The European Union may face a shortage of radioactive isotopes, which are key to diagnosing a number of diseases and treating cancer, according to officials and documents quoted by Reuters.
The EU is the world's largest producer of molybdenum-99, a radioisotope used in 80% of all nuclear procedures worldwide, including screening for heart disease and cancer cell therapies, according to EU data.
But molybdenum-99 production depends largely on aging nuclear reactors in the Netherlands and Belgium.
"Without replacing Europe's aging obsolete production infrastructure, the EU will depend on foreign supplies," said Michael Stibe, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Netherlands, during a public session of the Community Health Ministers in Brussels.
"This could potentially cause a serious shortage of radioisotopes and jeopardize access to vital treatments for all European citizens," he added, calling on the EU to help fund the transition to new reactors.
Representatives of other EU countries, including Germany and Belgium, backed the Netherlands' call.
"As European research reactors approach their way of life, uncertainty about the long-term uninterrupted supply of radioisotopes could create instability in favor of external competitors capable of seizing the opportunity," a European Commission document said.
The expected decline in EU production is compounded by the rapid increase in demand for radioisotopes, the Dutch spokesman said.
"The shortcomings in this area are also demonstrated by the fact that the prices of these isotopes have increased by 300% in some cases," said the meeting's chairman, Slovenian Health Minister Janez Poklukar.
In late October, the EC also warned EU health experts of a possible shortage next year of iodine-131, another radioisotope crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of several conditions, according to the minutes of the meeting.
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