News

An acute UK shortage of medical isotopes eased last week by the resumption of frequent shipments through the fire-damaged Channel Tunnel.

Essential diagnostic procedures were being cancelled in UK hospitals last week as supplies of the radioisotope technetium-99m ran critically low due to the lack of options available for shipping radioactive materials after the Chunnel fire.

The tunnel incident has also affected the export of short-lived radioisotopes produced in the UK to the European mainland.

According to the UK authorities, vehicles carrying these isotopes had to be provided with a police escort to ensure they boarded the Eurotunnel Shuttle without delay. French police are also ready to escort deliveries, should queues at terminals grow too long.

Last week's situation in the UK set in sharp relief the lack of options for carrying radioactive materials when major routes are blocked. The Netherlands is currently one of the UK's main suppliers, but the isotopes cannot be flown directly to the UK as major air carriers on this route will not accept radioactive materials as cargo.

A Eurotunnel spokesman told World Nuclear News that the company was very happy to carry radioactive materials within regulations and to carry them as fast as possible. Currently the only constraints, he said, are limited capacity and the required planning to ensure scheduled shipments are loaded on trains in a timely manner.