IAEA Supports Advanced Cancer Care through Radium Recycling Initiative

Three countries have recently transferred disused radium sources to be recycled for use in cancer treatment through the IAEA’s Global Radium-226 Management Initiative. This legacy material will be transformed into actinium-225, a rare radioisotope used to treat cancers including breast and prostate cancer. To date, a total of 14 transfers from  14 countries have been completed under the initiative.

Launched in 2021, the initiative links countries holding legacy radium-226 sources with organizations equipped to produce radiopharmaceuticals using this material as feedstock. In addition to fostering these collaborative relationships, the IAEA plays an active role in transfer preparations by assisting with source inventory, characterization, conditioning and radiation monitoring.

Radium-226 was widely used in medicine and industry throughout the 20th century, but safer and more effective alternatives have since replaced it. About 100 countries have legacy stocks sitting idle in safe, secure storage, and around 80 are involved in the Global Radium-226 Management Initiative. Participating radiopharmaceutical producers convert these old sources into actinium-225 using cyclotrons – small particle accelerators that bombard the target material with charged particles, changing their fundamental composition in the process. 

In September 2025, Croatia exported 298 radium-226 sources from the Ruder Boskovic Institute, which conducts research in physics, chemistry and biology, to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). The operation was supported by Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Protection Directorate.

“We reopened a previously conditioned container to inspect the material and successfully exported it to Canada in September,” said Robert Bernat, a department head at the Ruder Boskovic Institute. “The Canadian team provided excellent technical support on-site.”

CNL assisted with technical planning and packaging and provided radiological equipment to support the Radiological Work Plan and the requirements for CNL’s import license. They also shared lessons learned for potential future collaborations with donor countries. 

“From a work perspective, I know I am helping these countries remove a liability while advancing healthcare worldwide,” said Richard Dufour, Director of Facilities Operations at CNL. “On a personal level, I lost my father to cancer in March 2025, so advancing a drug like actinium-225 to combat cancer is paramount—and I want to be part of that to honour my father’s legacy.”

In October 2025, Guatemala transferred 40 needles and tubes with radium-226 sources from the National Centre for Radioactive Waste to Niowave in the United States of America. Once used in hospitals for cancer treatment across Guatemala, the sources will be used for research applications to improve targeted alpha therapy with actinium-225. Guatemala’s Ministry of Energy and Mines led the transfer activities with regulatory support from the Department of Radiation Protection and Safety and logistical assistance from the Superintendency of Tax Administration.

“The process was carried out safely and in compliance with current Guatemalan legislation,” said Mayra Villatoro, Director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines. “Some technical and administrative obstacles arose, but they were successfully overcome without endangering people or the environment.”

After joining a technical meeting on the initiative in 2023, the Philippines reached an agreement with CNL  to transfer 243 radium-containing needles, tubes, cylinders, wires and rods stored in drums at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). These sources were used in the 1980s and 1990s for medical and industrial applications and will now be recycled into actinium at CNL’s facilities. “What was once seen purely as a burden has now become a story of hope,” said Ronald Piquero, Senior Science Research Specialist at PNRI. “Transforming radioactive waste into a life-saving resource.”     

At least five more transfers are planned for 2026. The initiative is also considering additional disused sources, including strontium-90 and caesium-137, for potential future recycling efforts.

“The Global Radium-226 Management Initiative is a remarkable example of international partnership, shared commitment and common values. It offers a strategic opportunity to address a historical challenge while contributing to global health,” said Norasalwa Zakaria, Head of the IAEA’s Waste Technology Section. “We invite all Member States with legacy radium-226 sources to join this effort. Together, through collaboration and shared responsibility, we can transform a nuclear legacy into a resource that supports cancer treatment and saves lives.”