Canada to make medical isotopes by non nuclear methods – no nuclear reactor needed
Canada to fund non-nuclear sources for medical isotopes By Randall Palmer and David Ljunggren | Reuters –28 Feb 13, OTTAWA – Canada expects to be able to make enough medical isotopes through non-nuclear methods by 2016 to replace those now produced by an aging reactor and better assure an uninterrupted supply for medical imaging, a government minister said on Thursday.
To that end, the federal government will fund three research institutes developing cyclotron and linear accelerator technologies for production of isotopes on a commercial scale, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said.
Canada’s only current source of the isotopes is a problem-plagued reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd’s facility at Chalk River, Ontario. The reactor is licensed to run until 2016.
“Our challenge now is to prove that cyclotron and linear accelerator production can be commercially viable. … We envision a future where isotope production will no longer require highly enriched uranium — a weapons-grade material,” he said.
The government will give a total of C$25 million ($24.3 million) to the three facilities for this goal…. http://news.yahoo.com/canada-fund-non-nuclear-sources-medical-isotopes-190403191–sector.html
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