We’ve written in detail here how the nuclear industry in the United States is growing rapidly despite the fact that construction on a nuclear reactor hasn’t started in the states. Here’s another, quite different, example:
Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc. has signed an agreement with Covidien to develop technology for the manufacture of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the parent isotope of technetium-99m (Tc-99m), the most widely used radioisotope in the world for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine procedures. The program has the potential to supply more than 50 percent of U.S. demand for Mo-99.”
There are a lot of words I’ve never heard of before reading this article, but those radioisotopes help a lot of people:
Approximately 16 million U.S. patients benefit annually from nuclear medicine procedures that are performed to diagnose heart disease or to detect and treat cancer and other medical conditions.”
The U.S. imports all of its Mo-99 from aging nuclear reactors around the world, but as the article notes, unplanned shutdowns have led to temporary supply shortages. 1.) This new agreement will domestically fill this void. 2.) It shows the different, beneficial applications of nuclear power. 3.) Our domestic nuclear energy industry is growing, and growing fast. Imagine what the nuclear industry will do for the economy once we actually start building some new reactors.
