Reactor cranks up for restart

Idled since midsummer 2000, MDS Nordion's Maple 1 reactor may soon be back online. The company, which supplies most of the world's medical isotopes, has been authorized by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to restart the reactor in low-power mode. Located in Chalk River near Ottawa, the reactor was taken offline in July 2000 after problems occurred during testing of its shutoff rods. When fully operational, either of the two 10-Mw Maple reactors will be able to exceed the world's current demand for molybdenum-99, iodine-131, and xenon-133.