Nuclear projects demand precision, trust, and proven expertise. Element supports utilities, manufacturers, and engineering teams with testing and qualification services that keep systems safe, compliant, and ready to perform—delivering data-driven insight to meet regulations and extend asset life.

Learn More

Research & Applications

Taking aim at disease

Radioisotopes target cancer, improve imaging, and have myriad other medical uses

February 16, 2024, 3:02PMNuclear NewsKristi Nelson Bumpus
ORNL radioisotope manufacturing coordinator Jillene Sennon-Greene places a shipment vial of actinium-225 inside the dose calibrator to confirm its activity is within customer specifications. (Photo: Carlos Jones/ORNL, DOE)

On August 2, 1946, 1 millicurie of the isotope carbon-14 left Oak Ridge National Laboratory, bound for the Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

That tiny amount of the radioisotope was purchased by the hospital for use in cancer studies. And it heralded a new peacetime mission for ORNL, built just a few years earlier for the production of plutonium from uranium for the Manhattan Project.

To continue reading, log in or create a free account!

Related Articles

DOE secretary testifies on FY 2027 budget

April 22, 2026, 10:40AMNuclear News

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has spent the past week courting members of Congress to approve his agency’s $53.9 billion discretionary budget request for fiscal year 2027. On Tuesday, Wright...

CEO and CFO of Fermi America step down

April 22, 2026, 7:56AMNuclear News

On Friday, two of the four cofounders at Fermi America unexpectedly exited their roles at the company. Those were Toby Neugebauer, former CEO and chairman of the board of directors, and Miles...

OSTP memo guides space nuclear plan

April 16, 2026, 12:00PMNuclear News

A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum released on Tuesday guides NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense on their roles in deploying...