South African Nuclear Energy's NTP Radioisotopes, in collaboration with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has completed the conversion of its molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production process to low-enriched uranium (LEU).
According to a September 26 article in Homeland Preparedness News, NTP is now the first major Mo-99 producer to convert its production process to LEU. NTP exports Mo-99 and other radioisotopes to the U.S. and more than 50 other countries around the world.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that Mo-99 is used in more than 80% of diagnostic nuclear medicine tests, representing approximately 40,000 patient procedures on a daily basis in the U.S., according to the article.
The NNSA recently awarded NTP with an Outstanding Achievement Award at the September Mo-99 Topical Meeting in Montreal, Canada.
