Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium
2009

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This book is the product of a congressionally mandated study to examine the feasibility of eliminating the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU2) in reactor fuel, reactor targets, and medical isotope production facilities. The book focuses primarily on the use of HEU for the production of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), whose decay product, technetium-99m3 (Tc-99m), is used in the majority of medical diagnostic imaging procedures in the United States, and secondarily on the use of HEU for research and test reactor fuel.
The supply of Mo-99 in the U.S. is likely to be unreliable until newer production sources come online. The reliability of the current supply system is an important medical isotope concern; this book concludes that achieving a cost difference of less than 10 percent in facilities that will need to convert from HEU- to LEU-based Mo-99 production is much less important than is reliability of supply.

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220 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-13039-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-13040-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/12569

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National Research Council. 2009. Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Front Matter i-xviii
Summary 1-6
1 Background and Study Task 7-15
2 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Production and Use 16-30
3 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Supply 31-54
4 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Supply Reliability 55-65
5 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Demand 66-79
6 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Production Costs 80-89
7 Conversion to LEU-Based Production of Molybdenum-99: Technical Considerations 90-100
8 Conversion to LEU-Based Production of Molybdenum-99: Regulatory Considerations 101-107
9 Conversion to LEU-Based Production of Molybdenum-99: General Approaches and Timing 108-113
10 Conversion to LEU-Based Production of Molybdenum-99: Prospects and Feasibility 114-141
11 Progress in Eliminating HEU Use 142-162
References 163-168
Appendix A: Section 630 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 169-172
Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members 173-180
Appendix C: Presentations and Visits 181-183
Appendix D: Alternative Molybdenum-99 Production Processes 184-189
Appendix E: Correspondence with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited 190-193
Appendix F: Present Value Calculation 194-195
Appendix G: Glossary 196-199
Appendix H: Acronyms 200-202

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Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium (2009)

Chapter: Summary

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Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium (2009)

Chapter: Summary