With the coronavirus pandemic severely restricting passenger flights and transportation options while increasing cargo delays, medical companies across Canada have embarked on a race to secure shipping for time-sensitive radioactive chemicals used in the cancer treatment process.
Approximately half of all air cargo travels on passenger aircrafts, with the remaining portion traveling via dedicated planes. With flight cancellations occurring frequently at this time, medical companies are struggling to ship treatments that decay over time.
One of these struggling providers is the Ontario-based McMaster Nuclear Reactor. Previously capable of shipping its iodine-125 isotope anywhere within a couple of days, the company has struggled to ship its products since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
Karin Stephenson, the manager of commercial operations at the reactor, explained that fewer flights have resulted in the creation of longer flight plans to ship its isotope to targeted locations.
Among those obstacles that have led to a bottleneck in flights include restrictions on international travel and the 14-day quarantine that is required upon entry into Canada.
Also, limited flight availability has led to fuller flights for those who are willing to travel. This means that time-sensitive shipments such as the iodine-125 will lose their radioactivity while awaiting transport.
