THE ageing of nuclear reactors is having a knock-on effect on hospital waiting lists. Supplies of an important medical isotope called molybdenum-99 are expected to dry up for the next month, delaying routine scans of hearts, bones and lymph nodes across Europe and the US.
“Supplies of molybdenum-99 will dry up, delaying routine scans of hearts and bones”
Technical glitches and maintenance closures of reactors means hospitals may receive just 50 per cent of their usual supplies.
Molybdenum-99 is used to form technetium-99m, which can be injected into patients and used as a tracer to help diagnose heart disease or…
