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, is the sole domestic supplier of over 300 kinds of isotopes and currently lacks a system to align its actions with market needs. With its deficient management, isotope production and supply leaves the U.S. commercial market’s supply chain at risk, pushing customers to seek foreign suppliers, which can be a geopolitical risk, GAO said.
GAO recommended that DOE’s Office of Science create a system and establish a statutorily required advisory committee to proactively assess the isotope market and work to mitigate risks to isotope production and supply chains. Additionally, GAO recommended that the Office of Science form a way of communication for isotope production, supply chain risks and mitigation plans for affected consumers, according to the report.
DOE’s Office of Science concurred with GAO’s recommendations and plans to implement them this year and next. The Office of Science said it will establish the advisory committee by December 2026, while the other three recommendations it plans to establish by October 2027.
IRP oversees all production and research sites for isotopes, including the National Isotope Development Center located at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 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 do.
With many isotopes being too rare or expensive to produce, IRP’s role in producing isotopes is vital, especially as the demand for isotopes increases, GAO said.