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Published online 12 December 2007 | Nature 450, 926-927 (2007) | doi:10.1038/450926b
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Nuclear-reactor closure hits cancer tests
Shortage of radioisotopes reaches US patients.
Hospitals across North America have been forced to cancel tests for cancer and heart disease because the unexpected closure of a Canadian nuclear reactor has led to a sudden shortage of medical isotopes.
The 50-year-old National Research Universal (NRU) reactor located in Chalk River, Ontario, was shut down on 18 November for scheduled maintenance and was due back online by mid-December.
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