The nuclear reactor whose shutdown created a critical shortage of radioactive isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer patients in Canada, the U.S. and many other nations, will resume its operation shortly.
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. said yesterday that it expected to begin producing the medical isotopes within seven or eight days.
The announcement came a day after the government scrambled to pass legislation allowing the company to bypass Canada's nuclear safety watchdog and immediately restart the 50-year-old reactor at Chalk River, Ontario.
The reactor was shut down Nov. 18 for maintenance and was scheduled resume operation Nov. 23.
But the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ordered an indefinite stoppage after discovering the reactor had been running for a year without the emergency power system being connected to two cooling pumps.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said there was no risk of a meltdown with the startup. Company executives proposed an interim fix, in which one pump will be hooked up to the emergency power supply.
The reactor produces a radioactive substance called molybdenum-99, which is processed and packaged into canisters that are sold to big hospitals and specialized pharmacies.
The cylinders, in turn, are "milked" for technetium-99, which is used on patients. 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.
Health Minister Tony Clement said he couldn't believe the AECL didn't inform health officials about the extended shutdown.
"I think it's shocking quite frankly," Clement told reporters yesterday. "... If there is an issue of extended shutdown in the future, Health Canada has to be notified immediately."
Source: The Associated Press
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