Report on the Participation of Argentina (Agreement Holder) in the ''Small-Scale Indigenous Production of Mo-99 Using LEU Targets Or Neutron Activation'' Coordinated Research Project [Country report: Argentina]

Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) began a program for radioisotope production in the early '50s. With the construction and starting-up of the RA-3 reactor in 1967, the first irradiations of different targets were performed, leading to commercial production of several radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. Argentina, through its CNEA, has participated in the CRP from the very beginning, attending the July 2003 meeting of consultants. During that first meeting, Argentine activities related to ⁹⁹Mo production were presented and discussed the advantages of establishing a CRP, the Agency role and contract and agreement holders' roles. Argentina established its position of being able to transfer the technology for producing ⁹⁹Mo from LEU targets on commercial basis. Because of this situation, contract holders decided to accept the modified Cintichem technology, offered by the USA representatives with no cost for the receivers, employing uranium metal foil targets. With this scenario, participation of CNEA in the CRP finally was limited to being an adviser for receiving countries.