Radiation Protection’s Benefits in the Production of Iodine-131

摘要

Iodine-131 is being produced in Argentina at the Ezeiza Atomic Center as a by-product of theMolybdenum-99 production process.For this purpose, low enriched uranium-aluminium (LEU) targets are irradiated for around 5 days in the RA-3reactor core. Once irradiated, the targets are transferred to shielded cells, where they are processed until finalproduct is obtained.The process comprises several stages associated to the separation and purification of the iodine until amaximum-purity product is obtained, achieving in this way, the quality for its use in nuclear medicine.This fission Iodine-131 purification method was developed by the staff of the CNEA in 2005, convertingArgentina in the first all over the world that produces Molybdenum-99 and Iodine-131 from Low EnrichedUranium targets.In the past, Iodine-131 was produced in Argentina by irradiation of tellurium oxide, and Iodine-131 generated inthe irradiation of LEU targets for the Molibdenum-99 production, was considered a nuclear waste.The old tellurium oxide method basically consisted in the irradiation of tellurium oxide, dissolution of theirradiated material, and finally an acid distillation of the generated iodine. The new process is all carried out inalkaline medium, generating in this way, lower emissions with several times bigger productions, as almost all theiodine remains in the solution.Main features of both processes and a description of the Radiation Protection benefits achieved with the newmethod, including the reduction of nuclear wastes and the total iodine emissions, are shown in the paper.