REQUEST FOR EMBASSY WARSAW PARTICIPATION IN A

UNCLAS STATE 013002 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TRGY TBIO PL SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR EMBASSY WARSAW PARTICIPATION IN A POLISH ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY-COVIDIEN EVENT ANNOUNCING MO-99 PRODUCTION REF: A. STATE 113758 Sensitive but Unclassified - please protect accordingly. ¶1. (U) This is an action request for Embassy Warsaw. See paragraph 7. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (U) The United States imports all of its Mo-99 (a key medical isotope) from foreign suppliers, but there is currently a worldwide shortage due to various nuclear research-reactor shutdowns. Various international organizations are now actively focusing on this issue, including the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) in Paris and the IAEA. As part of their efforts to assist in meeting global demand, the Polish Atomic Energy Authority and Covidien are planning to announce an agreement to produce Mo-99 using the Polish reactor MARIA, in an event taking place on February 17, 2010 in Warsaw. The event planners are interested in having the participation and a few remarks from the U.S. Ambassador to Poland or the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM). Washington supports the U.S. Embassy participation at the highest level Embassy deems appropriate and feasible. END SUMMARY. -------------- Background -------------- ¶3. (U) Technetium-99 metastable (Tc-99m) is a crucial radioisotope produced from the decay of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). It is used in about 100,000 nuclear diagnostic procedures daily around the globe, including heart disease and cancer diagnosis, and studies of organ structure and function. Global supply of Mo-99 is generated primarily from the irradiation of enriched-uranium targets in five research reactors around the world. The two largest of those reactors, the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Canada and the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in The Netherlands, have experienced technical difficulties over the past two years, including a heavy water leak in the main containment vessel of the NRU which has required the shutdown of the facility until at least the first quarter of 2010. The HFR will be experiencing a 25-week maintenance shutdown beginning in February 2010. ¶4. (U) These problems have resulted in severe global Mo-99 supply shortages with serious consequences for the medical community. OECD/NEA, with U.S. support from DOE/NNSA's GTRI �0A;program and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is now engaging with supplier states and others to address this issue, including the OECD/NEA's High Level Group on the Security and Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR). In addition to these international coordinating efforts, the USG wishes to encourage the adoption of certain mitigating measures, especially in CY 2010. A nonpaper summarizing the problem and the USG's views is included in paragraph 9 for Post reference. ¶5. (SBU) In an effort to facilitate the implementation of alternative measures to alleviate the shortage of Mo-99, the President's Science Advisor wrote to the Minister of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (REF A). The letter requested Germany,s assistance to secure the regulatory approval for the transit through Germany of Mo-99 production targets irradiated at the MARIA reactor in Poland. The irradiated targets would be transported to processing facilities in The Netherlands to extract Mo-99. The text of the letter is included in paragraph 10 for Post's informational purposes only. ¶6. (SBU) The agreement between the Polish Atomic Energy Authority and Covidien to produce Mo-99 from the Polish reactor MARIA has been concluded. MARIA will produce an estimated 900 6-day Curies of Mo-99 per week. With the approval of the Polish Atomic Energy Authority, an event is being planned to announce the agreement on February 17, 2010 at 2:30 pm, at the Polish Press Agency Press Center in Warsaw (6/8 Bracka Street 00-502). Speakers at the event will include the Covidien European President, Vice President and other senior officials, senior representatives from the MARIA reactor, the Deputy Minister of Health, and Deputy Minister of Economy. The planners of this activity expressed their interest in inviting the U.S. Ambassador to Poland or the DCM to participate. The announcement will be preceded by a luncheon to begin at 12:30 pm at the London Room of the Warsaw Sheraton Hotel (UI. B. Prusa 2, 00-493),to which the Embassy representative is also invited. Washington supports the presence of the U.S. Embassy at this event, at the highest level Post deems appropriate and feasible. The contributions that the MARIA reactor will make to the global community will result in an average of tens of thousands of medical-isotope procedures per week that otherwise would not be available. END BACKGROUND -------------- ACTION REQUESTS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Post is requested to participate in the announcement event at the highest appropriate level, to inform the POCs in paragraph 11 by February 16 whether and at what level it intends to participate, and to provide a brief post-event reporting cable. Talking points for the event are included in paragraph 8. -------------- TALKING POINTS -------------- ¶8. (SBU) BEGIN OF TALKING POINTS -- The United States is concerned about the global shortage of Mo-99 and its implications for the health care of millions of patients around the world. -- The United States is currently dependent on the international community for its supply of Mo-99. -- The United States would like to work with partner countries to facilitate the implementation of alternative measures to alleviate the shortage of Mo-99, and ensure continuous supply of this critical medical isotope. -- The United States also supports international efforts such as those being undertaken by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) and its High Level Working Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR). -- In that regard, we also support and welcome the planned production of irradiated targets at the MARIA reactor, and their subsequent processing in The Netherlands to extract Mo-99 for delivery to the international community. -- We commend Poland for their initiatives on behalf of the stability of Mo-99 supply, and for the completion and signing of this agreement between the Polish Atomic Energy Authority and Covidien to produce Mo-99 from MARIA. -- This initiative illustrates the importance and value of close cooperation between relevant stakeholders, including government and industry, in achieving the goals of sustained, adequate supply of medical isotopes. -- We also want to thank the German government for efforts aimed at facilitating the transit of the Mo-99 targets from Poland to The Netherlands. -- The agreement announced today allows contributions from the MARIA reactor to the global community that will result in an average of tens of thousands of medical-isotope procedures per week that otherwise would not be available. -- The United States stands in strong support of all international efforts to maintain a stable Mo-99 supply for the benefit of the global medical community. -- As we are all aware, there is a delicate balance between the objectives of (1) reducing the use of highly enriched uranium in research reactors and isotope production facilities and (2) maintaining a reliable supply of medical isotopes for the medical community. -- In this light, the United States also praises Poland and the MARIA reactor management for their ongoing efforts, in cooperation with the Global Threat Reduction Initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and others in working toward conversion of the reactor from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel as soon feasible. END OF TALKING POINTS -------------- NONPAPER -------------- ¶9. (U) BEGIN TEXT OF NONPAPER (FOR REFERENCE ONLY) CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING EXPECTED SHORTAGES OF MOLYBDENUM-99 IN 2010 The decay product technetium-99 metastable ("Tc-99m") of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) is a crucial radioisotope used in 80,000 nuclear diagnostic medical procedures performed around the globe every day. Its primary uses include diagnosing heart disease, studying organ structure and function, and as a diagnostic in cancer treatment. Tc-99m's very short half-life (6 hours) and excellent binding properties make it uniquely suited for a large variety of medical procedures. However, the half-life of parent isotope, Mo-99, is also short (66 hours),making it impossible to stockpile and requiring the nuclear isotope to be produced on a nearly continuous basis. The world's supply of Mo-99 is generated primarily from the irradiation of enriched-uranium targets in only five research reactors around the world. They are the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Canada, the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in The Netherlands, the BR2 reactor in Belgium, the OSIRIS reactor in France, and the SAFARI-1 reactor in South Africa. The world's two largest production reactors, the NRU and HFR, have experienced technical difficulties and shutdowns over the past two years that have caused severe global Mo-99 supply shortages and serious impacts to the global medical community. During periods of shortage, an estimated 85 percent of U.S. medical facilities have been forced to ration and cancel many critical diagnostic treatments. On May 14, 2009, the volatility of the Mo-99 supply was further exacerbated when a heavy water leak in the main containment vessel of the NRU reactor was discovered, requiring the shutdown of the facility for an extended period of time that continues today. Despite intensive efforts to restore production, it was announced in August 2009 that the reactor will not resume operations until at least April 2010. In addition, the HFR reactor will be experiencing a 25-week maintenance shutdown scheduled to begin in February 2010. Because the NRU will not resume operations by the time the HFR reactor is scheduled to shut down, the availability of this important medical isotope will hit critically low levels. The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency hosts a High Level Working Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (OECD-NEA HLG-MR). This international working group seeks to engage commercial producers and industry groups to promote efficient coordination and management of the production and use of Mo-99. The United States and is a member of the OECD-NEA HLG-MR. At the facility level, existing large-scale global producers of Mo-99 in Belgium, France, and South Africa have also been working to coordinate their operating schedules and increase production plans to help mitigate the expected supply shortages. This increased coordination is expected to lessen the impact of the expected shortfall. Nevertheless, the supply availability even under the most optimized production schedules among the remaining global producers is still expected to be no greater than 50 percent of normal if the NRU does not resume operations in April as expected. Crucial medical diagnostic procedures all over the world will be canceled, delayed, or prescribed using often less-effective alternative diagnostic procedures. The efforts to irradiate targets at the MARIA reactor, combined with the remaining global producers optimizing their respective operating schedules, are expected to reduce the expected supply shortage of this critical medical isotope in ¶2010. END TEXT OF NONPAPER -------------- -------------- LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SCIENCE ADVISOR TO GERMANY -------------- -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Begin Text of Letter to Germany (for reference only) The United States and the world depend primarily on the operation of five nuclear reactors for the production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99),a critical medical isotope used in approximately 80,000 nuclear medical diagnostic procedures every day around the globe. To ensure the stable supply of Mo-99, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA) has been working to engage commercial producers and industry groups internationally in promoting efficient coordination and management of Mo-99 production and use through its High Level Working Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR). The United States fully support the OECD-NEA and its HLG-MR efforts. As a new participant member of the OECD-NEA HLG-MR, Germany is to be commended for demonstrating a strong commitment to securing the supply of this important medical isotope. The United States is concerned about the supply of Mo-99 during the impending four-to-six-month maintenance shutdown of the HFR reactor in The Netherlands, and the still-uncertain restart of the NRU reactor in Canada. Beginning in March 2010, the world's supply of this important isotope is expected to be drastically reduced unless other existing global suppliers can find alternative means of production during this time. One promising alternative to produce Mo-99 during this expected shortage is to utilize the MARIA reactor in Poland to irradiate the targets used to manufacture this isotope, and subsequently the processing facilities in Belgium to provide a supply to the world's medical community. This option would require the transit of irradiated targets through Germany. If this alternative could be implemented during the maintenance shutdown of the HFR reactor, the supply shortage of this critical medical isotope would be significantly reduced. I would like to request your assistance in working within your government to help secure the regulatory approval for the transit of such medical-isotope production targets through Germany for this purpose. If you would like to discuss these considerations further, I would be happy to arrange for a meeting among our respective government experts at a mutually convenient time. Sincerely, John P. Holdren Director Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Office of the President of the United States End Text of Letter to Germany. -------------- POINTS OF CONTACT -------------- ¶11. (U) Department thanks Post for its assistance in this matter. Main points of contact for these efforts are: DOE/NNSA/NA-21 ) Dr. Parrish Staples (202-586-4042, Parrish.Staples@nnsa.doe.gov) and OSTP ) Dr. Tammy Taylor (202-456-6086, ttaylor@ostp.eop.gov). Department POCs are Dr. Dan Fenstermacher and Dr. Zaira Nazario (ISN/NESS, 202-647-2833, fensteda@state.gov, and 202-647-8829, nazariozd@state.gov). CLINTON