The dwindling amount of space available for storing radioactive waste could have a detrimental effect on Australia's production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine imaging.
According to an August 18 report by ABC News in Australia, the country is looking for a central dump site rather than storing the radioactive waste in approximately 100 different sites around the country. The locations include universities, hospitals, government departments, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Some of the waste is produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's (ANSTO) Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, which manufactures radiopharmaceuticals such as iodine-131 for nuclear medicine scans.
Approximately 85% of the radioactive waste at ANSTO comes from the manufacturing of these radioisotopes, according to the report.
The article quoted Bruce Wilson, head of resources at Australia's Department of Industry, as saying that if a solution is not found, the situation could affect whether the OPAL reactor can continue to produce radioisotopes.
