Medical and industrial radioisotope supplier Niowave recently recovered radium-226 (Ra-226) from two old steel barrels in Suva, Fiji, and transported the isotope to its facility in Lansing, MI, according to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Ra-226 will be used to harvest actinium-225, a daughter isotope in short supply but high demand in medical imaging and cancer treatment, the IAEA stated, in a February 17 news post.
The steel drums were directly exposed to the elements and suffered extensive corrosion. Image and caption courtesy of the IAEA.
The barrels had been stored for a decade at a building that lacked a roof and suffered extensive corrosion, yet the radioactive sources remained intact for safe recovery and repackaging, the IAEA said. The IAEA facilitated the effort following a request from Fiji officials through its Global Radium Management Initiative, which aims to support countries in managing legacy Ra-226 sources.