Isotope Shortage Inhibits Nuclear Medicine

In a world under threat of nuclear war from Russia, the shortage of medical isotopes now threatens lives at the other end of that spectrum.

Nova Scotia Health (NSH) says there is a worldwide shortage of medical isotopes due to a technical problem in a European reactor.

Medical isotopes are used to support many nuclear medicine departments across Nova Scotia and across the globe. 

In nuclear medicine, a very small, safe amount of radioactive substance is injected into a vein, swallowed, or breathed in while special cameras track the radioactivity as it is processed by various organs.

NSH says global supplies of isotopes will be limited in the coming weeks forcing rescheduling of procedures for some patients. Priority will be given to urgent cases, including oncology patients.

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