OSHRI Acquires International Accreditation in Asbestos Analysis Using Electron Microscope,
for the First Time in Korea

- NVLAP accreditation from NIST recognized OSHRI’s expertise and credibility in asbestos analysis
August 2 (Mon), 2010

○ At a time when interest is increasing over the risks of asbestos, the grade 1 carcinogen, Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHRI-KOSHA; Director General: Kang, Seong-Kyu) acquired international accreditation for the analysis of asbestos using electron microscopes, the first such accreditation ever acquired in Korea.

○ OSHRI-KOSHA has recently received NVLAP (National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program) accreditation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on ‘Asbestos analysis using electron microscopes.’

○ 'NVLAP' is an international accreditation system operated by the NIST of the US, under the US Office of Commercial Affairs.

○ There are about 4 institutes in Korea that analyze asbestos using electron microscopes. However, none of them has yet acquired an international accreditation.

○ The electron microscope is capable of analyzing airborne asbestos at a maximum of several million magnifications. This increases the reliability of the test results by overcoming the limits of existing polarization microscopes and the phase microscopes, which can only analyze solid samples and at relatively low magnifications.

○ OSHRI has now gained the international credibility regarding the analysis of asbestos using electron microscopes, based on which OSHRI can now validate the results of analyses conducted by domestic institutes and make final decisions on samples that cannot easily be analyzed using ordinary microscopes.

- Furthermore, the accreditation will be of great help to asbestos-related research conducted by OSHRI such as epidemiologic surveys and status checks on workers engaged in asbestos related works.

○ Last year, OSHRI-KOSHA conducted 938 cases of asbestos analysis covering 42 institutes, of which 238 cases used electron microscopes, while 700 cases were tested using ordinary microscopes, polarization microscopes, and phase microscopes.

○ In July 2008, OSHRI applied for accreditation to the NIST of the US. OSHRI was tested for its asbestos analyzing ability, went through field inspection, and supplemented facilities and equipments for the span of two years before acquiring the accreditation. 

 
○ “This is an international accreditation received for the accuracy and reliability of asbestos analysis using electron microscopes,” said Yang Jung-sun, Director of the Center for Chemicals Safety and Health at OSHRI. “Since this international accreditation is first of its kind received by a Korean institute, it will improve Korea’s asbestos analysis technique and contribute to the standardization of asbestos analysis by providing technical support” Director Yang added.