Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL)

EAL re-opened following COVID-19 positive case

EAL has re-opened for business Tuesday 5, October, following a deep clean and NSW Health investigation.

Our covid positive staff member is in good spirits and doing well. No further spread has been detected.

Staff are working efficiently through the build up of samples from Thursday and Friday last week. Unfortunately, there will be some delays as we move through this analysis. We apologise for the inconvenience this causes.

We have added to our strong covid safe business management plan to further reduce risk of transmission.

We have increased laboratory space to reduce the density of staff in EAL at any one time
This reduces the likelihood of transmission between lab staff and the number of staff directly impacted should any one fall ill
We also have a team of contingency staff, ready to collect samples for booking and preservation in the event of a covid case and precautionary closure
The lab is sterilised throughout the day to minimise the chance of viral transmission
Excellent laboratory hygiene practices have always been a priority, we have further upgraded these for the current times
Samples are now dropped off to an outside area and disinfected before further processing
There is a strict policy of isolation on presentation of any illness and covid testing for symptomatic staff
While we are a support unit of a university, Southern Cross University is working hard to keep the campus open for critical sections, such as ours.
Deliveries to EAL have not been impacted by closure of state borders as there are no restrictions on postal service
We are and will continue to adhere to all government health directives

We appreciate your support; please keep sending samples for analysis.

All specific actions related to significant changes in operations will be provided by SCU; we recommend you refer to this frequently for status updates.

Analytical services

The Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) specialises in a range of quality analytical services:

Document downloads

Price Lists

Sample Submission Form (PDF)

Operating since 1993, EAL is part of Southern Cross University (SCU), located at the Lismore campus. Along with partner laboratory the Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL), EAL sits within the Southern Cross Analytical Reasearch Services unit.

Strong partnerships with ARL - a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved commercial/research facility providing specialist capabilities in applied phytochemistry, crop quality and herbal medicine quality control - and SCU's Special Research Centres, along with EAL's flexibility and capacity to diversify, enables the laboratory to adopt new and innovative techniques as they are developed and tested, through ongoing research.

Management and staff have a strong commitment to quality assurance. EAL holds NATA accreditation for a wide range of tests. All analysis is backed by rigorous quality control procedures, with proven reproducibility through regular proficiency trials. EAL provides world-standard work in the shortest possible time frame, at commercially competitive prices. Full confidentiality and security are provided for all analytical work.

To submit samples to EAL, please refer to the Sample submission page for delivery address, Turn-around times and pricing information.

New 2021 price list now released

EAL has released its 2021 price list effective this month. The updated document expands upon existing services. In addition to the full analytical services price list, targeted price lists have been published to help navigate the range of analytical services.

To maintain EAL's commitment to excellent service, a new Admin/Project Fee applied to all sample submission forms, has been introduced in lieu of price rises to popular water, soil, plant and compost suites. Customer quotes will be honoured until expiry. The targeted price increases for physical and carbon soil analyses have been made to reflect the cost of providing this quality data.

The staff at EAL appreciate your continued business and the opportunity to provide a quality service.