The National Research Universal (NRU) nuclear reactor operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) at Chalk River, Ont. produces most of the world's medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat diseases like cancer. Isotopes have a short shelf life and therefore cannot be stockpiled. The Chalk River isotopes are sent to MDS Nordion of Kanata where they are processed and shipped to pharmaceutical companies worldwide for distributions to medical clinics and hospitals.
Last night, AECL announced that the NRU was going to be down for at least a month because of a heavy water leak. No heavy water or other radioactive material has escaped the facility, AECL said. The bigger crisis will be the health crisis, as doctors and technicians cannot get the material they need to treat patients.
Reaction:
MDS Nordion expects the impact of this shutdown to begin to be felt this week. The NRU produces approximately 30%-40% of the world's medical isotopes and approximately 50% of those used in North America, and is one of only four reactors in the world with the capacity to produce significant commercial quantities. While MDS Nordion is working closely with its supply network to source additional isotopes, based on AECL's information and global supply capability, the Company expects that the medical community and their patients will experience a significant shortage of isotopes worldwide.
From the federal government:
Immediately upon being made aware of this shutdown, the Government of Canada enacted the Isotope Early Notification Protocol, which includes notification to the isotope user community, of an extended interruption in the supply of medical isotopes from AECL.
“Our Government is fully engaged with Provincial and Territorial governments, and the health care community, who are being encouraged to take planned measures such as modifying patient scheduling and triaging to maximize the supply of medical isotopes available,” said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health.
A secure supply of medical isotopes is not only an issue for Canada; it is an international issue that is being addressed cooperatively by all isotope-producing countries. At the same time, the Government of Canada is engaging international isotope producers as well as companies such as MDS Nordion, Lantheus, and Covidien who all play key roles in securing medical isotope supply for North America.
From one of my sources on this story who I cannot name because s/he works for the federal government:
MDS Nordion could not survive such a prolongued shutdown of its only producer. I am sure by this time MDS-N are looking at moving their operations elsewhere, Europe, South Africa or Australia maybe. Few, if any organization in the world has the skills and experience of MDS-N in the critical processes of the Moly [isotope] supply chain, refining, packaging, shipping and distribution.
The reactor itself is kids' play…most fast-flux reactors can produce Moly [isotopes] if they are adapted for that. The rest is (expensive) bricks and mortar, glass and lead, gloves and fumehoods required for the construction of the universal (shielded) cells. The downside will be the ca. 1,000 jobs that will be lost in Kanata, and the huge cost of decommissioning the facility. Some of that cost may flow back to the feds as a legacy cost, given that MDS-N was once a Crown corporation (AECL Radiochemical)…depending on the terms of the privatization agreement in the early 90's
So what's the alternative? Continue producing (and leaking)? That doesn't seem wise.
Once these problems come up you can't exactly ignore them.