European radioisotope supply woes continue

September 30, 2008 European radioisotope supply woes continue James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, the primary source for the molybdenum-99 crucial to diagnostic nuclear imaging in Europe, will remain shut down until at least the end of November while officials devise a strategy to plug a gas leak. The facility's operator, the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG), announced Sept. 17 that it has canceled the cycle of reactor production for Oct. 25 to Nov. 23. According to an English-language news release, the agency is in contact with customers regarding sources of potential alternative supplies of Mo-99, a reactor-generated radioistope that is essential for the production of technetium-99m. Tc-99m is used in about eight of every 10 diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures.

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