Reactor restarting production of medical isotopes

The nuclear reactor responsible for producing more than half of the world's medical isotopes is preparing to come back online, officials said Thursday.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) said in a press release that they has started prcedures to restart the reactor.

"AECL anticipates that it will be producing medical isotopes within seven to eight days," the statement said.

The National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Ont., was closed on Nov. 18 for repairs. That's when federal nuclear inspectors discovered that the facility had been operating without emergency power backup for its cooling pumps and insisted on upgrades before it could be reopened.

That sparked an international shortage of radioisotopes used in diagnostic tests for cancer, heart problems, and bone ailments.

On Wednesday, emergency legislation was passed by the House of Commons, with support from all parties, approving the restart of the reactor in order to alleviate the shortage of isotopes. The legislation bypasses the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and allows AECL to restart operation of the reactor for 120 days, after which it will have to close again for the safety upgrades.

David Torgerson, president of AECL's research and technology, said the NRU reactor is safer now than at any time in its 50-year history.

"We are constantly improving NRU to operate ever more safely. The NRU reactor has operated safely in the past, and is safer now than it has ever been. AECL has an absolute and unwavering commitment to safety," Torgerson said in a press release.

One of two pumps required by recent safety regulations has been installed, and work is proceeding on the other, AECL said. The upgrade has provided the reactor with an additional backup power supply to protect the reactor in the event of an earthquake.

The publicly-owned NRU reactor provides medical isotopes for about 25 million diagnoses and treatments a year.

The reactor was supposed to have been decommissioned in 2005. But a plant designed to replace the aging facility is six years behind schedule and will not produce radioisotopes until late 2008.

Political debate continues

During Question Period on Thursday, Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, accused the Conservatives of responding too slowly to the Chalk River crisis, and questioned their decision not to provide legal council for CNSC during negotiations to reopen the facility.

"Why did the minister of Justice withdraw legal services to the commission," Ignatieff asked. "And what message is this government trying to send to other federal regulators? 'Watch out, or we'll come after you, too?'"

Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson said the government continued to offer legal advice to the watchdog but suggested it seek its own.

"What we did suggest, with respect to the Chalk River reactor, that it might be a good idea that they engage independent legal advice so that there would be no potential for conflict of interest," Nicholson said.

Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, Mississauga-Erindale, accused the government of undermining Canada's nuclear regulator and following the advice of "partisan hacks" in its decision to reopen the reactor.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected the claim and asked why Liberal MPs supported the decision if it was misguided.

Comments are now closed for this story

Chris (Cobourg)
said

The CNSC exists for a purpose...to protect Canadians. The government should never override their decision to shut down a nuclear facility. What if OPG or Bruce Power decided to operate their nuclear units in the same fashion without regard to backup safety systems being in place. The CNSC did their job, the government should respect their decision.

Allan Eizinas
said

I agree with Harper. Who needs regulatory agencies anyway? These worry warts have no idea of the negative economic impact that they have when they close water plants, meat plants, restaurants and now a nuclear facility just because it might kill some people.

I say let them go and then take them to court after somebody dies.

After all, with the new Harper “tough on crime” policy we will show no mercy and toss them all in jail!!!

rrrrdddd
said

FYI, it has happened once before......

The NRX Incident
By Peter Jedicke

On December 12, 1952, a partial meltdown of the NRX reactor core at Chalk River, Ontario, occurred. The causes of the accident provide insight for more recent events. The environmental effects indicate what might be expected from reactors in emergency conditions. Because this was the first serious reactor accident in the world, statistical information about the workers gives the best data about long-term health hazards associated with such events.

kenw
said

We have safety rules for a reason, government breaks the rules and when everything goes wrong ( not if it will, when it will) who do we get to charge? Also, does this open the door for the government to ignore the rules to fit there agenda and put lives on the line? The liberals didn't deal with situation and the conservatives react like the village idiots, appears to leaves the door open for some new upstart party.

JJJ
said

I especially love this quote from the article;

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected the claim and asked why Liberal MPs supported the decision if it was misguided."

Why on Earth would anyone ever vote Liberal with this level of leadership? If they could keep their mouth shut for just a little while... maybe they'd stop shoving both feet right in!

I'm glad to see patients will be getting back to the treatment they've come to expect with the isotopes.

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Year!!

Chris
said

Oh my lord, just thought I felt the earth shake, and they don't have that secondary emergency power back-up finished.
I am glad Pickering and Darlington are close to me. I feel much safer now.

PTK
said

Comments about "decisive leadership" does nothing to add to this debate. These people are like blind sheep being led to the slaughter. Consequently, the critical questions are not being raised, such as: why was this issue allowed to be politicized? Matters such as these should not be put under political control (e.g., a free economy, the private sphere and matters for expert decision). I stress the latter in this case. The knowledge that came from the experts, that Mr. Harper used, was not objective or "value-free." It was loaded with partisan bias. I am not confident that the decision to reopen the reactor was entirely done in "the peoples" interest. Mr. Harper exploited people's existential fears to legitimize breaking the rules. He accomplished this strategy by making the audience (these sheep) tolerate the violation of these rules. In short, the Harper administrations underlying motivation of stepping out of their jurisdiction was all about power politics...not people.

Uwe Warkholdt
said

I am glad to see that the plant is going on line and that past mistakes which caused this in the first place are being resolved. It is call "plain old common sense".

As for the Liberals who are what I think is flip flopping on this, well just wait for the next Federal Election and you might get a "rude awakening". I believe that many Canadian voters even Liberal supporters of the past like myself, like what the Harper Government is doing. Let's wait and see.

"Nuf said"

Keith
said

To all those that thought it would be almost "criminal" to resart an unsafe reactor or that Mr Harper was out of his mind for introducing emergancy legislation to get it running again get you bags packed the car running and head for the hills.
You don't have much time before most of Onatrio (and maybe part of Quebec) goes missing in a big mushroom cloud of radiation.
Merry Christmas to everyone awaiting treatment.

Tammy
said

I know I am happy it is opening again. I am one of those people that depend on isotopes for better MRI pictures. And if it were really in trouble do you actually think the Scientists and staff would be there to open it. It said " Safety Concerns" I hope they get the safety concerns dealt with so Chalk Rivers AECL can continue to be the producer of over 1/2 the worlds Isotopes!!! I wonder how long I will wait for my MRI now...It has been over 6 months....Thank you for re-opening!!!

carmen
said

im glad they finally made a decision on this, my own father was waiting on this to further his cancer tests

c johnson
said

well seeing as I am one of the many people who get mri's every 6 months a great BIG thank you for the start up.

Blackbird
said

It's not that the reactor was unsafe...it didn't meet the safety standards. There is a big difference there. Is it possible that something could go wrong in the condition it's in...yes. But, it's the same with all the other reactors we have (power, or research).

This is NOT a Liberal or Conservative problem. The gov't has no greater power over the construction (and delays) for the new reactor, than you or I do over contractors renovating a kitchen. They do however have other remedies. Think of it this way...would you rather have a reactor built correctly...or just thrown together to get it done on time. I'm going with the former.

Hey, Iran has some nice new reactors...maybe if we ask nice... : )

Richard
said

Why do people talk of Three Mile Island or Chernobyl in the same breath when describing safety conditions at Chalk River? That's nonsense and irresponsible, pure fear mongering hysteria.

Chalk River is nothing like those plants...not even close. It doesn't make atomic bombs or plutonium, it doesn't even make electricity. It is (was) Canada's scientific research reactor with a primary purpose, that to make medical isotopes for PET/MRI medical imaging purposes..

If any of those grandstanding Liberal politicians had a suspected cancerous lesion and needed some of those isotopes for an MRI scan to confirm or remove all doubt ... boy would they ever change their tune ...and fast.

Whoever ordered the (mostly) unannounced shutdown of that reactor with out informing or giving fair warning to the medical community should be removed from their post.

Now that was irresponsible but typical of how bureaucrats work.

Robert Rice P. Eng.
said

Bob
Could it be the "nuclear watchdog" is more interested in issuing an order and then sitting back for a couple of years, more interested in their pay cheques, than following up to see that it is done?

Tim D
said

regarding LH:
Where in the document was the facility deemed unsafe? It clearly says “safety concerns” and anyone can tell you safety commissions like to blow things out of proportion, but in no matter did the report considered the facility unsafe to operate. Also, do you even know half the story behind Chernobyl? As for what the medical profession did before isotopes, they usually did a form of educated guessing and a lot of patients died.

All our political parties agreed it is a good idea to immediately start up a part of the facility after they reviewed the CNSC report, it was a tough decision but this is why we elect politicians.

Jim
said

Mike - I agree. If they knew it was going to be 'unsafe' as of 2005, it should have been taken care of back then.

I wonder who was in office at that time!? Oh wait, it was the Liberals -

NOT GETTING THE JOB DONE AGAIN!!

Jim
said

LH ...
If there was even a REMOTE possibility of a meltdown, do you honestly think it would be re-opened so quickly?? Did you even read the article??!

And your question...

What did the medical profession do before there was such a thing as nuclear isotopes????? "...

Medical advances have taken place, allowing us to use this Technology to diagnos many things we were once not able to do. You want to go back in time to the stone ages of medicine?

You should be proud of the fact that Canada is a world leader in this area.

Gayle
said

If the CNSC is the regulatory body, why weren't they regulating the facility prior to the decision to halt production? It seems to have come to them as a complete surprise that this facility was unsafe. Doesn't regulating mean that they should have been present to prevent it from coming to the point of needing to suspend production?

Mike
said

if the politicians would have bothered paying attention they would have seen this coming months ago. it was SCHEDULED maintenance and you can bet since it is a nuclear reactor it was scheduled a long time ago. now the politicians are using their lack of foresight as an excuse to do some mudslinging

LH
said

I realize that the isotopes are necessary for diagnosing purposes but it is that necessary to restart a nuclear reactor that is deemed "unsafe" by nuclear testing standards? Is the government trying to have a Canadian version of Chernobyl???? I hope that the government considered this as if that were to happen that would be far worse than not being able to carry out medical tests for a few months. What did the medical profession do before there was such a thing as nuclear isotopes?????

Thomas Chan
said

Canada is concerning not only itself for the isotopes, but also the world. That showed Canada does care and I am proud of Canada's big role in making more than a half of the world's proudution of isotopes. WAY TO GO! CANADA, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Roch
said

Nice to see decisive leadership by our government.

Why are Liberals critcizing something they personally officially supported? Are they bored?