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The latest shut-down of the Chalk River nuclear reactor, which produces a large proportion of the world’s medical isotopes, is catastrophic, but hardly surprising. The National Research Universal reactor, at 52 years old, can no longer be counted on to operate reliably.
The Canadian government, and everyone else who has an interest in nuclear medicine, has long known that the reactor was a bit rickety, and that any disruption in production puts the world’s isotope supply in jeopardy. So where are the contingency plans, not to mention the plan for a longer-term solution?
By this weekend, the supply of nuclear isotopes produced at Chalk River will be used up and more will not be produced until it is reopened, likely in a month, although that is in doubt. In the meantime, patients in Canada and around the world will have to wait for important diagnostic tests that include ones for cancer and heart disease. The situation is unacceptable, and so is the federal government’s failure to stay one step ahead of the problem.
During hearings after the last major shutdown at Chalk River, it was learned that the aging reactor could be replaced for $800 million. Everyone asked: “Why aren’t we building it?”
Scientists and others are still asking. Although there have been proposals put forward, Canada is no closer to replacing Chalk River than it was last time there was a crisis, to the detriment of patients who rely on isotopes, in some cases, to save their lives.
At a time when the federal government is facing criticism for its failure to invest in science, the absence of a credible backup plan for isotope production does not look good. Canada leads the world in isotope production, a position it is likely to lose — along with jobs, expertise and spinoff businesses — because of political inertia.
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