Canada Reactor Woes Delay Medical Tests

TORONTO (AP) — Thousands of cancer patients in the U.S., Canada and other countries have had their medical tests postponed because of a problem with a Canadian nuclear reactor that produces medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat such cases.
The isotope shortage is the result of a prolonged shutdown of the reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, which supplies about two-thirds of the multibillion-dollar medical isotopes market to hospitals around the world.
Doctors warned that a shortage of nuclear material due to the shutdown of the federally owned reactor is getting worse by the day, causing many patients to worry.
"Last week, I guess you could describe it as struggling. This week it's devastating, and next week potentially catastrophic," said Dr. Chris O'Brien, president of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine.
When injected into patients, the isotopes allow medical imaging equipment to track the spread of cancers in the body. The isotope is also used in about 90 percent of all imaging studies in nuclear medicine.
More than 20 million patients in Canada and the United States, most of them with cancer or heart disease, undergo nuclear medicine procedures every year.
The isotope shortage is also being felt in Asia and South America.
"A lot of places are typically operating at 20 to 40 percent capacity," said Dr. Alexander McEwan, president of the Reston, Va.,-based Society of Nuclear Medicine. "It's approaching very dire. Within the next one to three weeks, there will be very real adverse impact on patient care."
The unplanned, indefinite shutdown of the federally owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. reactor has crippled Ottawa-based MDS Nordion, which supplies up to 45 percent of the world's medical isotopes used in diagnostic tests.
The shortage began Nov. 30, 12 days after the AECL facility shut down for what was supposed to be five days of safety-related maintenance.
Nordion spokeswoman Shelley Maclean was "pleased" that AECL, which appeared before nuclear regulators Thursday, still appeared to be on track to get its reactor up by "early to mid-January."
Nordion informed its customers as soon as it learned about the reactor outage, and AECL told Nordion of the problem as soon as it could, she added.
Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement said the government's plan to deal with the situation involves looking for supply sources abroad, looking at alternative isotopes and considering alternative procedures.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said it would try to expedite import requests for isotopes and is willing to convene on short notice as required to approve the startup of the AECL reactor.
Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, who is responsible for AECL and the safety agency, said he is concerned about the safety issues surrounding the reactor and urged a quick resolution to the shutdown.