B&w, Covidien Sign Pact For New Production

摘要

The companies intend to develop the technology to manufacture molybdenum-99, parent of technetium-99, from low-enriched uranium. Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group (a subsidiary of Mc-Dermott International Inc.) and health technology firm Covidien announced on January 26 that they have signed an agreement that could lead to the creation of new production capacity in the United States for molybdenum-99, the radioisotope that decays to technetium-99. Tc-99 is the most widely used medical radioisotope in the world, and currently all of what is used in the United States is imported. According to the two companies, the process to be developed could eventually meet more than 50 percent of U.S. demand.