{"id":28054,"date":"2017-08-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ashleydev.com\/2017\/08\/24\/canada-150-nuclear-science-and-your-health\/"},"modified":"2020-08-27T11:34:19","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T15:34:19","slug":"canada-150-nuclear-science-and-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cna.ca\/fr\/2017\/08\/24\/canada-150-nuclear-science-and-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada 150: Nuclear Science and Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to health care and medicine, nuclear science had made numerous accomplishments that have improved the lives of millions of people around the world. As Canada celebrates 150 years, we wanted to look back at some of our achievements.<\/p>\n

In the late 1800s Dr. Harriet Brooks<\/a>, Canada\u2019s first nuclear physicist, discovered radon while at McGill University and worked in the lab of Dr. Marie Curie. Her work laid the foundation for nuclear physics and paved a pathway forward for women like Sylvia Fedoruk<\/a>.\"\"<\/p>\n

In the mid-1950s, Fedoruk and a team of researchers under the guidance of Dr. Harold Johns, became one of the first groups in Canada (the other was a team from London, Ontario) to successfully treat a cancer patient with cobalt-60 radiation therapy<\/a>. Today, it is estimated that over 70 million people around the world have benefited from this treatment and cobalt-60 machines are still in use today.<\/p>\n

The benefits and applications of cobalt-60 extend far beyond cancer treatments. The ability of cobalt-60 to effectively kill off even the tiniest of potentially harmful microbes makes it the perfect sterilization tool for medical equipment like gloves, gowns, IV bags, syringes and catheters. Medical-grade cobalt or High Specific Activity (HSA) cobalt-60, like the kind used by Feodurk and others, has been a foundation for cancer treatment for over 60 years. A recent partnership between Nordion and Bruce Power<\/a> will ensure that cobalt-60 continues to be readily available for years to come.<\/p>\n

Pioneers in medical isotopes<\/a> over half a century ago, Canada led the world in the supply of isotopes, contributing to the betterment of global health. Used for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and illnesses such as imaging of the brain, lungs, heart and kidney, isotopes have been a key component to the health-care system have helped millions of people every year. The importance of isotopes is increasing. According to a recent report, the global market for nuclear diagnostic medicine is expected to double by 2020<\/a>. Globally, over 40 million<\/a> nuclear medicine procedures are performed every year.<\/p>\n

Today, in the halls at TRIUMF<\/a> in Vancouver, scientists are working on the next wave of cancer treatments through the exploration of alpha therapies. Through a targeted approach, cancer cells are blasted from the inside out, minimizing damage to healthy tissues. These alpha-emitting isotopes are thought to be especially effective for dealing with late-state or metastasized cancers (cancer that has spread from one part of the body to another).<\/p>\n