January 15, 2010
More delay for isotope restart
Ottawa Sun
Medical experts, business and opposition politicians say they’re dismayed to learn of another potential delay in the restart of the crippled Chalk River nuclear reactor.
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says repair work on the 52-year-old NRU reactor “is progressing at a slower pace than originally anticipated.” The reactor was to return to service by the end of March, but AECL warned on its website that the timeline “could extend into April.”
“We’re getting into a series of repairs that are probably more challenging than we’ve encountered before,” said company spokesman Dale Coffin, adding “we’re still optimistic that end-of-March return-to-service date is going to hold.”
But “there’s always the risk that it could extend.”
NDP natural resources Nathan Cullen accused the federal government of inaction. “We’re back into crisis mode again and people will not get the tests that they need and as a result will become sicker unnecessarily.”
A slippage into April could leave a serious gap in Canada’s medical isotope supply.
“I think they’re learning a lot. Unfortunately they’re learning a lot on the backs of patients,” said Dr. Christopher O’Brien, president of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine.
Doctors are concerned not simply because of the possible extension of down-time, but because the world’s major alternative supplier, the Petten reactor in the Netherlands, will be offline Feb. 19 for months of maintenance.
