Abstract
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued the “Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Asbestos” on July 1, 2005, under Industrial Safety and Health Law. This was regulated by the outlook that demolition of buildings sprayed or using asbestos would increase until the middle of the 21 century in Japan and to prevent asbestos exposure of the demolition workers. About the same time, an ex-asbestos company in Amagasaki, Japan disclosed that some residents who lived near the asbestos factory contracted mesothelioma. Consequently the asbestos problem, which had been considered as only workers' problem until then, quickly became a social problem in Japan. The ex-asbestos factory had produced cement water pipes using crocidolite for 20 years from 1955 to 1975. In those days there were no severe regulations to control asbestos use, therefore, it is conceivable that the working environment was very poor. After 30 to 50 years, asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer appeared. The counter-measures for this asbestos disaster has taken action in every government and organization.
The use of asbestos was totally banned in September, 2005, except a few materials which could not be replaced by other materials at the present. The definition of asbestos products is also regulated as “the materials including 0.1 weight % or more of asbestos”. This was applied to natural minerals including asbestos as well. Accordingly measurement method is required to quantify asbestos in products or minerals at the level of 0.1 weight % . At the present X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and phase contrast microscopy using dispersion staining method are used as the certification method for constructing materials and other industrial products. For natural minerals XRD method is effective. This paper introduces some measurement methods of asbestos in air and in bulk materials.
