In contrast, in Fig. 3(d), Ti was homogeneously distributed in parts of the specimen. The chemical

state of the Ti was determined to be TiO2 (anatase) by the XAFS HTS assay method. As for the origin of the TiO2, it is assumed that Ti eroded and dissolved into the surrounding tissue and might have oxidized and localized. Pathological specimens are commonly in a paraffin-embedded form. Paraffin has a low melting temperature and high volatility; therefore, EPMA or SEM/EDS cannot be applied to paraffin-embedded pathological specimens without a deparaffinization process. XRF analysis can be applied to paraffin-embedded specimens without causing radiation damage. Fig. 4 shows the XRF spectrum of a paraffin-embedded lung biopsy specimen derived from tungsten carbide pneumoconiosis. Fine particle dust from cemented tungsten carbide (WC) cutting tools can cause severe pneumoconiosis, called “tungsten carbide pneumoconiosis.” For the diagnosis of this disease,

not only a histologic estimation, but also the detection of tungsten in lung tissue is necessary. In Fig. 4, peaks assigned to tungsten L lines are clearly found in the lung biopsy specimen derived from inhaled WC, which suggested the existence of tungsten or a tungsten compound in the lung tissue. Thus, elemental information from XRF was useful in the identification of the source material in pneumoconiosis [9]. The lowest detection limit with XRF analysis was suggested as few ppm for most of the transition metals and more than 10 ppm for light elements (e.g. Na, Mg, Si) and a part of heavy elements [10]. The lowest detection limit strongly this website depends on equipments and specimen compositions. Then, actual detection limit would be more higher than above concentrations. For

the quantitative MRIP analysis, “fundamental parameter method (FPM)” is widely used. FPM is estimating the concentrations the theoretical calculation using incident X-ray spectrum, mass absorption coefficient and fluorescent yield of each element. FPM is useful method for the quantitative analysis of metals and inorganic materials which consist of heavy elements. However, in case of the biological specimens, light element (H, C, N and O) is the major component. The detection of X-ray fluorescence from those light elements is impossible or quite difficult. Therefore, the quantification of the target element contained in the biological tissue should be carried using the standard specimens [11]. Thin-sliced pathological specimens, which are ordinarily used in pathological diagnosis, are usually not suitable for XRF analysis because of the very small specimen volumes. However, the synchrotron radiation XRF (SR-XRF) makes possible to analyze sliced pathological specimens, and is described in a later section. Metal allergies related to metallic dental restorations have been a cause for concern [12], [13] and [14].