Nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine remains an integral and important part of medical practice in Australia, aiding in the diagnosis (and to a lesser extent, treatment) of many Australians every day.
The challenge recognised by MAPW is how to secure the isotopes needed for nuclear medicine while reducing the hazards associated with their traditional source - nuclear reactors.
No sector in the Australian society can operate in a cocoon. As health professionals, we must be prepared to address all the wider health and other ramifications of the proceedures we employ. In the context of nuclear medicine, we encourage examination and debate of these issues within the medical profession, the public and our parliaments, and an open exploration of the growing alternative techniques for medical imaging that do not rely on radioactive isotopes.
One concern taken up by MAPW is the proliferation dangers associated with nuclear medicine. To abolish the threat of nuclear war, in addition to outlawing nuclear weapons and dismantling current nuclear weapons stockpiles, it is also crucial to eliminate access to fissile materials: nuclear weapons fuel.
According to MAPW members Dr Bill Williams and A/Prof Tilman Ruff (2007: see link below):
"The near-universal use of weapons-grade, highly enriched uranium (HEU) to produce pharmaceuticals is a significant proliferation hazard. Health professionals have a strategic oppertunity and obligation to progress the elimination of medically-related commerce in HEU, closing one of the most vulnerable pathways to the much-feared 'terrorist bomb'."
Essential reading:
- Proliferation dangers associated with nuclear medicine: getting weapons-grade uranium out of radiopharmaceutical production: B Williams and T Ruff, 2007; published in Medicine Conflict and Survival.
- MAPW Fact Sheet on highly enriched uranium
- Draft policy for professional organisations, on highly enriched uranium
- A New Clear Direction: Securing Nuclear Medicine for the Next Generation - MAPW report on Lucas Heights, 2004
MAPW related policy:
Proposed Replacement Nuclear Research Reactor at Lucas Heights, Sydney, Australia
Our Experts for "Nuclear medicine"
| Name | Position within MAPW | Knowledge | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Associate Professor Tilman Ruff | Vice President; Immediate Past President; Australian Chair of ICANi | Iraq | ICAN | Causes and costs of war | Nuclear weapons | Lucas Heights reactor | Nuclear accidents | Nuclear chain | Nuclear tests | Treaties and bodies | Nuclear medicine |
 | Dr Bill Williams | Vice President; Committee member, Victorian Branch | Uranium mining and exports | Nuclear weapons | Nuclear waste | Nuclear accidents | Nuclear chain | Safeguards | Indigenous issues | Treaties and bodies | Nuclear medicine |
 | Dr Peter Karamoskos | Vice President; Committee member, Victorian Branch | Uranium mining and exports | Nuclear waste | Lucas Heights reactor | Nuclear chain | Safeguards | Nuclear medicine | Solutions |
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