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Many Canadians are not happy about the stoppage of isotope production at the Chalk River nuclear facility. Residents of Ottawa are likely to be especially concerned, and not just because we too need isotopes for medical imaging. Isotope production was stopped because the National Research Universal reactor is falling apart. That puts the national capital region, situated as it is downriver and downwind from Chalk River, in a precarious spot. Crumbling, unreliable reactors are scary things, at least in the public eye.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. will slowly release into the Ottawa River some treated radioactive water collected from an early December leak at its Chalk River Laboratory. But in a report tabled Thursday in the House of Commons, the federal nuclear-safety regulator promises a controlled safe release of 47 kilograms of treated radioactive water, and says it will pose no threat to human or environmental health. The regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, was ordered to prepare the report by Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt. She wanted more information about two leaks in early December at the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River.

Two months after a radioactive leak at the 52-year-old Chalk River nuclear reactor, a government report seems to confirm that contaminated water was discharged into the Ottawa River. The report is adamant the spill of radioactive tritium Dec. 5, and another ongoing leak in the reactor, pose no threat to human health and won't make the fish glow. Yet, the incidents raise some serious questions about the independence of the country's nuclear watchdog. A year ago, the Harper government fired the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for ordering a temporary shutdown of the Chalk River reactor for safety reasons.

A radioactive spill has occurred at the aging Chalk River nuclear reactor west of the capital after the facility was recently cranked up to double its normal output of medical isotopes, used in diagnosing and treating cancer, Sun Media has learned. The reactor is supplying up to 70% of the world's medical isotopes, and a shutdown could leave millions of cancer and heart patients in Canada and around the globe without critical treatments. But the radioactive spill and another ongoing leak at the reactor are bound to spark renewed controversy over the safety of the nuclear facility built in 1958. An internal report to federal nuclear regulators shows radioactive tritium was released into the air during the incident at the Chalk River reactor on Dec. 5.

Just as corrosion is eating away at the 1957-vintage Chalk River reactor, so too is there is a general erosion of confidence in Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. The shutdown of AECL's ancient reactor at Chalk River is drawing international attention, because without the reactor Canada is unable to continue supplying a large percentage of the world's medical isotopes, which are critical for medical scans. AECL's ongoing reactor follies are a national headache, and it's no wonder the federal government is now looking to sell its stake in the ailing energy giant. A year ago, the Harper government put a stop on the Maple reactor project -- which was to replace the Chalk River jalopy -- after the project was 600 per cent over budget and six years late, not to mention the nagging suspicion that the reactors don't work.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. will slowly release into the Ottawa River some treated radioactive water collected from an early December leak at its Chalk River Laboratory. But in a report tabled Thursday in the House of Commons, the federal nuclear-safety regulator promises a controlled safe release of 47 kilograms of treated radioactive water, and says it will pose no threat to human or environmental health.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., is sitting on a stockpile of orphaned bomb-grade uranium it doesn't want to talk about. Since the Crown corporation pulled the plug in May on further development of its two troubled MAPLE reactors at its Chalk River, Ont., nuclear laboratories, officials have debated how to deal with the estimated 45 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) the United States exported to Canada for production of medical isotopes in the now-doomed reactors. Whatever the options are now for the highly enriched uranium, AECL isn't saying.

The president of Canada's nuclear safety regulator said Tuesday he was surprised by public and media interest in what he described as minor, harmless leaks of water - including radioactive water - last December at the Chalk River, Ont., nuclear reactor operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL). But Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) president Michael Binder told MPs the commission and AECL have re-evaluated their communications protocol in the wake of the leaks at the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor, and will establish a new proactive system of disclosure - even for events that pose no health risk, and may seem like routine variations on normal operating procedure.

Radioactive water has stopped leaking from the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont., ending two months of low-level radiation seeping into the atmosphere near Ottawa. Workers with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. recently completed draining the reactor's 65,000-litre vessel and are now preparing to dispatch a remote-controlled ultra-sonic probe deep into the disabled machine to inspect the site of a pinhole leak of tritium-laced heavy water that began on May 14. What it reveals will help determine how to proceed with what is expected to be a delicate and potentially costly repair.

"WHEN news spread in December 2007 that an ageing nuclear reactor in Canada might shut down for much longer than its scheduled two weeks, the world caught its breath. The reactor, at Chalk River in Ontario, is the world's biggest supplier of radioactive isotopes for medical use, and diagnostic tests for cancer and heart disease were put on hold while radiologists scrambled to find alternative supplies. It was called a crisis. All the while, lay people couldn't help but wonder: did no one foresee this? Did no one think that this half-century-old reactor might someday need to be replaced?"

Chalk River supply headed back to U.S. By Sheldon Alberts, Canwest News ServiceApril 13, 2010 Canada has agreed to ship an 11-year stockpile of highly enriched uranium back to the United States out of concern the spent fuel could fall into the hands of terrorists and be used to produce a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday. Seeking to burnish Canada's reputation with President Barack Obama on the opening day of a global summit on arms control, Harper said the world faced an "immediate threat" from nuclear terrorism unless nations moved to secure supplies of bomb-grade uranium. The deal will result in supplies of spent inventories of uranium at the Chalk River Laboratories being shipped to the U.S. over an eight-year period, starting this year."

Two recent leaks at the aging Canadian nuclear reactor that produces most of the world's medical isotopes have heightened concerns about the unit's safety - and the willingness of officials to raise a flag when things go wrong. The reactor at Chalk River was shut down for maintenance early last month. When it was restarted on Dec. 5, heavy water was discovered to be leaking into a collection system designed to prevent the toxic liquid from spilling into the nearby Ottawa River.

Ottawa's riverkeeper is growing increasingly concerned about an aging nuclear reactor sitting on the shore of the city's primary source of drinking water. Meredith Brown released a two-page report earlier this week that outlines concern over recent leaks at the Chalk River nuclear facility. "Under the best of circumstances I am uncomfortable with the very idea of a nuclear reactor operating on the banks of the Ottawa River," said Brown. "However, when that reactor is old and prone to leaks, I am particularly concerned. Even more alarming is the fact that these leaks are not reported to the public in detail in a timely manner."

"Two recent nuclear leaks expose the danger of overhyping a technology that is still not ready for prime time. There has been a recent bout of positive press for the hurting nuclear energy industry, with props given by the likes of Barack Obama and Bill Gates, causing some to call it a nuclear "comeback." And while I agree with both our president and our most famous billionaire that nuclear will at some point it the future be a big part of the solution, a spate of recent events has drawn attention to the fact that though it helps on the carbon front, nuclear power is still very dangerous business. Last year the Chalk River power plant in Ottowa sprung two leaks, spewing 7,000 liters of radioactive water per day into the Ottowa River and this month a similar mysterious leak at the Yankee Vermont plant is resulting in dangerous tritium contamination of the nearby Connecticut River. A full 25 percent of the 104 nuclear reactors in the U.S. have leaked tritium, a known carcinogen. Yes, these are old plants but they call attention to the fact when nuclear goes wrong it can go very wrong. Though there are some newer, safer next-generation nuclear technologies available, they are prohibitively expensive to bring online and still require highly radioactive fuel stocks. There are many exciting developments in nuclear R & D (see my visit to LANL) which make use of downgraded nuclear fuels, but they are in the early stages of development, and that means we're not likely to see them popping up in the landscape anytime in the near future. * Nuclear, Strike 1: TOXIC WASTE * Nuclear, Strike 2: EXCESSIVE COST * Nuclear, Strike 3: WATER DEMAND * The 6 myths of nuclear energy exposed"

Call it a case of having too many medical eggs in too few baskets. Just over a year ago, in December 2007, a nuclear reactor in Chalk River was in the news because of maintenance issues. The reactor had been shut down for repairs, and Canada's nuclear regulatory agency, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, would not allow it to restart until safety improvements were made. Problem was, the reactor produced most of the world's medical isotopes - used to test for cancer, heart problems and bone ailments. Faced with a massive diagnostics problem, the federal government passed legislation that allowed the reactor to be restarted, despite the regulatory body's objections. The 50-year-old reactor is crucial to the world supply of medical isotopes. Even though it was supposed to be decommissioned in 2005, it and another reactor in Petten, Netherlands, produce close to 85 per cent of the world's medical isotopes, through a process that involves the nuclear decay of molybdenum-99.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. has started work on the next generation of above-ground radioactive waste storage systems. While still in the preliminary-design stage, the New Dry Storage System will be used to safely store spent fuel rods and other waste generated at its Chalk River site until such a time as it can be permanently disposed. Brodie Whitelaw, project leader, said the project is just getting started, with a preliminary design expected to be completed next year. Ideally, construction for the facility would start in 2013, with it becoming operational in 2015.

OTTAWA, May 16 (UPI) -- The world's oldest nuclear reactor won't be replaced due to budgetary and scheduling concerns, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says. The Canadian energy group said plans to replace the reactor in Chalk River, Ont., wouldn't move forward due to those plans being over budget and significantly behind schedule, the Canwest News Service said Friday.

On a day when Parliament passed a bill to restart the Chalk River nuclear reactor, the Harper government came under fire for allowing the reactor to shut down in the first place, causing a global shortage of medical isotopes used to diagnose cancer. Late yesterday, the Senate passed an emergency bill that would restart the reactor for 120 days so that Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) can resume producing supplies of the highly sought isotopes. Health Minister Tony Clement said this means the reactor will be producing isotopes in roughly a week.

As doctors and their patients struggle with a growing shortage of the medical isotopes used to treat cancer and other diseases, the federal government is coming under renewed pressure to fire up two nuclear reactors that were to be the backups to the rusting and leaky Chalk River, Ont., reactor where most of those isotopes are produced. MDSNordion, the Ottawa company that takes the isotopes produced by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. at its 52-year-old National Research Universal reactor and wholesales them to pharmaceutical companies, urged the government on Monday to re-activate the NRU's backup plan -- a proposal that was mothballed last spring by AECL with the federal government's approval.

TORONTO - Lisa Raitt, the Minister of Natural Resources, tried yesterday to assuage public fears that Canada is in the throes of a grave medical crisis, saying world isotope experts are working on a solution to medical isotope shortage and getting the Chalk River, Ont., facility up and running again is a top priority. "We do have a shortage of medical isotopes. The province, the government and the medical community have been working together to ensure those who really need the medical isotopes will get medical isotopes," she said. "It's not like we have no isotopes. This week we had 75% of our normal supply."