Molybdenum-99
Mo-99 Critical To Healthcare
Mo-99 is a radioisotope that decays into Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) and is the most widely used medical isotope in the world for diagnostic imaging. There are more than 40 million procedures annually worldwide, with more than 50% performed in the US. Tc-99m is commonly used in SPECT imaging (Single Photon Emission Computed
Tomography) to image the Heart (e.g., myocardial perfusion imaging), Bones (e.g., bone scans for cancer metastasis), Lungs (e.g., pulmonary embolism evaluation), Kidneys, liver, thyroid, and infection or inflammation. Mo-99 is a component in Mo-99/Tc-99m generators, which extract Tc-99m for daily hospital use.
Eden’s LEU all-target reactor and production facilities in New Mexico and New Brunswick Canada will operate continuously, 22 hours per day, 365 days per year, to make Mo-99 in North America and decrease reliance on foreign supply from Europe, South Africa and Australia. Eden will produce enough Mo-99 to supply half of the world demand and potentially all the US and Canadian needs.
Fission Mo-99 Process
