SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The nuclear power plant in Salem, New Jersey, could soon be used to produce a much-needed medical product.
The plan, which still needs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval, is to use two reactors at the generating site to make cobalt-60.
“That isotope is used for a variety of applications, but mostly for the sterilization of single-use devices,” like drapes, gowns, syringes, gloves and catheters, said Richard Weins, with the Canadian company Nordion. “We take that radioactive cobalt-60 out. We bring it to our facility and we manufacture it into the finished product.”
About 40% of all single-use medical devices in the country are sterilized with cobalt-60. Weins said the U.S. uses about 50% of the world’s supply of cobalt-60 for sterilization but doesn’t make any domestically. The Salem site would be the first of its kind in the U.S. and produce about 25% of what the country needs.
“It’s one of those things people don’t ever think about,” he added.
But with billions of devices that need sterilization every year, any supply chain disruption could have a dramatic impact.
PSE&G and Westinghouse are also on board as partners. Weins expects NRC approval to come this fall. Then, it would take a few years to produce the first batch of cobalt-60.