Cobalt-60 is a vital radioisotope used in a variety of applications, notably the sterilization of over 16 billion single-use medical devices annually in the United States. These include critical items such as syringes, surgical gloves, catheters, heart valves, and bioprocessing equipment used in vaccine production. Gamma technology has been trusted for more than 70 years due to its availability, efficacy, reliability, and simplicity.
Despite the importance of Cobalt-60, the U.S., which consumes around 50% of the global supply, currently relies entirely on foreign sources for Cobalt-60 commercial uses. Nordion and Westinghouse Electric Company have partnered to develop and deploy first-of-a-kind technology that enables the production of Low Specific Activity (LSA) Cobalt-60 in U.S. Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). This initiative will not only secure a domestic supply to meet a significant portion of U.S. demand by the mid-2030s but will also bolster national security and healthcare resilience as well as reduce geopolitical risk and reliance on foreign sources.
Key Learning Objectives
- The impact of gamma sterilization on the global medical device market
- The current state of the global Cobalt-60 supply chain
- The new Cobalt-60 production platform for U.S. PWRs being established by Nordion, Westinghouse, and PSEG
- The role of the U.S. government in supporting this project
Speakers
Richard Wiens – Business Development & Strategic Supply, Nordion
Aaron Dement – Executive Consultant, Sterigenics
Micheal Aube – Senior Manager Strategic Supply, Nordion
Kris Paserba – Senior Manager, Radioisotope Production Technologies, Westinghouse
James Stavely – Nuclear Fuels Director, PSEG
Danielle Mercurio – Head of Government Affairs, Sotera Health
