PNNL’s Jamin Trevino works with a capsule containing Ra-226. (Photo: Jamin Trevino/PNNL)

A collaboration between the Department of Energy’s Office of Isotope R&D and Production and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology has recovered large quantities of radium-226—valued for its use in medical radioisotope production—from radiological waste stored at NIST facilities. Ra-226 is an important element in developing therapies for patients fighting cancer.

Once used for applications in medicine, industry, and research, many countries now have legacy radium-226 sources, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. With the support of the IAEA’s technical cooperation program, these disused sealed radioactive sources are being recovered, and countries are improving national capacities for their long-term management, including their potential reuse and recycling.