Radiotherapy plant set to reopen

Date: 28/03/02

By Peter Chapman

DUTCH Environment Minister Jan Pronk has sanctioned the reopening of a radiotherapy plant vital to treatment of EU cancer patients after safety inspectors gave the site a clean bill of health.

The Dutch nuclear reactor at Petten - leased as a research centre by the European Commission - produces more than half the world's medical radioisotopes. These are mildly radioactive materials that detect and treat cancerous cells.

The 'high-flux' reactor closed earlier this month after the discovery of faulty welding; there were also questions over the management of the plant, which is not a Commission responsibility.

But Pronk gave the green light after safety procedures were tightened and insurance inspectors Serco Assurance said they could find no evidence that the minor cracks in the reactor's 'vessel' caused by the welding defect were worsening.

Any lengthy closure of the plant could have been devastating for cancer victims in the EU. A nuclear plant in Canada also produces radioisotopes, but many airlines refuse to transport them.

There were also fears that the Canadians could hike up prices because they would have a monopoly.

The Dutch radiotherapy plant at Petten is set to reopen after safety inspectors gave the site a clean bill of health.