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[The reactor] produces about 20% of the world's supply of technetium; the rest comes from six other aging reactors in Europe, Australia and South Africa. These reactors bombard highly-enriched uranium targets to produce molybdenum-99, which decays into technetium. Stockpiling the radioisotopes is impossible because of their short half-lives — 66 hours for molybdenum-99, and six [hours] for technetium-99m. As a result, supply disruptions can quickly translate into shortages at hospitals, as happened when two reactors shut down for repairs and maintenance in 2009.
One of the most common medical uses for technetium is single-photo emission computed tomography (SPECT), which can be used to monitor blood flow in the heart and brain and scan bones for tumours.
[...] The United States currently provides the bulk of the world's [highly-enriched uranium] targets but plans to halt shipments of highly enriched uranium by 2020. However, Russia has indicated that it may begin production of molybdenum-99 in the future, and has not yet committed to using [low-enriched uranium] targets.
http://www.nature.com/news/reactor-shutdown-threatens-world-s-medical-isotope-supply-1.20577
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-photon_emission_computed_tomography
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fritsd on Tuesday September 13 2016, @10:45AM
(You may know by now that I'm biased and not in favour of nuclear power plants for energy production)
AFAIK there are two reactors in Europe used for production of radiochemicals for medicine:
The one in Mol in Belgium: BR2 [wikipedia.org]. Built between 1956 and 1964. Not much information about it. Probably a terrorism target for Daesh, after the larger reactor in Doel next to Antwerp, that they already tried to infiltrate [wikipedia.org].
And the one in Petten in north-holland (the Netherlands): Petten nuclear reactor [wikipedia.org], built in 1961, which is suffering from cracks in the concrete, failing safety culture, leaks (tritium, which fortunately only poison the surrounds for a hundred years or so), and corrosion of the coolant pipes.
It's in the dunes [wikipedia.org], but I believe it can't explode, which is good, because those dunes protect half the country from flooding at high tide.
I understand how important these three reactors are for medicine. But it's not a very good idea to build them in some of the most densely populated countries in the world.
Cancer patients that need radiotherapy seem to be screwed...
(Apropos why do countries build their nuclear power plants 10 kilometers from the border with their neighbour closest to the prevailing wind direction [wikipedia.org]???)
wiki:
(that's about the Doel power reactors, not about one of the medical/research reactors. sorry i'm being unclear)
<tinfoil_hat>
I suspect the Dutch and Belgian governments struck a secret deal: "if you don't sue our country for our dangerous crumbling reactor next to your border, we won't sue your country for your dangerous leaky reactor next to our border"
</tinfoil_hat>
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday September 13 2016, @04:41PM
You guys just need to import the French 100% Radiation-Proof Border technology, widely advertised in May 1986 when the Germans were busy panicking about some silly cloud.