Topic: Access to Medical Isotopes
Country: Sweden
Delegate Name: Colleen Janes
School: East Grand Rapids High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Sweden position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
The Kingdom of Sweden strongly supports the use of medical isotopes for diagnostic purposes and radiation therapy. Radiopharmaceuticals are an important form of treatment that have contributed to advancements in the medical world, but as worldwide demand for these isotopes increases, concerns relating to limited supply and potential security threats have risen. Hospital use of these products continue to increase by a steady 2% each year, but the facilities where they are created are lagging behind with outdated materials and limited technology. The most commonly used isotope, Molybdenum-99, is only produced in 5 factories, the majority of which are over 40 years old and are said to shut down in the upcoming years. Furthermore, MO-99 is created with materials considered “weapons-grade”, therefore posing a safety threat towards labs and storage locations containing this highly unsafe ingredient. In response to the possible misuse of the highly enriched uranium found in the isotope, The United States has called for all Molybdenum-99 to be produced with low grade uranium instead.
As a country, Sweden has had a long standing tradition of using nuclear medicine and considers it a well established form of healthcare for its citizens. Since the 1940’s Swedish researchers have been treating patients with radoopharmaceuticals and in 1951 the Maimö General Hospital became Sweden’s first licensed hospital to use radionuclides. Today, 34 more Swedish hospitals have followed in its footsteps. Each year, 106,000 nuclear procedures are undergone in Sweden alone, and as a whole, 1 and 50 Europeans will receive radioactive treatments annually. 90% of these procedures are for diagnostic purposes.
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has spent an ample amount of time discussing the effects and potential risk factors of radiation use in medicine, and in May of 2012 the Committee decided to continue encouraging research to further understand the effects that low dose radiation has on disease in humans. Furthermore, the United Nations recognizes the importance of medical isotope availability to all, even those countries not part of the UN. The United Nations sanction against Iran prohibits the country from obtaining any forms of radiation, but a Security Council exemption allows the nation to purchase nuclear related items for medical purposes on the open market.
Sweden believes that the most efficient way to ensure a steady supply of medical isotopes to all facilities that need them is to promote the use of cyclotrons, machines that can produce radioisotopes for pharmaceutical use. In 1991 Sweden’s Uppsala University installed a cyclotron and has been successfully creating isotopes on site ever since, joining the more than 900 other labs housing these machines world wide. Sweden believes that if more of these machines were to be installed worldwide, the production rate of highly sought after radioisotopes could be increased to minimize the shortage crisis, the barrier of production and distribution costs lessen, and mitigate security concerns that come along with transporting the materials long distances. The medical cyclotron is 2 meters in diameter, making on site installations possible in many hospitals and labs. The localizing of the machines may eliminate the need for long distance isotope transportation, lessening the security risks that go along with shipping “weapon grade” radioactive material through air and sea. Processing costs will be minimized to provide isotopes at a more affordable rate increasing accessibility among patients in need. Sweden proposes a collaboration between nations to further discuss, research and navigate the mainstream usage of cyclotrons in nuclear medicine.
