The use of isotopes derived from a nuclear reactor are an essential part of modern medicine today and our supply comes from the nuclear reactor located in the Sydney suburb of Lucas Heights. Unfortunately this 1950's era technology is fast reaching its " use by " date and reactor replacement is becoming an urgent necessity.
When this reactor was built it was the subject of immense controversy and that is still evident today. The Australian public are simply terrified of anything with that " nuclear " label and there are protests every time spent nuclear fuel rods need to be transported to France for renewal. They are safely transported in sealed lead lined containers by way of an armed convoy that travels through the night to a waiting ship at Port Kembla, escorted along sealed roads by contingents of police.
Despite a long and impeccable safety record, there are still action groups demanding that Lucas Heights reactor be closed. It is quite clear that when the issue of a replacement reaches debate in parliament it will engender strident opposition. It is unlikely to gain political consensus and if nothing else the locality where a replacement will be built is certain to stoke new fury.
No doubt it will create the same NIMBY reaction that surrounds the selection of a storage site for used radioactive waste that is presently being stored at Lucas Heights. With an entire continent at our disposal, all attempts to achieve amicable consensus seem to have failed. The politicians continually return this issue to the " too hard basket ".
Unfortunately, age is not being kind to this dated technology. Because of the controversy the plant has been subjected to a " make do and mend " philosophy and this could increase the danger of accidents. Reactor technology has advanced to the point where safety standards are light years ahead of that mid twentieth century process in place at Lucas Heights. We are actually increasing the risk by delaying a replacement decision.
What is causing alarm is the knowledge that even if we reached a replacement decision today, the lead time to install a reactor and have it producing isotopes would be at least five years, and this would cost an estimated $ 210 million to build.
What seems certain is that a new nuclear reactor will not be sited in a densely settled city suburb. Any place in Australia would be suitable provided it is near an airport so isotopes could be swiftly distributed to national medical facilities, and it could be a valuable addition to a country town because of the high salary skilled technicians based on nuclear medicine.
That fear of all things nuclear relates to the possible use of nuclear weapons in a future war. The type of nuclear reactor needed to produce isotopes can not be used to make an atomic bomb and our reactor at Lucas Heights has demonstrated the safety aspect over a long period of time. It is essential that Australia comes to terms with our isotope needs and makes an informed decision on installing a new reactor somewhere in this country.
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