MEDICAL RADIOISOTOPES PRODUCTION WITHOUT a NUCLEAR REACTOR the Vast Majority of the Public Thinks That Research Reactors, Such 1 Introduction 2
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june 4, 2010 | No. 710/711 MEDICAL RADIOISOTOPES PRODUCTION WITHOUT A NUCLEAR REACTOR The vast majority of the public thinks that research reactors, such 1 Introduction 2 as the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, the Netherlands, are 2 The Emergence and essential for the supply of medical radioisotopes. And indeed Development of these nuclear reactors are currently producing the vast majority of Nuclear Medicine 3 the isotopes. The nuclear industries like to maintain this widespread 3 Medical Radioisotopes & misunderstanding to justify their right to exist. A brief look in the Applications 8 history of nuclear medicine learns that all medical radioisotopes 4 Reactor-based were originally manufactured by another type of production. Radioisotopes Produced by (710/1.) Laka Foundation – On May 22, agriculture, industry and fundamental Cyclotrons? 12 a research report was published on the research. Though most isotopes have no alternatives for reactor-based production practical value, dozens of isotopes have 5 Recent Developments of medical isotopes: "Medical valuable applications. At present there and Prospects in Radioisotopes Production 17 Radioisotopes Production Without A are up to 200 radioisotopes used on a Nuclear Reactor", written by Henk van regular basis, and most of them are 6 Discussion, Conclusions and der Keur of the Laka Foundation. The produced artificially. Recommendations 19 report tries to find an answer to the key question: Is it possible to ban the use of Until 2007 there was an almost research reactors for the production of uninterrupted supply of cheap subsidized medical radioisotopes? It will make clear reactor-produced isotopes, there was no that the nuclear industry is using the need to search for alternatives. Since production of medical isotopes as public January 2007, there has been at least six relation for nuclear research reactors. periods of serious disruption to supplies. The production of medical isotopes is Only in Canada these disruptions were seen as the sole purpose of the planned followed by serious debates on how to replacement of the Dutch High-Flux secure the domestic supply of reactor by the Pallas-reactor, although radiopharmaceuticals in the nearby 50% percent of reactor-time will be used future and the future. The development for nuclear related research. All medical- of accelerator-based production of isotopes now produced in reactors can medical isotopes has always been be produced alternatively or can be thwarted in favor of the production with replaced by isotopes which can be nuclear reactors. Policy-makers are produced other than in a nuclear reactor. opting for research reactors, because they offer large scale production of Isotopes are naturally occurring or are medical isotopes. The continued artificially made. The first ones are often disruptions, however, have proven that stable, while the last ones are unstable the reactor method is not safe and or radioactive. There have been secure. And why should the isotopes characterized about 1600 isotopes, production be dependent on a few either stable or unstable (radioactive). worldwide monopolists? Cyclotrons offer Radioactive isotopes or radioisotopes the possibility to produce hospital-based have numerous applications in medicine, medical isotopes. 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Medical imaging is one of the fastest growing tomography (PET) is less common, but is disciplines in medicine. The development of growing fast. CT and MRI scanners, innovative new imaging modalities and ultrasound units and gamma cameras are now radiopharmaceuticals has improved the ability an essential part of clinical practice. PET and to study biological structures and functions in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are health and disease, and continues to contribute also increasingly used in the management of to the evolution of medical care. Besides the patients with cancer and neurological disorders. routine use of X-rays, the most common Planar scintigraphy, CT, SPECT and PET imaging techniques in current clinical practice make use of ionizing radiation, and except for are: computed tomography (CT or CAT), CT, these nuclear imaging modalities make use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound of medical radioisotopes. SPECT/CT and (US), planar scintigraphy (gamma camera) and PET/CT perform better than SPECT and PET single photon emission computed tomography respectively. Therefore the share of these (SPECT). The use of Positron emission hybrid modalities is increasing rapidly. Artificially made radioisotopes, among which those production of medical radioisotopes? A recent for medical use, are mainly produced by research bulletin of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) on reactors. Currently more than 80% of the medical nuclear medicine stated: “Over 10,000 hospitals radioisotopes are produced by research reactors. The worldwide use radioisotopes in medicine, and about remaining isotopes are made by particle accelerators, 90% of the procedures are for diagnosis. The most mostly with circular accelerators (cyclotrons) and common radioisotope used in diagnosis is sometimes with linear accelerators (linacs), or by technetium-99m (in technical jargon: 99mTc), with other methods. Production of medical isotopes is some 30 million procedures per year, accounting for used by the nuclear industry as public relation for 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures worldwide.”1 nuclear research reactors. The production of medical Other sources mentions the figure 80-85%2, and the isotopes is seen as the sole purpose of the planned figure of 90% of all diagnostic procedures in Europe replacement of the Dutch High Flux reactor by the in 20083 (European Association of Nuclear Pallas reactor, although 50 percent of reactor-time Medicine). Today, technetium-99m (99mTc) can be will be used for nuclear related research. Actually, manufactured easily by using cyclotrons. Besides such research reactors are not necessary at all for the technetium-99m there are also other popular medical production of isotopes. After an intense debate in isotopes that can be made with cyclotrons. At the Canada the Canadian government recently decided to same time radiopharmaceuticals used with PET oust cancel the plan for the construction of a new research increasingly the 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals currently reactor and to opt for isotopes production with in use. In addition, there are other accelerator-based particle accelerators. They have learnt from their isotopes with energies that are similar to the energies mistakes in the past and have chosen for innovation of reactor-produced isotopes, currently in use in and modernization. Canada should be a shining nuclear medicine. A few isotopes that can’t be made example for the rest of the world. now by accelerators can be made by sub-critical systems, such as accelerator-driven systems (ADS). Radioisotopes production with cyclotrons offers The rapid development of new accelerator-based many advantages over a nuclear reactor. Firstly, the isotopes can make the use of such systems redundant volume of radioactive waste produced by cyclotrons in the near future. is far less and much less hazardous than the radioactive waste of research reactors. Secondly, the production is decentralized. Cyclotrons are located 1 hospital-based, by which the delivery of Radioisotopes in Medicine. 16 April 2010: pharmaceuticals to patients is much more secured. In http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf55.html 2 addition the risk of transport accidents is practically Kahn, Laura H.; The potential dangers in medical isotope zero. Thirdly, there are no risks due to nuclear-power production. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 16 March accidents, because there is no need for controlled 2008: chain reactions. Fourthly, there is no nuclear http://www.isotopeworld.com/filestore/Danger%20Medica l%20Isotope%20pdf.pdf proliferation risk. 3 Public Health - Radioisotopes for Medical Use http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_threats/radioisotopes/radioiso This report is answering the key question: Is it topes_en.htm possible to ban the use of research reactors for the 2 Chapter 2 THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE The vast majority of the public thinks that medicine learns that all medical radioisotopes research reactors, such as the High Flux were originally manufactured by another type Reactor (HFR) in Petten, the Netherlands, are of production. The first medical applications essential for the supply of medical of radioisotopes paralleled the development of radioisotopes. And indeed these nuclear the nuclear physics instruments which all reactors are currently producing the vast these isotopes produced: the (charged) particle majority of the isotopes. The nuclear accelerators. Currently, these instruments are industries like to maintain this widespread mistakenly purely seen as tools in misunderstanding to justify their right to fundamental scientific research. exist. A brief look in the history of nuclear 2.1 Original production of radioisotopes 32 (32P). Soon 32P was employed for the first time to Tracer principal treat a patient with leukemia. Ernest Lawrence Radiopharmaceuticals are used as radioactive tracers recognized the medical potential of radioisotopes. His for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The brother, John, a hematologist, helped researched the Hungarian chemist George Charles de Hevesy, born field’s potential and established and administered the as Hevesy György, published the first paper on the therapeutic procedures. In 1936 he treated