Global Corporate Information

Asbestos is a convenient but problem-causing material. Because it does not change its nature and excels in heat resistance and electrical insulation, asbestos was once called an ideal material and used in every possible application. However, asbestos stays in the lungs for a long time even if the amount inhaled was very small, ultimately causing such malignant tumors as cancer or mesothelioma. In December 2004, one of our telephone counseling centers received a call asking whether or not Olympus deals with a 40x dispersion objective lens.

"The Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement (hereafter abbreviated as JAWE^※), a corporate aggregate within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, was providing the industry with administrative guidance on the use of 40x dispersion objective lenses in investigating asbestos. Hence, the telephone call we received was from one of our customers. Because we already understood the necessity of 40x dispersion objective lenses, we conveyed the information to the Marketing Department and the Development Department." (Takaaki Tanaka, Techno-Labo, Customer Support Department, IMS Division)

※JAWE: The only nonprofit public service corporation of Japan established in 1979 on the basis of Article 36 of the Working Environment Measurement Law as instructed by the then Ministry of Labour (the current Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) for the purpose of contributing to the improvement of measurements taken by three parties through an assemblage of experts in work environment measuring, working environment measurement agencies, and employers who perform working environment measurement using their own experts and maintaining the dignity of working environment measurement experts.

At the time, 10x dispersion objective lenses were available as separate orders but not 40x objective lenses. But, no practical move for 40x objective lens was initiated. On June 22, 2005, a notification on the methods of analyzing the percentage of asbestos in construction materials was given by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The notification referred to methods of analysis using 10x and 40x dispersion objective lenses. Many asbestos problems were revealed with the asbestos health hazard in Amagasaki as a start. This issue became a major topic of public concern as it was reported daily in newspapers and on TV.

We were flooded with inquiries at our telephone support centers and customer service centers throughout the country. Many customers said, "We are using Olympus microscopes. We would very much like to use them in investigating asbestos."