The Department of Energy’s Office of Isotope Research and Development and Production (IRP) needs to implement better practices for managing critical isotopes in the U.S. market, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week.
In a July 23 report, GAO said IRP, a subagency in DOE’s Office of Science, which is the sole domestic supplier of over 300 kinds of isotopes, lacks a system to align its actions with market needs.
Lax management could place U.S. the isotope supply chain at risk, GAO said. Such problems could push customers to seek foreign suppliers, GAO said.
GAO recommended DOE’s Office of Science create a system, and establish an advisory committee to assess the market and work to mitigate risks to isotope production and supply chains.
DOE’s Office of Science concurred with GAO’s recommendations and plans to implement them all by the end of 2027.
IRP oversees all production and research sites for isotopes, including the National Isotope Development Center located at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Isotope production takes place across eight DOE sites and six universities.
Between fiscal years 2020 and 2025, IRP produced, sold and distributed 265 isotopes and made 7,702 isotope shipments, GAO found. While IRP gathers information on isotope market demands, according to data provided by IRP, the National Isotope Development Center conducted six isotope market assessments during the 2020 to 2025 fiscal years.
GAO said the National Isotope Development Center’s assessments were detailed, but were conducted on a case-by-case basis, making it hard to react to market changes. Additionally, IRP officials said assessments take up to three months and 200 staff hours to complete.
Many isotopes are rare or expensive to produce, so IRP’s role in producing isotopes is vital, especially as the demand for isotopes increases, GAO said.
“Without a mechanism to systematically assess needs proactively and actions to address isotopes in short supply, IRP may be too slow to respond to customers, who could be forced to rely on sensitive countries to meet their needs or face supply problems,” GAO said.