A recent private member’s motion introduced by the Member of Provincial Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Bill Walker, recognizing Ontario’s role in supplying isotopes, has received unanimous support from the Ontario Legislature.
The motion acknowledges the role of Ontario’s nuclear power plants and supply chain play in production of a variety of isotopes used for a range of critical functions, including:
- Treatment of cancer and other diseases
- Sterilization of medical devices
- Medical imaging
- New drug development
- Food preservation
About half of the world’s Cobalt-60 comes from Ontario nuclear plants. The isotope has been critical during the COVID-19 pandemic for a variety of uses, including sterilization of gloves and testing swabs.
Both Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations play a role in ensuring a steady supply of isotopes. Co-60 is currently produced at Pickering and will be produced at the Darlington facility after modifications.
Ontario Power Generation subsidiary, Laurentis Energy Partners, plans to produce and extract both Molybdenum-99 and Helium-3 at Darlington.
“The world relies on Ontario’s nuclear fleet for a steady supply of isotopes, and OPG takes this responsibility seriously,” said Steve Gregoris, Senior Vice President, Darlington Nuclear in a company statement. “As we continue to innovate, we will continue to find ways to build capacity and develop uses for much-needed isotopes.”
Jason Van Wart, Laurentis Energy Partners Vice President also stated that millions of people enjoy a healthier and a safer quality of life because of the isotopes generated from Ontario’s CANDU nuclear power plants.
“Laurentis is proud to be a vital partner and leader in the production of various isotopes for Ontario, Canada, and the world, ” said Van Wart.
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