[ RadSafe ] " House Committee Passes Bill to Create USIsotopeSupply "

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

This isn't really my piece of the rad field, but I've been looking into Tc99m for a fact sheet my office has that is in need of updating.  

It seems to me that any fission scheme should give you a mix of fission products from which you can chemically separate out molybdenum.  Because of the specific activities of the various isotopes, by the time you can get the targets out of the reactor, dissolve them, separate out the Mo, and process it into the desired compound and form, Mo99 will should provide most of the activity.  

Clearly, there are isotope and neutron energy combinations that will produce more Mo99 than others.  On the other hand, if you can get away from having to do isotopic separation you might well accept a little less efficiency.  

You will still need a neutron source, which for the moment, at least means you need a reactor.  Additionally, the reactor needs to be designed so things can be moved in and out of the reactor fairly easily and quickly.  If I recall correctly, back in the 1960s and 70s the small research reactor at the University of Washington made Mo99 for the University Hospital, and perhaps some of the other hospitals in the city.  While a number of small reactors scattered about probably isn't as efficient as one big reactor, and are harder to provide good security for, they would be a more robust source of these kinds of isotopes.  

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Edmond Baratta
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 10:53 AM
To: Franta, Jaroslav; Radsafe (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] " House Committee Passes Bill to Create USIsotopeSupply "

One wonders how they are going to produce the Mo-99 from an without the use 
of enriched uranium?   The earlier method was from neutron actived Mo, which 
resulted in a lot of waste.  Where are they going to find a Reactor to 
produce it.  It appears that the House in its usual short sightedness has 
struck again.

Ed Baratta

edmond0033 at comcast.net

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj at aecl.ca>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 12:05 PM
To: "Radsafe (E-mail)" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Subject: [ RadSafe ] " House Committee Passes Bill to Create US 
IsotopeSupply "

> UNRESTRICTED | ILLIMITÉ
>
> Gee.....  one wonders why they didn't simply keep FFTF in operation - 
> retasked to meds production ??
>
> Jaro
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>
> House Committee Passes Bill to Create US Isotope Supply
> Device & Diagnostic Letter
> Vol. 36, No. 42
> 26 October 2009
>
> To head off future shortages of the most commonly used diagnostic 
> radioisotope, a House committee has passed a bill to create a steady 
> domestic supply of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).
>
> The American Medical Isotopes Production Act, H.R. 3276, gives the Energy 
> Department the authority and funding to help the private sector establish 
> a U.S. supply of Mo-99 without using highly enriched uranium, according to 
> a statement from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
> <SNIP>
>
> <SNIP>
> If passed, the House bill could help advance two private projects already 
> in the works, Matmuller said, as it includes a $163 million provision to 
> support domestic production of the isotope (D&DL, Sept. 14).
>
> In February, Covidien signed an agreement with Babcock & Wilcox to develop 
> technology to manufacture Mo-99 in the U.S. When complete, the 
> collaboration could supply more than 50 percent of the U.S. demand for the 
> radioisotope (D&DL, Feb. 2). Last year, Advanced Medical Isotope signed an 
> agreement with the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center to 
> develop the isotope.
>
> Neither of these projects has applied to formally begin the regulatory 
> approval process, Robert Lewis, director of NRC's Division of Materials 
> Safety and State Agreements, said.
>
> In related news, the NRC also has noticed a shortage of another prominent 
> medical isotope, iodine-131, Matmuller said.
> <SNIP>
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