Mo-99 PRODUCTION USING LEU

Molybdenum-99 (99Mo) is the most commonly used medical isotope in the world, with an estimated usage of 20-25 million procedures performed annually. Most is now produced by irradiating highly enriched uranium (HEU) targets. There is no domestic U.S. production of 99Mo and the continuing use of HEU can present a threat to U.S. national security. The U.S. depends of foreign sources, principally Canada, for its medical needs. Other major producers are IRE (Belgium), Mallinckrodt (The Netherlands), and NTP (South Africa). The Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) Reactor Conversion Program is developing technology to allow producers to convert their operations from HEU to low enriched uranium (LEU).