Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont., can meet the country's demand for medical isotopes if required.
A nuclear reactor in the Netherlands that produces some isotopes for medical use in Canada has been temporarily shut down.
All five large reactors around the world that make the isotopes — including the one at Chalk River — are currently offline for unrelated reasons.
About 20 per cent of Canada's medical isotopes come from overseas.
Dale Coffin of the AECL says if a shortfall occurs, the Chalk River facility can ramp up production to meet Canadian needs.
Chalk River, which supplies about 80 per cent of Canada's medical isotopes, is undergoing scheduled maintenance but is expected to be back up and running by Friday night.
Coffin says when the facility goes offline for maintenance, it stockpiles isotopes so they are available until it can restart production.
I thought this might be of interest to the nuclear fans on the board, this facility is about 100km's up the road from me. They also used to dispose of their waste right next to the CFB Petawawa training area, creating some interesting training oppurtunities for us.
All that aside, I find it interesting that we have only one reactor in Canada that produces medical isotopes, seems like we're passing on a good oppurtunity to sell them abroad.
M1891/30: A bad day on the range is better then a good day at work.
Cpl Kendall wrote:All that aside, I find it interesting that we have only one reactor in Canada that produces medical isotopes, seems like we're passing on a good oppurtunity to sell them abroad.
Canada had been -- and recently gave up -- trying to get another isotope reactor up and running.
This article is from May 16, 2008.
MSNBC wrote:Canada halts plan for medical isotope reactors
Decision means 51-year-old reactor will provide half the world's supply
TORONTO - Canada's state-owned atomic energy company said Friday that it is scrapping development of a nuclear reactor project designed to produce medical radioisotopes after it failed a number of tests.
The decision leaves Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s aging reactor to continue generating half the world's supply of medical isotopes.
Canada's Natural Resource Minister Gary Lunn and Health Minister Tony Clement said in a joint statement that the MAPLE project underwent a number of tests between January and April, all of which it failed.
The reactors have never worked and have never produced medical isotopes, even after 12 years, Lunn said. The project has also faced regulatory challenges and commercial disputes that have cost hundreds of millions of dollars in private and public funds; technical malfunctions that could not be resolved; and reviews conducted by the Auditor General which revealed significant concerns about the costs, the delays, and the technical issues, he said.
AECL said the decision to stop development of the MAPLE reactors is based on the costs of further development, as well as the time frame and risks involved with continuing the project.
"We are making the right business decision given the circumstances," AECL president and chief executive officer Hugh MacDiarmid in a statement Friday. "This was a difficult choice given the tremendous efforts expended by our people on development of the MAPLE reactors. Nevertheless, our board of directors and senior management have concluded that it is no longer feasible to complete the commissioning and startup of the reactors."
Isotopes vital for body scans
The MAPLE reactors, described as the first in the world dedicated entirely to medical isotope production, were intended to supply the entire global demand for a radioactive substance called molybdenum-99. Molybdenum-99 is processed and packaged for sale to big hospitals and specialized pharmacies, which turn the substance into technetium-99. Technetium-99 is injected into patients undergoing body scans to assess a wide variety of conditions, including cancer, heart disease and bone or kidney illnesses.
AECL said its 51-year-old National Research Universal reactor at the Chalk River facility in eastern Ontario will remain operational under a contract with health care company MDS Nordion. This reactor provides half the world's supply of isotopes, which are used in about 25 million medical diagnoses and treatments each year.
The AECL signed a 40-year contract with MDS Nordion in 2006 to supply it with isotopes, said AECL Dale Coffin in an interview Friday.
He would not say if AECL faces penalties or fines from MDS Nordion if it cannot deliver medical isotopes
AECL was under the international spotlight late last year after the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission forced the shutdown of the NRU reactor, causing a shortage of radioisotopes, which forced postponement of medical treatments for cancer patients in many countries.
Reactor closed last year
The Canadian government bypassed the order of the safety regulator and the reactor was restarted.
The reactor "is operating safer than it ever has been before in its entire history. This decision made today is about good governance," Lunn said.
MDS President and CEO Stephen P. DeFalco said the company was "disappointed" by the latest decision.
"The company will evaluate all options and pursue appropriate steps to protect the interests of patients, its customers and its shareholders," he said in a statement.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission did not immediately respond to calls.
The NRU reactor has an operating license from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission valid through October 2011, and AECL said it will work with the commission and MDS Nordion to continue production beyond that date.
But questions linger about how long the operating license for the NRU reactor can be extended.
"Now they're going to have to go back to the commission again and ask for another licence extension," said Shawn Patrick Stensil, a Greenpeace researcher on energy issues. "The NRU started in 1957. How long can you run a reactor before you should just shut it down?
Canada's federal auditor general reported last year that the NRU reactor is "nearing the end of its useful life."
73% of all statistics are made up, including this one.
Cpl Kendall wrote:Well, don't I look stupid. I forgot about the MAPLE project and there was a big stink from the locals when it was underway.
The usual anti-nuclear noise, I'm assuming? Humoring the Greens for a moment, what methods are there of producing medical radioisotopes without the use of nuclear reactors?
[R_H] wrote:
The usual anti-nuclear noise, I'm assuming?
Yes. It was amusing in an ironic way. The towns of Chalk River and Deep River are completey dependent on AECL to survive, in fact Deep River is a "company" town that was created to house the AECl employees. Aside from a smattering of Army guys the two towns rely on AECL to exist. Certainly the local trailer park isn't bringing in any cash.
There was a bit of noise from the locals in Petawawa (where the base is) concerning the disposal of waste. The area is stable though and the waste disposed of in an area where only the military goes, so the concerns were bunk (as usual).
Humoring the Greens for a moment, what methods are there of producing medical radioisotopes without the use of nuclear reactors?
None that I know of, I'm far from an expert though.
M1891/30: A bad day on the range is better then a good day at work.
[R_H] wrote:
The usual anti-nuclear noise, I'm assuming?
Yes. It was amusing in an ironic way. The towns of Chalk River and Deep River are completey dependent on AECL to survive, in fact Deep River is a "company" town that was created to house the AECl employees. Aside from a smattering of Army guys the two towns rely on AECL to exist. Certainly the local trailer park isn't bringing in any cash.
There was a bit of noise from the locals in Petawawa (where the base is) concerning the disposal of waste. The area is stable though and the waste disposed of in an area where only the military goes, so the concerns were bunk (as usual).
Humoring the Greens for a moment, what methods are there of producing medical radioisotopes without the use of nuclear reactors?
None that I know of, I'm far from an expert though.
I did a bit of reading on medical radioisotopes, there are four research reactors in the world that produce them. The newest of which was built in Australia in 2007, but the one at Chalk River is the biggest producer (Chalk River's NRU produces eighty-five percent of the world's Cobalt-60 radiation therapies and two-thirds of the global supply of Technetium-99, a major medical isotope used in patient imaging for cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Source).
Well the OPAL reactor took long enough to get built here (Aus) due to the greens and anti atomic types... the old reactor went critical in 1958 so with that overdue for complete shutdown I guess everyone wanted Australia dependant on someone else for medical isotopes and the like.
Oddly enough the town/shire that grew up around the original reactor complex to support it (with the nice homey name of Lucas Heights) was almost unnanimous in trying to block the construction of the new OPAL reactor.
All people are equal but some people are more equal than others.
