Bruce Power is contributing to the safety and health of hospital patients and staff around the world.
24 Cobalt-60 rods were safely harvested during the Unit 7 planned maintenance outage.
The Cobalt-60 will be sent to Nordion, an Ottawa-based company which produces radioactive sources that are used to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical devices such as gowns, gloves, masks and syringes, as well as certain food products.
Cobalt-60 is also used to stop the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses such as the Zika and West Nile Viruses, as well as dengue, through the innovative Sterile Insect Technique.
For 60 years, Nordion’s supply of medical-grade Cobalt has come primarily from the National Research Universal reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, but it's slated to reach its end-of-life in 2018. Bruce Power will now help fill that gap.
Bruce Power recently signed an agreement to begin supplying Nordion with 'High Specific Activity' Cobalt, which is used in the treatment of brain-related cancers.
The first HSA Cobalt will be loaded into Unit 7 during this planned maintenance outage, and will be harvested and sent to Nordion for processing in about two years.
Chief Nuclear Officer Len Clewett explained, "HSA Cobalt is at the forefront of innovative new medical technologies, so we’re excited to be part of the supply chain for this radiation therapy. As a long-time supplier of Cobalt-60, we’re helping to keep our hospitals safe for patients. Now, with HSA Cobalt, we will have a greater benefit to human health across the globe."
