PREDICTIONS REGARDING THE SUPPLY OF ^sup 99^MO AND ^sup 99m^TC WHEN NRU CEASES PRODUCTION IN 2018

The most widely used isotope for medical imaging is 99mTc. World-wide, approximately 30 million doses are used each year and usage is growing at a rate of a few percent per year. Each dose of 99mTc is about 20 mCi1 and the current purchase price for a single dose is about $40. Most 99mTc, which has...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics in Canada 2015-07, Vol.71 (3), p.131
Main Authors: Ross, Carl K, Diamond, William T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Isotopes
Medical imaging
Nuclear fission
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The most widely used isotope for medical imaging is 99mTc. World-wide, approximately 30 million doses are used each year and usage is growing at a rate of a few percent per year. Each dose of 99mTc is about 20 mCi1 and the current purchase price for a single dose is about $40. Most 99mTc, which has a half-life of about 6 hours, is derived from the decay of the parent isotope, 99Mo. Because the half-life of 99Mo is about 66 hours, the time scale during which 99mTc can be stored and shipped is extended by an order of magnitude compared to the direct production of 99mTc. Here, Rose and Diamond will focus on those projects that are most likely to make a significant contribution to 99Mo or 99mTc production when NRU shuts down in the spring of 2018.
ISSN:0031-9147