As the number of cancer cases and deaths in Africa continues to rise, African states are racing to get ahead of this wave by acquiring additional radiotherapy machines. In doing so, these countries not only face financial challenges, but considerations of whether to use linear accelerators, which both offer better cancer care and reduce radiological security risks, or cobalt-60 machines, which...
Physical security at nuclear facilities is an important licensing and design consideration. The ultimate objective of the physical protection system (PPS) is to prevent the accomplishment of unauthorized overt or covert actions to nuclear facilities and nuclear materials. When a physical protection system is applied to a nuclear facility or to nuclear materials, its objective is to prevent...
Blood Irradiators are often used to irradiate blood and blood components prior to transfusion to prevent the proliferation of certain types of T lymphocytes that can inhibit the immune response and cause graft-versus-host disease. Morristown Medical Center, which is part of Atlantic Health System based in the northern part of New Jersey, USA, employed a Cesium-137 Blood Irradiator for about...
Ensuring a Stable Supply of Mo-99 in the U.S. without the use of HEU
Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) is a radioisotope used in approximately 80% of all medical imaging procedures across the globe. With a half-life of approximately six hours, this important medical radioisotope cannot be stockpiled and must be either used immediately upon direct production or repeatedly milked from generators bearing...
In the last few years, distributed ledger technology (widely recognized in the form of blockchain) has demonstrated practical benefits beyond the development and exchange of cryptocurrencies. Blockchain solutions are being implemented in the fields of international development, healthcare, and education, predominantly as an information-sharing platform that enable parties to interact in a...
Radioactive materials play an important role in commercial, medical, and research facilities across the world. However, the benefits of these sources must be balanced with sufficient security to prevent radiological materials from falling into the wrong hands. In its efforts to prevent high-activity radiological materials from being used in acts of terrorism, the Department of Energy’s (DOE)...
