Speaker – Darrell R. Fisher

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Description: Current producers of molybdenum-99 for technetium-99m generators used in nuclear medicine rely on research reactors and dedicated isotope production reactors in Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Poland, and Russia. Recent reactor shutdowns for repair and maintenance interrupted international supplies and confirmed U.S. vulnerability to reliance on foreign producers. Further, science policy in the U.S. under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandates the shift in medical isotope production using highly enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium-235, and reduces the future U.S. commitment to supply highly enriched uranium to foreign 99Mo producers. This mandate and the need for an enhanced 99Mo supply have spawned proposals for alternative production. These alternatives to standard nuclear reactor production of 99Mo will be discussed, highlighting and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each.