Medical isotopes: tax-payer funded ANSTO should be promoting non nuclear technology
Medical isotope production in Australia: Should we be using reactor based or cyclotron technology? 15th January 2016 Dr Margaret Beavis MBBS FRACGP MPH Medical Association for Prevention of War, Australia Health Professionals Promoting Peace
Executive summary ANSTO (the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) is currently planning to dramatically increase the use of the Lucas Heights OPAL reactor to supply a third of the world market with medical isotopes, and is constructing a new facility to be completed by the end 2016. This will result in 97% of the medical isotopes produced at Lucas Heights being sold on the export market, with 3% for Australian use.
1 Australia would be better served in the future by following the Canadian example and using cyclotrons to produce medical isotopes.
Recent advances create a choice as to whether we continue reactor manufacture, or develop cyclotron capacity in Australia.
Reactor production of isotopes has been shown to be unreliable with at times worldwide shortages of supply, due to unplanned outages. Cyclotron use would be more reliable, decentralised and both cheaper and cleaner.
Reactor isotope production and sale can only occur with significant subisidies from government. Canada, who supplies over 30 % of the world market, is phasing out reactor isotope production due to concerns about reliability, cost, radioactive waste accumulation and other issues.
Reactor use generates a significant long-lived Intermediate Level Waste waste burden which must be safeguarded for tens of thousands of years.
Provision of subsidised reactor based isotopes internationally is likely to slow the uptake of cyclotron technology in many countries.
In contrast, cylotron technology is cheaper, less prone to shortages of supply, and does not produce any long lived nuclear waste, and will be commercially feasible in the near future.
ANSTO is a tax payer funded organisation. It should be leading the debate on this issue, and providing accurate and up to date information.
The current proposal from ANSTO to markedly increase reactor isotope production should be subject to extensive public consultation, given it will have repercussions that include the need for major subsidies, less reliability of supply for nuclear medical care and result in the production of waste that will impact on future generations for millennia. …………
Conclusion Australia’s proposal to increase production of isotopes at the OPAL Lucas Heights reactor comes at a turning point in the technology. We have a choice as to whether we continue reactor manufacture, or develop cyclotron capacity in Australia.
Reactor production of isotopes has been shown to be unreliable. On a number of occasions it has resulted in worldwide shortages of supply, due to the unplanned outages that have occurred. Cyclotron use would enable more reliable decentralised isotope production, which will be both cheaper and cleaner.
Reactor production and sale can only occur with significant subisidies from the government (i.e. taxpayers). It is more costly than cyclotron manufacture. Subsidisation of other countries’ health systems at a time when Australia is already financially constrained seems ill advised.
In addition, reactor use for the production of isotopes creates a significant waste burden. 97% of the increased reactor isotope production is planned to be for international sale, so Australia will be left with the reactor waste from this international use. This waste is longlived Intermediate Level Waste which must be safeguarded for tens of thousands of years, as well as shorter-lived Low Level Waste which requires formal disposal.
Provision of subsidised reactor based isotopes internationally is also likely to slow the uptake of cyclotron technology in many countries.
In contrast, cylotron technology is cheaper, less prone to shortages of supply, and does not produce any long lived nuclear waste, and will be commercially feasible in the near future.
ANSTO is a tax payer funded organisation. It should be leading the debate on this issue, and providing accurate and up to date information.
The decision to markedly increase reactor isotope production should be subject to extensive public consultation, given it will have repercussions that include the need for major subsidies, less reliability of supply for nuclear medical care and result in the production of waste that will impact on future generations for millennia. https://www.mapw.org.au/files/downloads/Medical%20isotope%20production%20MAPW%20Background%20paper%20with%20exec%20summary.pdf
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1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
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