Specific Radionuclides Research Articles

Trust and consequences: Role of community science, perceptions, values, and environmental justice in risk communication.

Risk communication is often viewed as imparting information and perhaps as a two-way dialogue. Risk communication inadequacies on the part of both "communicator" and "community members" can lead to adverse consequences and amplify environmental justice disparities. The paper suggests a transformational approach where risk communicators must learn to trust community experts and their knowledge base (and act upon it), where risk information imparted by risk communicators addresses what communities are most concerned about (as well as risk from specific chemicals or radionuclides), and where risk information and assessments address underlying issues and disparities, as well as cultural traditions (among others). Providing risk probabilities is no longer sufficient; western science may not be enough, and community and native scientific knowledge is needed. Risk communication (or information transfer) for environmental risks that are ongoing usually applies to low-income, minority communities-people living in dense inner cities, rural communities, Native American communities-or to people living near a risky facility. Communication within this context requires mutual trust, listening and respect, as well as acceptance of indigenous and community knowledge as equally valuable. Examples are given to illustrate a community perspective.

Analysis of isotopes of plutonium in water samples with a PSresin based on aliquat·336

There is a necessity to have techniques capable to perform rapid determinations of specific radionuclides with the aim to provide fast response in emergency situations where a large number of samples need to be measured in a short time. Plastic Scintillation Resins (PSresins) raises as an adequate tool to achieve this purpose and in the present study a methodology to determine plutonium using a PSresin based on Aliquat·336 was developed. Different sample treatments have been studied under acidic conditions with an emphasis on valence adjustment treatment to achieve an effective retention within the PSresin. Under 3 M nitric acid conditions and an iron sulphamate (II) + nitrite valence adjustment, quantitative retention and 100% detection efficiency were achieved. The retention of the different interferences evaluated (238U, 230Th, 241Am, 210Pb and 99Tc) was low and therefore they do not interfere significantly in the determination of plutonium, except for 99Tc. Finally, a stable tracer to calculate the PSresin separation yield was studied, revealing that gold is suitable for this purpose. This procedure was applied to the analysis of spiked sea and river water samples, obtaining errors lower than 10% in their quantification.

Development of nuclear radiation monitors for radiation early warning systems

The results of the development of modern precision monitors of alpha, beta and gamma ray radiation for setting up early warning systems for radioactive contamination in the atmosphere and rapid assessment of emerging threats, are presented. Proportional counters, scintillation SrI (Eu) crystals and semiconductor Si, CdZnTe, and HPGe detectors are used for 2 the development. The designed monitors provide information both on dose rate values in real time and on the activity of specific radionuclides. The software controls the measurement mode, as well as diagnoses the condition of the monitors themselves.

Monoclonal antibody based radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy

The concept of personalized medicine has been steadily growing for the past decades. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are undoubtedly playing an important role in the transition away from conventional medical practice to a more tailored approach to deliver the best therapy with the highest safety margin to a specific patient. In certain instances, mAbs and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) may represent the preferred therapeutic option for several types of cancers due to their high specificity and affinity to the antigen. Monoclonal antibodies can be labeled with specific radionuclides well-suited for PET (Positron Emission Tomography) or gamma camera scintigraphy. The use of radiolabeled mAbs allows the interrogation of specific biomarkers and assessment of tumor heterogeneity in vivo by a single diagnostic imaging scan that includes the whole-body in the field-of-view. Moreover, the same mAb can then be radiolabeled with an analogous radionuclide for the delivery of beta-minus radiation or alpha-particles as part of a radioimmunotherapy (RIT) approach. However, the path to develop, validate, and implement mAb-based radiopharmaceuticals from bench-to-bedside is complex due to the extensive pre-clinical experiments and toxicological studies required, and the necessity of labor-intensive clinical trials that often require multi-time-point imaging and blood draws for internal radiation dosimetry and pharmacokinetics. As more mAb-based radiopharmaceuticals have been developed and evaluated, the opportunities and limitations offered by mAbs have become better defined. Our aim with this manuscript is therefore to provide an overview of the recent advances in the development of mAb-based radiopharmaceuticals and their clinical applications in Oncology.

Possibilities of the use of CeBr3 scintillation detectors for the measurement of the content of radionuclides in samples for environmental monitoring

The investigation of radioactivity in samples is an application of gamma-ray spectrometry dealing with low and very low level gamma-ray activities of different isotopes. Gamma-ray spectrometry performed in the framework of radiological environmental monitoring may be done after selective sampling processes or after a chemical purification of a sample. Both cases imply that only some specific radionuclides should contribute to the obtained spectrum. Gamma-ray spectrometry performed with medium energy resolution detectors may allow the possible distinction of their photopeaks. Therefore, a cerium bromide (CeBr3) detector can be particularly attractive for routine tasks in radiological environmental monitoring as it has a high efficiency, medium energy resolution and it can work at room temperature. This study describes the conditions under which a CeBr3 detector can serve for some routine analysis in radiological analysis of samples collected in the environment or collected by air-samplers in environmental radiological monitoring programmes.

CERN-MEDICIS: A Review Since Commissioning in 2017.

The CERN-MEDICIS (MEDical Isotopes Collected from ISolde) facility has delivered its first radioactive ion beam at CERN (Switzerland) in December 2017 to support the research and development in nuclear medicine using non-conventional radionuclides. Since then, fourteen institutes, including CERN, have joined the collaboration to drive the scientific program of this unique installation and evaluate the needs of the community to improve the research in imaging, diagnostics, radiation therapy and personalized medicine. The facility has been built as an extension of the ISOLDE (Isotope Separator On Line DEvice) facility at CERN. Handling of open radioisotope sources is made possible thanks to its Radiological Controlled Area and laboratory. Targets are being irradiated by the 1.4 GeV proton beam delivered by the CERN Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB) on a station placed between the High Resolution Separator (HRS) ISOLDE target station and its beam dump. Irradiated target materials are also received from external institutes to undergo mass separation at CERN-MEDICIS. All targets are handled via a remote handling system and exploited on a dedicated isotope separator beamline. To allow for the release and collection of a specific radionuclide of medical interest, each target is heated to temperatures of up to 2,300°C. The created ions are extracted and accelerated to an energy up to 60 kV, and the beam steered through an off-line sector field magnet mass separator. This is followed by the extraction of the radionuclide of interest through mass separation and its subsequent implantation into a collection foil. In addition, the MELISSA (MEDICIS Laser Ion Source Setup At CERN) laser laboratory, in service since April 2019, helps to increase the separation efficiency and the selectivity. After collection, the implanted radionuclides are dispatched to the biomedical research centers, participating in the CERN-MEDICIS collaboration, for Research & Development in imaging or treatment. Since its commissioning, the CERN-MEDICIS facility has provided its partner institutes with non-conventional medical radionuclides such as Tb-149, Tb-152, Tb-155, Sm-153, Tm-165, Tm-167, Er-169, Yb-175, and Ac-225 with a high specific activity. This article provides a review of the achievements and milestones of CERN-MEDICIS since it has produced its first radioactive isotope in December 2017, with a special focus on its most recent operation in 2020.

Mapping the age of ice of Gauligletscher combining surface radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling

Abstract. In the 1950s and 1960s, specific radionuclides were released into the atmosphere as a result of nuclear weapons testing. This radioactive fallout left its signature on the accumulated layers of glaciers worldwide, thus providing a tracer for ice particles traveling within the gravitational ice flow and being released into the ablation zone. For surface ice dating purposes, we analyze here the activity of 239Pu, 240Pu and 236U radionuclides derived from more than 200 ice samples collected along five flowlines at the surface of Gauligletscher, Switzerland. It was found that contaminations appear band-wise along most of the sampled lines, revealing a V-shaped profile consistent with the ice flow field already observed. Similarities to activities found in ice cores permit the isochronal lines at the glacier from 1960 and 1963 to be identified. Hence this information is used to fine-tune an ice flow/mass balance model, and to accurately map the age of the entire glacier ice. Our results indicate the strong potential for combining radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling in two different ways. First, such tracers provide unique information on the long-term ice motion of the entire glacier (and not only at its surface), and on the long-term mass balance, and therefore offer an extremely valuable data tool for calibrating ice flows within a model. Second, the dating of surface ice is highly relevant when conducting “horizontal ice core sampling”, i.e., when taking chronological samples of surface ice from the distant past, without having to perform expensive and logistically complex deep ice-core drilling. In conclusion, our results show that an airplane which crash-landed on the Gauligletscher in 1946 will likely soon be released from the ice close to the place where pieces have emerged in recent years, thus permitting the prognosis given in an earlier model to be revised considerably.

The effect of varying collimator geometry in alpha spectrometry of environmental analysis

Assessment of radioactive aerosols in the atmosphere has always been an important field of study due to its effects on many biological systems. The efficiency in measuring these aerosols is therefore critical to research and industrial practice, thus; the principles and methods of geometry development to improve efficiency and resolution is paramount. The aim of this study is to use numerical simulation with MATLAB to improve the resolution and detection efficiency of an alpha spectrometer with varying collimator geometries. A collimator between a radiation source and a detector plays a very important role in identifying specific radionuclides among various species in a radioactive environment. The geometric model of the collimator being considered here is that of a triangular and a hexagonal shape. To evaluate the counts, randomly obtained data using Microsoft excel was used, considering the specified boundary conditions in a two-dimensional plane. Various counts ranging from 100 to 100,000 were analyzed to obtain the results of a log efficiency curve using MATLAB. Subsequent counting efficiency curves were then determined relative to the dimensions. An average value of 0.44 ± 0.1106 was determined for the efficiency. With emphases on the apothem of the geometries being studied, the triangular shaped collimator has theoretically shown to produce a higher resolution though with a possible decrease in detection efficiency.

Gamma-ray measurements of the activated target components in a cyclotron used for positron emission tomography

The proton irradiation in a PET cyclotron produces radioactive by-products with high levels of activity in the target components, which are strongly dependent on the specific parameters used in the cyclotron facility. Because the target assembly parts must be replaced periodically, external exposure to operators must be assessed. In this work, high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry was used to determine the activity levels for the specific radionuclides induced in the target components of a medical 9.6 MeV MINItrace cyclotron. The focus was on three target components, which are periodically replaced: Havar foil, Titanium foil and the Helicoflex seal located on the path of the proton beam just in front of the silver vessel containing the enriched water. Eight radionuclides were identified in the Havar foil: 54Mn, 56Co, 57Co, 58Co, 60Co, 95Tc, 109Cd and 183Re. In the titanium foil, the nuclides 46Sc, 48V, 51Cr, 56Co, 57Co, and 75Se were identified, while only 51Cr, 58Co, and 60Co were detected in the Helicoflex seal. The total effective dose rates to which staff are exposed at the moment of replacing the target were calculated. The waste management for these target components was also considered, using the half-lives of the detected radionuclides in order to determine the time necessary for the activity levels in the target components to be below the exemption levels recommended by the IAEA.

Quantification of U, Th and specific radionuclides in coal from selected coal fired power plants in South Africa.

Most of South Africa’s energy is derived from the combustion of coal in pulverized coal-fired power plants (CFPP). However, when compared with the rest of the world, limited information regarding the main radioactive elements (U and Th) and specific radionuclides of interest (K40, Ra226 and Th232) from South African CFPP is available in the public domain. This paper aims to quantify the U, Th and specific radionuclides found in the coal used in selected South African CFPP in comparison to world averages found in literature. The U and Th concentrations were obtained by ICP-MS. The main radionuclides, K40, Ra226 and Th238, were quantified using gamma spectrometry. The U concentration and Th concentrations for the coal used in all the power plants was above the world average of 1.9 mg/kg and 3.2 mg/kg respectively. The coals with the highest Th content originated from the Mpumalanga power plant, while the U content in the Freestate power plant samples was the highest of the three. The concentrations of the K40 were between 88.43±10.75–110.76±8.92 Bq/kg, which are in-line with world averages of 4–785 Bq/kg. Similarly, the Ra226 and Th232 values were between 21.69±2.83–52.63±4.04 Bq/kg and 19.91±1.24–22.97±1.75 Bq/kg respectively, which are also in line with the world averages of 1–206 Bq/kg and 1–170 Bq/kg respectively. Radiological hazard indices such as radium equivalent (Raeq); external hazard index (Hex) and internal hazard index (Hin), that were estimated from these average radionuclide concentrations were less than the prescribed values found in literature. This indicated that no significant health risk was posed by the coal being used from these coal fields.

Radioactivity concentrations of farmed and wild European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L., 1758) in the eastern Mediterranean and risk assessment of their consumption

Specific natural radionuclide (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) concentrations of wild and farmed European seabass collected from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey were measured and the radiological risk associated with their consumption was assessed. Gamma spectrometric measurement of radionuclide activities in the samples were performed with HPGe detector and the radiological risk associated with their ingestion was calculated over per capita fish consumption in Turkey and the EU. It was observed that the mean concentration of radionuclides activities was 4.74 ± 0.53 Bq kg−1 and 1.13 ± 0.33 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 2.13 ± 0.18 Bq kg−1 and 1.91 ± 0.23 Bq Bq kg−1 for 232Th, 114.36 ± 2.86 Bq kg−1 and 132.99 ± 1.16 for 40K in wild and farmed seabass, respectively. The mean ingested annual radioactivity doses by wild and farmed seabass consumption were calculated as 0.71± 0.02 μSv y−1 and 0.82 ± 0.01 μSv y−1, respectively. From the radiological point of view, these radioactivity doses and the consumption of both wild and farmed seabass from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey do not pose any risk to the health of Turkish and EU people.

The Significance of Mobilization and Immobilization of Specific Radionuclides for Optimum Bioleaching Conditions Using Aspergillus lentulus

Gamma spectrometry is applied for measurement of natural radioactivity by Hyper-pure germanium (HPGe) systems during the application of bioleaching optimum conditions in ore and waste samples. The bioleaching of the ore sample using isolated fungus A. lentulus indicate that the bioleaching efficiency of 234U, 232Th are higher than 238U, 230Th and 235U which may attributed to the effect α-recoil rate for 234U, organic matter, clays or iron oxide and or/lower activity concentration of 232Th. The immobilization of 238U, 235U, 230Th, 214Pb, and 214Bi in ore and waste samples could be result from high organic matter content, iron, and manganese oxides, in addition to the role of microbes that can resist leaching by their cellular compounds. The high mobility of some radionuclides in waste samples may be resulted from the leaching process of the original rocks using acid solution that clean the grain surfaces leaving spaces around the grains and this permit the organic acids to reach the inner parts of the grains during bioleaching processes leading to the high mobility 234U, 232Th and to lesser extent 238U and 235U. The radionuclides 226Ra, 214Pb and 214Bi were found almost totally in the residue of two sample (Q and W) indicating to be associated with radium sulphate or relatively insoluble mineral phases like alumina silicates and refractory oxides.

Medical Therapy of Patients Contaminated with Radioactive Cesium or Iodine.

Follow-up studies after the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents have shown that 137Cs and 131I made up the major amount of harmful contaminants in the atmospheric dispersion and fallout. Other potential sources for such radionuclide exposure may be terrorist attacks, e.g., via contamination of drinking water reservoirs. A primary purpose of radionuclide mobilization is to minimize the radiation dose. Rapid initiation of treatment of poisoned patients is imperative after a contaminating event. Internal contamination with radioactive material can expose patients to prolonged radiation, thus leading to short- and long-term clinical consequences. After the patient’s emergency conditions are addressed, the treating physicians and assisting experts should assess the amount of radioactive material that has been internalized. This evaluation should include estimation of the radiation dose that is delivered and the specific radionuclides inside the body. These complex assessments warrant the reliance on a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates regional experts in radiation medicine and emergencies. Regional hospitals should have elaborated strategies for the handling of radiation emergencies. If radioactive cesium is a significant pollutant, Prussian blue is the approved antidote for internal detoxification. Upon risks of radioiodine exposure, prophylactic or immediate treatment with potassium iodide tablets is recommended. Chelators developed from calcium salts have been studied for gastrointestinal trapping and enhanced mobilization after strontium exposure.

The effect of uranium, radium and thorium speciation on the removal of radioactivity from acid mine drainage using ion exchange

Acid mine drainage samples were collected from the central basin of the Witwatersrand basin in South Africa to study the removal of radioactivity. The samples were analyzed for gross alpha/beta activity, specific radionuclides, metals and anions concentration. The pH of the acid mine drainage samples was then varied and ion-exchange column experiments were carried out to remove radioactivity from acid mine drainage. The gross alpha activity ranged between 60 and 75 Bq/L and gross beta activity ranged from 56 to 70 Bq/L. The speciation of uranium, thorium and radium was modelled using Joint Expert Speciation System. The speciation had a big influence on the removal of radioactivity from acid mine drainage using ion exchange resin. The optimum pH was determined to be 8. Acid mine drainage samples treated at this pH showed gross alpha activity below the detection limit of 0.03 Bq/L for all samples and gross beta activities below 5 Bq/L for 9 of the 10 treated samples

Inorganic and Hybrid (Organic⁻Inorganic) Lamellar Materials for Heavy metals and Radionuclides Capture in Energy Wastes Management-A Review.

The energy industry (nuclear, battery, mining industries, etc.) produces a large quantity of hazardous effluents that may contain radionuclides (137Cs and 90Sr in particular) and heavy metals. One of the hardest tasks of environmental safety and sustainable development is the purification of wastewater holding these pollutants. Adsorption is one of the most powerful methods for extracting toxic compounds from wastewater. This study reviews the usefulness of clay minerals as adsorbent for removing these hazardous elements to clean up energy production processes. Phyllosilicates are able to extract several heavy metals from effluent, as widely examined. A particular focus is given to synthetic phyllosilicates and their abilities to entrap heavy metals with a special attention paid to those synthesized by sol-gel route. Indeed, this method is attractive since it allows the development of organic–inorganic hybrids from organosilanes presenting various functions (amino, thiol, etc.) that can interact with pollutants. Regarding these pollutants, a part of this review focuses on the interaction of lamellar materials (natural and synthetic phyllosilicates as well as layered double hydroxide) with heavy metals and another part deals with the adsorption of specific radionuclides, cesium and strontium.

RADIOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR TERRORISM - MEDICAL-BIOLOGICAL AND HYGIENIC PROBLEMS

The main aspects of radiological and nuclear terrorism have been considered in the paper. The nuclear terrorism scenario, i.e. the usage of nuclear weapons by terrorists has been emphasized to look unlikely. While the threat of radiological terrorism related to the usage of radioactive materials with the purpose of malicious exposure to the public, for example, by detonating of a “dirty bomb” with further radioactive contamination of the environment where people live, or by a hidden usage of radioactive materials appears to be rather realistic. The character and consequences of the usage of various types and sources of ionizing radiation from alpha-emitting radionuclides to gamma-, gamma-beta or beta-emitting radionuclides under external, internal or contact exposure have been discussed. The criteria of radiation impact to a person are emphasized to include both the absorbed dose and absorbed dose rate. In the case of external exposure it is necessary to consider the character of the exposure: total (whole body exposure) or local (some parts of a body) to a person; in the case of the internal exposure - features of distribution and metabolic characteristics of a specific radionuclide. Deterministic effects (acute radiation sickness, local radiation injury, chronic radiation sickness) and stochastic effects (malignant tumors, hereditary diseases) are considered as effects of the radiation exposure. Under the comparison of a radiation threat due to different pathways as a result of an act of radiological terrorism usually the first place is taken by the external exposure, followed by the internal exposure by inhalation intake of radionuclides, in the case of dispersed radioactive materials due to detonation - through wounds and burned skin surfaces; the lesser important pathway is oral intake of radionuclides. The analysis of various scenarios of the radiological terrorism shows the number of casualties with deterministic effects will be small, while the number of people with stochastic effects will not be discernible from spontaneous variation of levels of the prevalence rate of malignant tumors and hereditary diseases. The main negative factor of radiological terrorism is psychological impact of the terrorism associated with a radiation threat

Analysis of specific radionuclides activity variations in soil within geotectonic units of Republic of North Macedonia

To establish baseline values for concentrations of terrestrial radionuclides for the Republic of North Macedonia, a survey covering the entire territory was performed. The 213 soil samples were collected from regions around the major settlements and cities, approximately evenly distributed over the geotectonic units which constitute the country's geological foundation. The specific activities of radionuclides were measured by gamma spectrometry. The following geometric mean values and geometric standard deviations were obtained: 550 Bqkg?1 (1.47) for 40K, 37 Bqkg?1 (1.53) for 226Ra, 38 Bqkg?1 for 238U, and 38 Bqkg?1 (1.53) for 232Th in dry soil. The relation between specific activities of natural radionuclides and geology was investigated. Correlation between radionuclides, which may serve as additional geochemical indicators, and geology could not be found convincingly. Mutual correlations between 226Ra, 238U, and 232Th activities were found to be high (Spearman ? about 0.8), whereas the ones between these and 40K are a bit lower, somewhat above ?= 0.6. <br><br><font color="red"><b> This article has been corrected. Link to the correction <u><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/NTRP1902209E">10.2298/NTRP1902209E</a><u></b></font>

Unexpected False-positive I-131 Uptake in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Objective:Radioiodine is the most specific radionuclide for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) imaging. Despite its high specificity and sensitivity, false-positive I-131 uptake could be seen on whole body scan (WBS) that may lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary radioiodine treatment. In this study, we aimed to present the I-131 WBS and concomitant single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) images of unexpected false-positive radioiodine uptake along with the patients’ clinical outcomes and the contribution of SPECT/CT imaging.Methods:I-131 WBSs of 1507 patients with DTC were retrospectively reviewed, and anticipated I-131 uptakes (like in breasts or thymus) were excluded from the study. The unexpected false-positive I-131 uptakes with concomitant SPECT/CT imaging were included in the study.Results:Twenty-one patients had 23 unexpected I-131 uptakes on WBS and concomitant SPECT/CT imaging. The vast majority (87%) of these cases were seen on post-therapeutic I-131 WBS. Most of the false-positive I-131 uptakes could be explained by SPECT/CT and radiologic findings, and were secondary to non-thyroid conditions (bronchiectasis, lung infection, subcutaneous injection into gluteal fatty tissue, aortic calcification, benign bone cyst, vertebral hemangioma, recent non-thyroid surgical procedure site, rotator cuff injury, mature cystic teratoma and ovarian follicle cyst). However, the possible reasons of 9 false-positive I-131 uptakes could not be explained by radiologic findings.Conclusion:We suggest that false-positive I-131 uptake and its underlying mechanisms (inflammation, trapping, increased perfusion, etc.) must be kept in mind in patients with thyroid cancer and unexpected findings must be considered together with serum thyroglobulin levels, SPECT/CT and radiologic findings in order to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary radioiodine treatment.

Reference Cross Sections for Charged-particle Monitor Reactions

Evaluated cross sections of beam-monitor reactions are expected to become the de-facto standard for cross-section measurements that are performed over a very broad energy range in accelerators in order to produce particular radionuclides for industrial and medical applications. The requirements for such data need to be addressed in a timely manner, and therefore an IAEA coordinated research project was launched in December 2012 to establish or improve the nuclear data required to characterise charged-particle monitor reactions. An international team was assembled to recommend more accurate cross-section data over a wide range of targets and projectiles, undertaken in conjunction with a limited number of measurements and more extensive evaluations of the decay data of specific radionuclides. Least-square evaluations of monitor-reaction cross sections including uncertainty quantification have been undertaken for charged-particle beams of protons, deuterons, 3He- and 4He-particles. Recommended beam monitor reaction data with their uncertainties are available at the IAEA-NDS medical portal www-nds.iaea.org/medical/monitor_reactions.html.

The ISOLPHARM project: A New ISOL production method of high specific activity beta-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors

The ISOLPHARM project explores the feasibility of exploiting an innovative technology to produce extremely high specific activity beta-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceutical precursors. This technique is expected to produce radiopharmaceuticals that are virtually mainly impossible to obtain in standard production facilities, at lower cost and with less environmental impact than traditional techniques. The groundbreaking ISOLPHARM method investigated in this project has been granted an international patent (INFN). As a component of the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare–Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (INFN–LNL), a new facility will produce radioactive ion beams of neutron-rich nuclei with high purity and a mass range of 80–160 amu. The radioactive isotopes will result from nuclear reactions induced by accelerating 40 MeV protons in a cyclotron to collide on a target of UC[Formula: see text]. The uranium in the target material will be [Formula: see text]U, yielding radioactive isotopes that belong to elements with an atomic number between 28 and 57. Isotope separation on line (ISOL) is adopted in the ISOLPHARM project to obtain pure isobaric beams for radiopharmaceutical applications, with no isotopic contaminations in the beam or subsequent trapping substrate. Isobaric contaminations may potentially affect radiochemical and radionuclide purity, but proper methods to separate chemically different elements can be developed.