Reactor shutdown 'catastrophe' as medical isotopes dry up

GLORIA GALLOWAY From Wednesday's Globe and Mail May 19, 2009

OTTAWA — A shutdown of the Canadian nuclear reactor that produces much of the world's medical isotopes is a “catastrophe” that threatens to delay or cancel critical medical procedures both in Canada and abroad for many weeks, medical experts said Tuesday. The aging reactor at Chalk River, Ont., which has been plagued with problems in recent years, will be closed for at least a month as technicians repair a leak of heavy water. “It's a catastrophe. For 18 months I have refrained from using that word. I have to use it,” said Jean-Luc Urbain, the president of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine. “It's a catastrophe for the patients, for the health-care system in general, and for the profession.” The 50-year-old NRU reactor, which is owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), a Crown corporation, was ordered closed by Canada's nuclear regulator 1/1/2 years ago until mandated safety upgrades had been completed.

But that was just of one of several recent problems that have beset the unit. There was another leak, for instance, last December. As a result of the latest closure, “80 per cent of the patients that we serve will have their diagnoses and treatment rescheduled, cancelled and not applied,” Dr. Urbain said. “The impact is unimaginable.” The reactor at Chalk River produces an isotope that is used to conduct biopsies for cancer surgery, bone scans and stress tests for heart surgery, among other medical procedures. Dale Coffin, a spokesman for AECL, said the reactor shut down automatically after a power outage last Thursday. The leak was discovered that evening. All of the heavy water is being captured by a containment system under the plant, said Mr. Coffin, though some is evaporating into the atmosphere. “Until we complete our analysis, we're estimating that it's going to take a month to do the repairs before we can return to service.” There are enough isotopes to last for a few days. “But at the end of the week, Saturday, we will have depleted all of our supply,” Mr. Coffin said. Neither of the two federal ministers responsible for medical isotopes was available for comment yesterday.