CTV.ca | Reactor restarting production of medical = isotopes

=20

One of the vital radioisotopes affected by the shutdown of a = nuclear=20 reactor at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratory.

=20

Reactor restarting production of medical isotopes

Updated Fri. Dec. 14 2007 9:43 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The nuclear reactor responsible for producing more than half of = the=20 world's medical isotopes is preparing to come back online, = officials said=20 Thursday.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) said in a press release = that=20 they has started prcedures to restart the reactor.

"AECL anticipates that it will be producing medical isotopes = within=20 seven to eight days," the statement said.

The National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, = Ont., was=20 closed on Nov. 18 for repairs. That's when federal nuclear = inspectors=20 discovered that the facility had been operating without emergency = power=20 backup for its cooling pumps and insisted on upgrades before it = could be=20 reopened.

That sparked an international shortage of radioisotopes = used in=20 diagnostic tests for cancer, heart problems, and bone ailments. =

On Wednesday, emergency legislation was passed by the House of = Commons,=20 with support from all parties, approving the restart of the = reactor in=20 order to alleviate the shortage of isotopes. The legislation = bypasses the=20 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and allows AECL to = restart=20 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=20 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=20 reactor has operated safely in the past, and is safer now than it = has ever=20 been. AECL has an absolute and unwavering commitment to safety," = Torgerson=20 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=20 provided the reactor with an additional backup power supply to = protect the=20 reactor in the event of an earthquake.

The publicly-owned NRU reactor provides medical isotopes for = about 25=20 million diagnoses and treatments a year.

The reactor was supposed to have been decommissioned in 2005. = But a=20 plant designed to replace the aging facility is six years behind = schedule=20 and will not produce radioisotopes until late 2008.

Political debate continues

During Question Period on Thursday, Liberal MP Michael = Ignatieff,=20 Etobicoke-Lakeshore, accused the Conservatives of responding too = slowly to=20 the Chalk River crisis, and questioned their decision not to = provide legal=20 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=20 to send to other federal regulators? 'Watch out, or we'll come = after you,=20 too?'"

Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson said the government continued = to=20 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=20 might be a good idea that they engage independent legal advice so = that=20 there would be no potential for conflict of interest," Nicholson = said.=20

Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, Mississauga-Erindale, accused the = government=20 of undermining Canada's nuclear regulator and following the advice = of=20 "partisan hacks" in its decision to reopen the reactor.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected the claim and asked why = Liberal=20 MPs supported the decision if it was misguided.

Comments are now closed for this = story=20

Roch
Nice to see decisive leadership by our=20 government.

Why are Liberals critcizing something they = personally=20 officially supported? Are they bored?

Thomas Chan
Canada is concerning not only itself for = the=20 isotopes, but also the world. That showed Canada does care and I = am proud=20 of Canada's big role in making more than a half of the world's = proudution=20 of isotopes. WAY TO GO! CANADA, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

LH
I realize that the isotopes are necessary for = diagnosing=20 purposes but it is that necessary to restart a nuclear reactor = that is=20 deemed "unsafe" by nuclear testing standards? Is the government = trying to=20 have a Canadian version of Chernobyl???? I hope that the = government=20 considered this as if that were to happen that would be far worse = than not=20 being able to carry out medical tests for a few months. What did = the=20 medical profession do before there was such a thing as nuclear=20 isotopes?????

Mike
if the politicians would have bothered paying = attention=20 they would have seen this coming months ago. it was SCHEDULED = maintenance=20 and you can bet since it is a nuclear reactor it was scheduled a = long time=20 ago. now the politicians are using their lack of foresight as an = excuse to=20 do some mudslinging

Gayle
If the CNSC is the regulatory body, why = weren't they=20 regulating the facility prior to the decision to halt production? = It seems=20 to have come to them as a complete surprise that this facility was = unsafe.=20 Doesn't regulating mean that they should have been present to = prevent it=20 from coming to the point of needing to suspend production?

Jim
LH ...
If there was even a REMOTE possibility = of a=20 meltdown, do you honestly think it would be re-opened so quickly?? = Did you=20 even read the article??!

And your question...

What = did the=20 medical profession do before there was such a thing as nuclear=20 isotopes????? "...

Medical advances have taken place, = allowing us=20 to use this Technology to diagnos many things we were once not = able to do.=20 You want to go back in time to the stone ages of medicine? =

You=20 should be proud of the fact that Canada is a world leader in this=20 area.

Jim
Mike - I agree. If they knew it was going to be = 'unsafe'=20 as of 2005, it should have been taken care of back then.

I = wonder=20 who was in office at that time!? Oh wait, it was the Liberals -=20

NOT GETTING THE JOB DONE AGAIN!!

Tim D
regarding LH:
Where in the document was the = facility deemed unsafe? It clearly says =93safety concerns=94 and = anyone can=20 tell you safety commissions like to blow things out of proportion, = but in=20 no matter did the report considered the facility unsafe to = operate. Also,=20 do you even know half the story behind Chernobyl? As for what the = medical=20 profession did before isotopes, they usually did a form of = educated=20 guessing and a lot of patients died.

All our political = parties=20 agreed it is a good idea to immediately start up a part of the = facility=20 after they reviewed the CNSC report, it was a tough decision but = this is=20 why we elect politicians.

Robert Rice P. Eng.
Bob
Could it be the "nuclear=20 watchdog" is more interested in issuing an order and then sitting = back for=20 a couple of years, more interested in their pay cheques, than = following up=20 to see that it is done?

Richard
Why do people talk of Three Mile Island or = Chernobyl=20 in the same breath when describing safety conditions at Chalk = River?=20 That's nonsense and irresponsible, pure fear mongering hysteria.=20

Chalk River is nothing like those plants...not even close. = It=20 doesn't make atomic bombs or plutonium, it doesn't even make = electricity.=20 It is (was) Canada's scientific research reactor with a primary = purpose,=20 that to make medical isotopes for PET/MRI medical imaging=20 purposes..

If any of those grandstanding Liberal = politicians had a=20 suspected cancerous lesion and needed some of those isotopes for = an MRI=20 scan to confirm or remove all doubt ... boy would they ever change = their=20 tune ...and fast.

Whoever ordered the (mostly) unannounced = shutdown of that reactor with out informing or giving fair warning = to the=20 medical community should be removed from their post.

Now = that was=20 irresponsible but typical of how bureaucrats work.

Blackbird
It's not that the reactor was unsafe...it = didn't=20 meet the safety standards. There is a big difference there. Is it = possible=20 that something could go wrong in the condition it's in...yes. But, = it's=20 the same with all the other reactors we have (power, or=20 research).

This is NOT a Liberal or Conservative problem. = The gov't=20 has no greater power over the construction (and delays) for the = new=20 reactor, than you or I do over contractors renovating a kitchen. = They do=20 however have other remedies. Think of it this way...would you = rather have=20 a reactor built correctly...or just thrown together to get it done = on=20 time. I'm going with the former.

Hey, Iran has some nice = new=20 reactors...maybe if we ask nice... : )

c johnson
well seeing as I am one of the many people = who get=20 mri's every 6 months a great BIG thank you for the start = up.

carmen
im glad they finally made a decision on this, = my own=20 father was waiting on this to further his cancer tests

Tammy
I know I am happy it is opening again. I am = one of=20 those people that depend on isotopes for better MRI pictures. And = if it=20 were really in trouble do you actually think the Scientists and = staff=20 would be there to open it. It said " Safety Concerns" I hope they = get the=20 safety concerns dealt with so Chalk Rivers AECL can continue to be = the=20 producer of over 1/2 the worlds Isotopes!!! I wonder how long I = will wait=20 for my MRI now...It has been over 6 months....Thank you for=20 re-opening!!!

Keith
To all those that thought it would be almost=20 "criminal" to resart an unsafe reactor or that Mr Harper was out = of his=20 mind for introducing emergancy legislation to get it running again = get you=20 bags packed the car running and head for the hills.
You don't = have much=20 time before most of Onatrio (and maybe part of Quebec) goes = missing in a=20 big mushroom cloud of radiation.
Merry Christmas to everyone = awaiting=20 treatment.

Uwe Warkholdt
I am glad to see that the plant is = going on=20 line and that past mistakes which caused this in the first place = are being=20 resolved. It is call "plain old common sense".

As for the = Liberals=20 who are what I think is flip flopping on this, well just wait for = the next=20 Federal Election and you might get a "rude awakening". I believe = that many=20 Canadian voters even Liberal supporters of the past like myself, = like what=20 the Harper Government is doing. Let's wait and see.

"Nuf=20 said"

PTK
Comments about "decisive leadership" does = nothing to add=20 to this debate. These people are like blind sheep being led to the = slaughter. Consequently, the critical questions are not being = raised, such=20 as: why was this issue allowed to be politicized? Matters such as = these=20 should not be put under political control (e.g., a free economy, = the=20 private sphere and matters for expert decision). I stress the = latter in=20 this case. The knowledge that came from the experts, that Mr. = Harper used,=20 was not objective or "value-free." It was loaded with partisan = bias. I am=20 not confident that the decision to reopen the reactor was entirely = done in=20 "the peoples" interest. Mr. Harper exploited people's existential = fears to=20 legitimize breaking the rules. He accomplished this strategy by = making the=20 audience (these sheep) tolerate the violation of these rules. In = short,=20 the Harper administrations underlying motivation of stepping out = of their=20 jurisdiction was all about power politics...not people.

Chris
Oh my lord, just thought I felt the earth = shake, and=20 they don't have that secondary emergency power back-up = finished.
I am=20 glad Pickering and Darlington are close to me. I feel much safer=20 now.

JJJ
I especially love this quote from the=20 article;

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected the = claim and=20 asked why Liberal MPs supported the decision if it was=20 misguided."

Why on Earth would anyone ever vote Liberal = with=20 this level of leadership? If they could keep their mouth shut for = just a=20 little while... maybe they'd stop shoving both feet right = in!

I'm=20 glad to see patients will be getting back to the treatment they've = come to=20 expect with the isotopes.

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy = New=20 Year!!

kenw
We have safety rules for a reason, government = breaks=20 the rules and when everything goes wrong ( not if it will, when it = will)=20 who do we get to charge? Also, does this open the door for the = government=20 to ignore the rules to fit there agenda and put lives on the line? = The=20 liberals didn't deal with situation and the conservatives react = like the=20 village idiots, appears to leaves the door open for some new = upstart=20 party.

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

The=20 NRX Incident
By Peter Jedicke

On December 12, 1952, a = partial=20 meltdown of the NRX reactor core at Chalk River, Ontario, = occurred. The=20 causes of the accident provide insight for more recent events. The = environmental effects indicate what might be expected from = reactors in=20 emergency conditions. Because this was the first serious reactor = accident=20 in the world, statistical information about the workers gives the = best=20 data about long-term health hazards associated with such = events.

Allan Eizinas
I agree with Harper. Who needs = regulatory=20 agencies anyway? These worry warts have no idea of the negative = economic=20 impact that they have when they close water plants, meat plants,=20 restaurants and now a nuclear facility just because it might kill = some=20 people.

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

After all, with the new Harper =93tough on = crime=94=20 policy we will show no mercy and toss them all in = jail!!!

Chris (Cobourg)
The CNSC exists for a purpose...to = protect=20 Canadians. The government should never override their decision to = shut=20 down a nuclear facility. What if OPG or Bruce Power decided to = operate=20 their nuclear units in the same fashion without regard to backup = safety=20 systems being in place. The CNSC did their job, the government = should=20 respect their decision.

del.icio.us=20
DIGG=20
Reddit=20
Facebook=20
Print This Page=20
E-Mail Story=20
Feedback=20
Co= mments(23)=20
Fonts:Top=20 Stories
- UN=20 climate conference sets deadline for new pact=20
- Rocket=20 attack kills five in Afghanistan=20
- Musharraf=20 lifts emergency rule in Pakistan=20
- Task=20 force says RCMP should be 'separate entity'=20
- Report=20 says Homolka has left Canada for Caribbean=20
- Accidentally=20 freed N.S. inmate turns himself in=20

Subscribe!

CTV MedNews = Express

=20

Sign up for our twice-weekly health and medical newsletter, = delivered=20 direct to your in-box. "=20 src=3D"http://images.ctv.ca/mar/images/widgets/arrow.gif"=20 width=3D11>

CTV.ca Blogs

Your Health

=20

CTV's medical reporters with news and commentary; add your = comments to=20 our discussion threads. "=20 src=3D"http://images.ctv.ca/mar/images/widgets/arrow.gif"=20 width=3D11>

Video

CTV=20 Newsnet: Production to resume in about a week

Web Links

Statement from AECL

Top=20 Stories

UN=20 climate conference sets deadline for new pact=20
Rocket=20 attack kills five in Afghanistan=20
Musharraf=20 lifts emergency rule in Pakistan=20
Task=20 force says RCMP should be 'separate entity'=20
Report=20 says Homolka has left Canada for Caribbean=20
Accidentally=20 freed N.S. inmate turns himself in=20

Reactor restarting production of medical isotopes

User Tools

Subscribe!

CTV MedNews = Express

CTV.ca Blogs

Your Health

Video

Related Stories

Web Links

User Tools

Top=20 Stories

All Programs Page

Primetime

Daytime

Late Night

News Programs

Movies & Specials

Past & Coming Up

Hide Local = Stations