Peaceful uses of nuclear energy go beyond nuclear power plants

Non-energy uses of nuclear power were discussed at the roundtable session arranged by Rusatom International Network as part of the business program of the international expo and conference Atomexpo Belarus 2015. Participants of the meeting discussed topical trends in the development of investment projects in the area of nuclear medicine, radiation technologies for sterilization and sanitation, discussed GMP applications in radiation pharmaceutics, the production of radionuclides for medical purposes and radiation medications.

Nuclear medicine is one of the most important and promising spheres where nuclear energy can be used for peaceful purposes. Nuclear medicine primarily focuses on oncological diseases but these technologies become more and more pronounced in cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, traumatology, and other areas. Radionuclide-based methods allow reducing the number of repeated cases of malignant tumors by 5-8 times, increasing the number of detected malignant neoplasms by 15-20%, improving the diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases by 30-40%, curing prostate cancer by 95-99%, reduce the mortality caused by malignant neoplasms to 30%.
According to Dmitry Dubinkin, executive director of the interregional public organization Nuclear Medicine Society, before the 1990s the USSR was at the forefront in using nuclear technologies for medical purposes. Unfortunately, the picture changed after the country’s fall. At present the ex-USSR lags behind developed nations in applying nuclear medicine technologies for treating the population.
At the same time the Russian expert stated that interest in this field both on the part of the public sector and the private sector has been rising for the last few years. Before 2009 Russia had only four PET centers (positron emission tomography) and three PET diagnostics divisions, at present over 68 PET institutions have been established or are being built within the framework of various government programs and public private partnership. A PET center fitted with three PET scanners is expected to open in Belarus in September 2015.

“Positron emission tomography offers essential advantages over ultrasound scanning, computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). The advantages include sensitivity, precision and as a result the ability to diagnose a disease early. Early diagnostics is half the fight against cancer,” noted Dmitry Dubinkin.
Efforts to use radionuclide therapy to treat oncological diseases are on the rise. Prior to 2009 Russia had only two radionuclide therapy departments — in Obninsk and Moscow. Now there are 14 radionuclide therapy departments, with another five being designed and built.

The lack of trust and the unpreparedness of both medics and patients to use these technologies are one of the main problems standing in the way of the development of nuclear medicine, noted Irina Kibina, Vice President of the Russian company Rusatom Overseas. The other problems include the prevailing use of foreign-made medical equipment, the shortage of medical personnel and technicians, who are capable of providing services using nuclear medicine methods. Apart from that, treatment and prevention institutions specializing in oncology and cardiology lack equipment for radionuclide diagnostics.

According to Irina Kibina, at present Belarus and Russia face similar tasks and problems with regard to the development of nuclear medicine. The two countries can secure a significant effect if they work together in this field. The expert noted it is necessary to develop a joint program to make equipment to substitute imports. An interstate program to train specialists and retrain nuclear medicine specialists using the scientific and industrial potential of the Eurasian Economic Union can be developed.

Nuclear technologies can also be used to monitor the quality of roads. Maxim Kosolobov, director of the project of the United Innovation Corporation, presented a unique project at the conference – the monitoring system Berkut. Gone are the days when deterioration and other qualities of road surface were measured using primitive methods. Modern technologies allow scanning up to one million points per second and creating 3D models of scanned areas, noted the specialist.

“When we set out to create the Berkut system, we tapped into the scientific and technological potential of Rosatom. Our high-performance mobile labs can travel at up to 40kmph and collect all the data concerning the state of the road surface,” said Maxim Kosolobov. The scanning vehicle can scan up to seven meters below the road surface.

The system allows recording every millimeter of defects of the road surface, calculating the volume of concrete required for repairs and the budget of the future work. The system can save up to 50% of the money spent on road repairs, can reduce the number of traffic accidents, noted the director of the project. The product can come in handy both for Russian and Belarusian roads.
Among the promising peaceful applications of nuclear technologies participants of the roundtable session also mentioned the irradiation technologies used for sterilization and sanitation purposes. They are employed in many countries for sterilizing and extending the shelf life of food products, sterilizing medical products and so on. “In the USA even school meals are packed in disposable packages, are subjected to irradiation and are distributed between schools. Irradiation centers have been used in Australia for decades,” said Irina Kibina.

In Russia and Belarus such technologies are treated with caution with regard to food. Statements that these methods of treating food do not make food radioactive and do not reduce its nutritional value are not entirely trusted. The existing stereotypes should be overcome, believes Irina Kibina. There are plans to open several irradiation centers in Russia by the end of the year. One of them is located in Moscow Oblast and is supposed to start working in May.