chemcare partnered with the project as the first private sector company.

The Real Cost of Asbestos Contamination to You

One of the many things that homeowners look out for when purchasing a new house is asbestos. Tens of thousands of homes across New Zealand and around the world were built using building materials containing asbestos.

It was fire-retardant, versatile, and easy to mould into various materials. As a result, it was widely used in everything from siding and roofing to insulation and flooring. Therefore, any home built before the 2000s may contain it.

It’s worth being aware of whether or not your home contains it for several reasons. It must be factored into future renovations, and it can be an immediate or future health risk.

Home Asbestos Testing

Whether you’ve purchased a property or are in the midst of buying one, it’s a good idea to request an asbestos test. Any licenced asbestos removal company in New Zealand can carry out such a test.

The experienced worker will take a sample of a suspected material and carry out lab testing to confirm or rule out the presence of asbestos. They can also perform walk-throughs to identify what likely would contain asbestos.

The costs of asbestos testing are generally similar to your average plumber or electrician call out fee. Additional charges may apply for more than one sample.

The Cost of Asbestos Removal

The cost of asbestos removal in your home can depend on what you are removing and whether or not it’s friable. This is because some removal jobs will require a removalist with a Class A or Class B licence.

Class A jobs, which are removal jobs like asbestos vinyl flooring inside your home, tend to be more expensive than the likes of asbestos cladding outside your home (Class B). It’s worth requesting a quote from a licenced asbestos removalist in NZ before proceeding. 

Asbestos Removal on a Budget

You can’t put a price on your family’s health and wellbeing, but it can be reassuring to know that you can save money on asbestos removal.

For example, if you have non-friable asbestos in an area of your home smaller than 10m2, you can remove it yourself.

Arm yourself with:

• Tight-fitting safety glasses

• Rubber gloves

• P2 dust mask

• Full bodysuit

• Cloth or paper hood

It’s essential to do your homework before attempting asbestos removal yourself. When in doubt, consult the experts. 

If your asbestos-contaminated building materials are in good condition and you don’t intend on renovating, then removal may also not be necessary. You can spend less and, instead, encapsulate the materials. This process involves adding paint or sealant on top of the material to trap the asbestos underneath.

Is it Time to Look at the Cost of Asbestos Removal?

Asbestos is not a problem you can ignore, especially as housing stock across the country ages and building materials wear out. It’s worth being aware of whether or not your home contains it – and a simple test can confirm or rule it out. Once you know, you can then put steps in place to remove it or manage the risks.