Bruce Power is set to place medical-grade cobalt into unit 8 of its nuclear power plant in Ontario, meaning all four Bruce B units will now produce high specific activity (HSA) cobalt, which is used to treat brain tumours worldwide.
HSA cobalt is used as an alternative to traditional brain surgery and radiation therapy for the treatment of complex brain conditions through a specialised, non-invasive knife, which uses gamma radiation to focus 200 microscopic beams of radiation on a tumour or other target. It minimises damage to healthy tissue and lowers side-effects compared to traditional therapy in some cases.
Bruce Power-8 entered a planned maintenance inspection programme on 1 September, during which HSA cobalt rods will be installed.
“HSA cobalt is at the forefront of innovative new medical technologies, and we’re proud of the part we play in delivering this life-saving radiation therapy,” Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s president and CEO, said. “As a long-time supplier of cobalt-60, we have been helping to keep our hospitals safe for decades, and now, with production of HSA cobalt, we will have a greater impact on human health across the globe.”
World Nuclear News – September 5, 2018.
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