Canada Jumping to Address Isotope Issue

For this Canada Day, I’ve found news that suggests Canada will soon be a lot further along in addressing the chronic nuclear isotope problem that started once the Chalk River plant shut down.

In what might be a response to the Natural Resources Canada report, The B.C. Premier recently announced that a $63 million (Canadian) accelerator facility will be developed at the national physics lab in Vancouver (H/T Science Canada).  The use of an accelerator for generating isotopes is critical, as it’s a relatively new means for doing so.  It allows for a means to move away from using fission reactors for isotope generation.  Part of the reason very few facilities are involved in isotope production is the security concern over the highly-enriched uranium used for this process (and usable for all kinds of nuclear weapon nastiness).

Meanwhile, back in the States, H.R. 3276, the legislation that would jump-start U.S. domestic production of medical isotopes, remains languishing on the Senate calendar.