Shortage of radioisotopes

[mke]

This is big news in Ontario, and it may affect many in the US as well. The atomic plant that produces molybdinum(sp?) in Ontario has been shut down, originally for routine maintainence but then other problems arose and it will be off line longer than expected. Currently they don't expect it to be fully operational until early January at best. This stuff is sent out almost daily to hospitals where they put it in some gadget that produces technicium (sp?) and that is the stuff that gets injected for MUGAs and bone scans and other things too.

This plant was the supplier for almost half of the world's supply. There are other suppliers in Europe and Asia but they can't crank up production to double their capacity. I always knew that the isotopes came from this place, but I had no idea that they were such a major supplier.

You can imagine that there is some hoopla going on here with the present government blaming the previous one, doctors thoroughly peeved, scans cancelled, just a real mess and even after the isotope is available again there will be a backlog to deal with.

Things will probably be better in the US and Europe where there are more alternatives for sources and for other types of scans. I do hope so.