Leaded containers, allowing for the transport of technetium 99m syringes for use in nuclear medicine.JEJECAM / WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Much of nuclear medicine depends on a steady supply of an isotope called molybdenum-99—“Mo-99” for short. A by-product of nuclear fission, Mo-99 decays to produce another radioactive substance, technetium-99m, which is employed in more than 16 million nuclear imaging procedures every year in the United States alone, including sentinel node biopsies in cancer surgery, bone scans, and cardiac stress tests.
Unfortunately, the supply of Mo-99 and other radioisotopes has been unreliable at best. All of the Mo-99 used in the United States is imported, with the main source being the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River, Ontario. When the reactor shut down for repairs in May 2009, it contributed to a global shortage of radioisotopes. And while NRU has been back in operation ...
