The United States needs a program to ensure supplies of radioisotopes for medical research, diagnosis and therapy.
Domestic sources of radioisotopes are needed to adequately sustain the growing needs of our medical and healthcare communities.
One out of three patients admitted to hospitals undergo at least one medical procedure that uses radioisotopes, amounting to more than 15 million diagnostic tests and several hundred thousand therapeutic treatments conducted each year.
Promising research, in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis, has been delayed or abandoned because certain radioisotopes have been unavailable.
Resources
ANS References
- ANS Position Statement #30, "U.S. Radioisotope Supply"
- National Radionuclide Production Enhancement Program
Available ANS Materials
Web References
- Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals
- Washington University Research Resource in Radionuclide Research
- University of Missouri Research Reactor Center Isotope Production
- U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Programs click on Isotopes in the Quick Links section at the bottom of the page)
- U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Production and Distribution Catalog
Last updated July 10, 2012, 10:50am CDT.
