The wonders of nuclear technology:
Isotope production at Ontario facilities addressing critical health care needs
Approximately 60 per cent of Ontario’s electricity is generated in large nuclear plants operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Bruce Power. Certainly in Ontario, “energy” is likely the first and often the only application that comes to mind when considering the nuclear sector’s contributions to the province.
Within Ontario’s nuclear reactors, however, something else of immense value is being produced. In many ways, this is a hidden story about the “unseen wonders” of nuclear technologies. These reactors are also used to create radioactive isotopes, including Cobalt-60, widely used across the globe for the sterilization of medical devices, supplies and pharmaceuticals.
“Obviously, our core business is delivering low-cost, reliable and clean electricity,” says James Scongack, vice-president, corporate affairs at Bruce Power. “People don’t often connect the nuclear industry with production of isotopes. These products are not only critical to the safety of patients in our communities and around the world, but they also provide a strategic benefit for Canada on the world stage.”
Canada’s strategic advantage in isotope production has its origins in the 1950s. The process to produce Cobalt-60 in CANDU reactors was developed by the former government agency Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). Researchers discovered that the gamma radiation emitted by the isotope was ideal for eliminating bacteria – paving the way for an advanced technique for ster- In terms of our infrastructure and expertise, there really is no comparable capacity elsewhere in the world. Industrial Cobalt-60 is used to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s singleuse medical devices...” Richard Wiens, Director, Strategic Supply, Nordion ilizing medical equipment to protect patients against infection in hospitals, doctor’s offices and other health care settings.
This expertise was maintained when part of AECL was spun off into the private Ottawabased company Nordion, which processes and sells the Cobalt-60 created in the OPG and Bruce Power CANDU reactors.
“Canada has a strong history as a leader in this technology,” says David Zekveld, senior manager of isotopes sales for OPG. “Our three organizations are working to maintain this Canadian strength and to ensure a stable, long-term supply of Cobalt-60 to meet the world’s needs.”
Richard Wiens, Nordion’s director, strategic supply, agrees that this partnership puts Canada in a unique position. “In terms of our infrastructure and expertise, there really is no comparable capacity elsewhere in the world,” he says. “Industrial Cobalt-60 is used to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical devices such as syringes, sutures, surgical gowns, masks and gloves.”
Ontario’s CANDU reactors are the source of more than half the world’s supply of the isotope.
Industrial Cobalt-60 is also used to ensure the safety of food and other consumer products. The most common food products irradiated for the Canadian market are spices and dried vegetable seasonings. Gamma irradiation is also used to reduce pests on produce for import and export.
Cobalt-60 is created through processes that take two years or longer inside the reactors. Nordion provides the “targets” to be inserted in the reactor core, and when the time is right, the nuclear companies “harvest” the Cobalt-60.
“We use the harvested targets to manufacture the final product, which we send to facilities doing sterilization,” says Wiens. “There are around 200 of those large-scale facilities in 40 countries around the world, and more than half of them were designed and built using Nordion technology.”
Canada is also a leader in the production of what is called medical (or High Specific Activity) Cobalt-60. This form of the isotope has been made at the National Research Universal reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, for more than six decades, but that reactor will reach its end-of-life in March 2018.
Bruce Power has agreed to become a replacement source for the critical isotope, helping to prevent a global supply shortfall. The company has made modifications and has started producing medical Cobalt-60 used for cancer and radiation treatments of complex brain conditions,” says Scongack. “One advancement is an innovative non-in- vasive technique called a gamma knife, which can effectively shrink brain tumour cells and reduce the need for riskier surgical procedures. That technology can only work with this medical isotope.”
The three organizations, Nordion, OPG and Bruce Power, have agreed to further enhance their collaboration to ensure the future success of Canada’s Cobalt-60 production.
The benefits of this collaboration are plentiful: this line of business creates jobs for each partner and indirect jobs for other businesses, and co-operating to achieve goals on supply helps ensure Canada’s continued pre-eminence in a critical market. In addition, the future success of Cobalt-60 keeps Canadian hospitals and citizens safe.
“Using assets designed to provide clean, baseload power for isotope production supports other companies in Ontario and around the world, while providing a secondary business line for OPG,” says Zekveld. ”By putting our heads together and sharing best practices, the partners all benefit as does the industry as a whole.”
“We can all learn from each other about ways in which we can improve the production, harvesting and shipment of Cobalt-60,” adds Nordion’s Wiens.
Cobalt-60 is harvested from reactors at OPG’s Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. That plant will wind down in a few years, and plans are underway to expand this production to OPG’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, which is to continue operations until 2055. Cobalt-60 is also extracted from several reactors at Bruce Power’s Bruce B plant. Like Darlington, it is undergoing life-extension upgrades and is to operate until 2064.
Through their collaboration and a strong foundation of long-term infrastructure, the Cobalt-60 collaboration partnership anticipates Ontario’s CANDU reactors will be generating electricity and creating isotopes for decades to come.