An IAEA project to transfer disused radium sources for use in cancer treatment has now conducted nearly a dozen international transfers.
Working in partnership with the IAEA, Tunisia completed the transfer of more than 100 disused radium sources to the United States last month through the Global Radium-226 Management Initiative, where they will be recycled to support advanced cancer treatments. Brazil is in the final stages of preparing its transfer of almost 400 sources.
Launched in 2021, the Global Radium-226 Management Initiative helps establish collaborative relationships between holders of legacy radium sources and organizations capable of converting them into valuable radiopharmaceuticals. IAEA support through this initiative also includes assistance with source inventory, characterization, conditioning and radiation monitoring.
"We have witnessed a high level of interest and dedication from the national teams involved in radium-226 transfers to join the IAEA Global Ra 226 Management initiative and benefit from the Agency support" said Olena Mykolaichuk, Director of the IAEA's Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology. "Their collaboration and national authorities' commitment contribute to building strong safety and security practices for disused radium sources."
Old Sources, New Applications
After its discovery by Marie Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie at the turn of the 20th century, radium was used for decades in applications such as radiotherapy and brachytherapy but has now been largely phased out in favour of safer, more effective radioactive isotopes.
Disused radium sources are present in dozens of countries around the world, safely stored but unused. The approximately 80 countries participating in the initiative as holders of these legacy sources are working with organizations that can convert radium-226 into actinium-225, an extremely rare radioisotope used in targeted alpha therapy for cancer treatment.
Last month in Brazil, a team comprised of staff from the country's Nuclear Technology Development Centre as well as an American radiopharmaceutical company conditioned 397 radium-226 sources in preparation for their shipment to the United States, which is planned for August. Included among these are three radium sources donated by Marie Sklodowska-Curie, who provided them to a university hospital for research during a visit more than 80 years ago. Once transferred to the United States, these sources will significantly add to the feedstock for actinium-225 production for the advancement of cancer care globally.
"I commend the Nuclear Technology Development Centre for its professionalism and leadership in this crucial endeavour. As with past operations across Latin America and the Caribbean, our skilled team has made a vital contribution in addressing the radioactive legacy of long-lived gas-producing sources, including the 'relics' of Madame Curie," said Francisco Rondinelli, Director General of Brazil's National Nuclear Energy Commission. "This effort also provides valuable raw materials for producing new tools for cancer treatment. This is exactly what circular economy in nuclear applications is all about."
Maria Sklodowska-Curie (sixth from the right) during her visit to the Minas Gerais Radium Institute (now the Hospital Borges da Costa) in 1926, when she donated three radium sources that enabled important research in Brazil and beyond. (Photo: Medical Memory Centre of the Federal University of Minas Gerais).
Coordinating for Success
Also in June, Tunisia transferred 50 brachytherapy needles and tubes from the Oncology Institute of Tunis, as well as 75 foils formerly used in lightning rods. Like all previous transfers, the operation in Tunisia was conducted in accordance with strict safety protocols, with no contamination detected throughout the process.
"The operational strategy was developed based on the experience gained from the removal and repatriation of six disused cobalt-60 sources performed from 2022 to 2024 with support from the United States Department of Energy's Office of Radiological Security," said Latifa Ben Omrane, Director General of Tunisia's National Centre for Radiation Protection (CNRP). "This radium-226 source transfer operation was successfully conducted thanks to effective coordination among several organizations, including the CNRP, the Ministry of Health, local logistics and transport company, customs and airport staff and the IAEA."
Several more transfers are planned for 2025 from countries including Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Philippines and Zimbabwe.
