Examples of this include the replacement of Russian cobalt-60 production at the the reactors of the Leningrad nuclear power plant, which are closing between 20, with production at new reactors at Kursk and Smolensk. However, various initiatives have resulted in the cobalt-60 volume being replaced or exceeded by production in new or refurbished reactors. Some cobalt-60 production reactors have permanently closed in recent years. Reactor refurbishment is critical to extending the life of reactors and these initiatives will enable existing reactors to continue cobalt-60 production for a further 25-30 years. This includes a period of reduced supply from one Russian reactor and the temporary shutdown for refurbishment of some existing cobalt-60 production reactors in Canada and Argentina. Therefore most of the rest of the world’s cobalt-60 is supplied from Canada and Russia and almost all of this material is contracted to one Canadian source manufacturer.Ĭomben is general manager, Gamma Irradiation, at the International Irradiation Association (Image: Martin Comben)Īt a time of increasing sterilisation demand, there have been a few disruptions to cobalt-60 production. Most cobalt-60 produced in China and India and some from Argentina is used to supply their local market only. This cobalt-60 is manufactured into radiation sources by a few specialist manufacturers that serve the radiation processing (sterilisation) industry. At the 20 th International Meeting on Radiation Processing, held in November 2022, the increasing gap between global sterilisation capacity and demand was highlighted as a significant concern of the healthcare industry.Ĭobalt-60 is produced in a small number of reactors located in Argentina, Canada, China, India and Russia. In recent years, vaccine supply pressure concentrated the need for sterilisation and, in some cases, created a backlog. Some sectors, such as the biopharmaceutical industry that is switching to single-use systems, are experiencing growth at much higher double-digit growth rates, although they represent a small proportion of current sterilisation demand. At the typically reported growth rate of 6-8% per year, the demand for sterilisation will double over the next ten years. The demand for sterilisation and, therefore, cobalt-60 is growing at rates not previously seen, due to an increasing and ageing population, greater access to health care and the development of new devices that require sterilisation. Other important uses of cobalt-60 include the non-invasive treatment of cancers and brain tumours, polymer processing, food treatment and environmental applications. A patient in surgery or receiving wound care or simply having a blood sample taken, is highly likely to be treated using products that have been sterilised using cobalt-60 in a process known as ‘irradiation’ or ‘radiation processing’. These devices include items such as syringes, catheters, IV sets, surgical gloves and gauze used in a wide range of health care applications. The radioisotope cobalt-60 that is manufactured in some nuclear reactors is used to sterilise approximately 40% of single-use medical devices globally. There are a number of initiatives to increase cobalt-60 supply (Image: Nordion) The production of cobalt-60 is critical to healthcare and, with demand soaring, the challenge is to expand supply, writes Martin Comben from the International Irradiation Association.
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