Production and Availability of Beta-Emitting Radioisotopes for Restenosis Therapy Page: 3 of 4
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CARDIOVASCULAR RADIATION THERAPY IV 451
TABLE 1.Examples of Reactor-Produced Beta-Emitting Radioisotopes
Vascular Radiation Therapy *Under Evaluation for
Half-Life/Maximum -Energy Target Material
Nuclear Reaction
Holmium- 166
26.8 Hours/1.85 MeV
Phosphorus-32
14.3 Days/l.71 MeV
Rhenium-186
90 Hours/1.08McV
Rhenium-188
16.9 Hours-2.12 MeV
Strontium-90
52 years/2.3 MeV
(i.e. Decays to Y-90 Daughter)
Tungsten-188
69 Days-2.12 MeV
(i.e. Decays to Re-188 Daughter)
Yttrium-90
72 Hours-2.3 MeVNatural Ho-165
P-31 or S-32
Enriched Re-!85
Enriched Re-187 or decaypof W-188
Uranium
Enriched W-186
Enriched Y-89Ho-165(n, )Ho-166
P-31(n, )P-32
S-32(n,p)P-32
Re-185(n, )Re-186
Re-i87(n, )Re-188
U-235(Fission)
Sr-90 Y-90
W-186(n, )W-187
(n,y)W-188 Re-188
Y-89(n, )Y-90High production yields - half-life
permits distribution
Good half-life and beta energy
for linear sources
High production yields and good
half-life for distribution
High production yields but short half-life for
distribution
Isolated from multiple fission products
W-188 solid source or Re-188 liquid source
from W-188/Re-188 generator
Y-90 wire sourceNuclear Data taken from "Radioactive Decay Tables," D. C. Kocher, 1981 (DOE-TIC-1 1026), Technical Information
Center, U.S. Department of Energy.
capture using enriched tungsten-186 targets, the production yield is a function of the square of the reactor flux.
Thus. doubling of the flux increases the yield by a factor of four. For this reason, very high neutron fluxes are
required to produce tungsten-188 (vide infra).
Reactors Available for Production of Beta-emitting Radioisotopes
There are about 295 operating research reactors operating in the world, many of which are used for medical
radioisotope production. Generally, power reactors are not designed and do not have the neutron flux or facilities
required for production of radioisotopes for medical applications, but in some cases where high thermal neutron
flux is not required and irradiation facilities are available, radioactive sources can be produced in some of these
reactors. An important distinction between nuclear reactors and accelerators is that accelerators are often
operated commercially or by universities. In contrast, because of the extremely high capital and operating costs,
regulatory requirements and possible use of highly enriched uranium, principle research reactors in the U.S.
which are used for medical radioisotope production are owned and operated by the U.S. government at the
national laboratories, or operated at universities. The principal reactors currently used for medical radioisotope
production in the U.S. are located at two sites operated by the U.S. Department of Energy at Oak Ridge,
Tennessee (High Flux Isotope Reactor, HFIR ) and in Utah (Advanced Test Reactor, ATR ), and by a university in
Columbia, Missouri (Missouri University Research Reactor, MURR). While no privately owned reactors are
operating for radioisotope production in the U.S., a commercial reactor is operated by MDS Nordion in Chalk
River, Canada.
Use of Radionuclide Generators to Provide Beta-Emitting RadioisotopesComment
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Knapp, F. F. Jr. Production and Availability of Beta-Emitting Radioisotopes for Restenosis Therapy, article, February 16, 2000; Tennessee. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc717184/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.