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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-03-16, Page 5Bruce Power outage allows for harvesting of Cobalt -60 for medical use One of the many activi- ties completed as part of the Unit 8 maintenance program at Bruce Power was the removal of Cobalt -60 Processed by Nordion, an Ottawa -based com- pany, the radioactive ele- ment is used in industrial irradiation applications worldwide. Cobalt -60 irradiators are used to sterilize dis- posable medical supplies including sutures, syringes, surgical gowns and masks. Cobalt -60 is also used to sterilize phar- maceutical wares and cos- metics, and irradiate spices and other con- sumer products that include fruit, seafood, poultry and red meat. The $116 million rou- tine maintenance and inspection program on Unit 8 began on Jan. 15 after more than 100 con- secutive days of producing clean, low-cost and reliable electricity for Ontario businesses and families The unit will return to service in the second quarter of 2016. "Bruce Power is com- mitted to playing a role in providing a reliable source of affordable, clean elec- tricity over the long-term, while also helping to keep hospitals safe by providing the world's largest source of Cobalt -60 from our Bruce B units," said Len Clewett, Bruce Power's executive vice president and chief nuclear officer. The World Health Organization (WHO) esti- mates more than 640,000 major surgeries are per- formed each day around the world and sterile dis- posable medical devices are used in virtually all of these procedures. Cobalt -60 is supplied to over 200 gamma irradia- tors in 55 countries. How it works: • Cobalt -60 can only be harvested when reactors are down during regularly scheduled maintenance. • Cobalt is mined like any other mineral. It's removed from the ground and pro- cessed into pure Cobalt -59 powder, which is then com- pressed into slugs and coated with nickel. These slugs are then encapsu- lated and assembled into adjuster rods, which are used to control the reac- tion in Bruce Power's reac- tors, where the cobalt is activated by absorbing neu- trons to become Cobalt -60. • Bruce Power removes the rods during planned maintenance outages on the unit. The Cobalt -60 rods are then stored in Bruce Power's second- ary fuel bay, suspended on the bay wall about 14 feet below the surface. Special- ized fuel handlers extract the Cobalt -60 rods one at a time, and place them in a shielded flask to be shipped to Nordion's facility. • Once the bundles are received by Nordion, the Cobalt -60 is removed from its encapsulation and welded into a new double -encapsulated source called a C-188. It is then shipped to the sites of Nordion's custom- ers for use in irradiators. • For more about the role Bruce Power and Nordion play in provid- ing Cobalt -60 to keep our hospitals safe,visit www.cleannuclearpow- ersafehospitals.com. U -Haul rentals land at Lucknow District Co- operative U -Haul Company (Can- ada) Ltd. has announced that Lucknow District Co- operative as a new U -Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the region. Lucknow District Coop- erative will offer U -Haul trucks, towing equipment and support rental items. Partners Allan Scott and Linda Sharpin are proud to team with the industry leader in do-it-yourself moving and self -storage to better meet the demands of Ontario. U -Haul and Lucknow District Co Operative are striving to benefit the environment through sus- tainability initiatives. Truck sharing is a core U -Haul sustainability business practice that allows individuals to access a fleet of trucks that is larger than what they could access on an individual basis. Every U -Haul truck placed in a community helps keep 19 personally owned large -capacity vehi- cles, pickups, SUVs and vans off the road, the company said in a media release. Lucknow District Co Operative is also a place to become 'U -Haul Famous: Take your picture in front of a U -Haul product, send it in and your face could land on the side of a U -Haul truck. Upload your photo through Instagram using #uhaulfamous, or go to www.uhaulfamous.com to submit photos and learn more. For more information call 519-528-3339 or visit www.uhaul.com LET'S ALL DO OUR PART! PLEASE RECYCLE *MP I 4 .• Submitted rhe Lucknow Sentinel Birthday Club Mckinley Van Osch March 13, 2015 1 year old Your child can be a member of the Sentinel's birthday club call 519-528-2822 to register ticknow SAM 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822 Wednesday, March 16, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 5 Submitted/Bruce Power Bruce Power safely harvested Cobalt -60 from Unit 8 during the ongoing planned maintenance outage. The blue glow of the Cobalt -60 is called the `Cherenkov Effect' and is a result of gamma radiation travelling through water faster than the speed of light travelling through water. When that occurs, photons are released, which creates the blue light. The Cobalt -60 is stored in water in the Secondary Fuel Bay until transported for processing. It is used then used to sterilize 40 per cent of the world's single -use medical devices like syringes, sutures, and surgical gowns, masks and gloves. LUCKNOW ARENA SCHEDULE MARCH 16T" - MARCH 22ND Wednesday, March 16 10:OOam Adults & Tots Skating Only - $2/Skater 11:OOam Skate & Shoot - $2/Skater 1:OOpm Public Skating - Sponsored by Lucknow Kinsmen 5:OOpm Jr. & Sr. Initiation Practice 6:OOpm PeeWee Rep Practice 7:OOpm Bantam LL 8:30pm Midget Rep Playoff Game vs Hanover Thursday, March 17 10:OOam Adults & Tots Skating Only - $2/Skater 11:OOam Skate & Shoot - $2/Skater 1:OOpm Public Skating - Sponsored by Cliff's Plumbing & Heating 5:OOpm Tyke Practice 6:OOpm Bantam Rep Practice 7:OOpm OPEN ICE 8:OOpm Rec League Holyrood vs Lanes 9:30pm Rec League Lagers vs Kintail Friday, March 18 10:OOam Adults & Tots Skating Only - $2/Skater 11:OOam Skate & Shoot - $2/Skater 1:OOpm Public Skating - Sponsored by Lucknow Kinettes 5:OOpm Initiation/Tyke/Novice Practice 6:OOpm PeeWee Girls Practice 7:OOpm Porter Rental 8:30pm Midget LL Saturday, March 19 9:OOam 10:OOam 11:OOam 1 2:OOpm 1:15pm 2:30pm 4:OOpm 5:30pm 7:OOpm Jr. Initiation Practice Sr. Initiation Practice Tyke Game vs Goderich Novice LL Playoff Game vs TCDMHA Atom LL OPEN ICE OPEN ICE OPEN ICE Holyrood Butchers Alumni Sunday, March 20 10:OOam 11:30am 1:OOpm 2:30pm 4:OOpm 5:30pm 6:30pm OPEN ICE Novice LL Playoff Game vs Wingham Public Skating OPEN ICE Atom LL Midget LL Practice OPEN ICE Monday, March 21 10:OOam Adults & Tots Skating $2/Skater 5:OOpm Novice LL Practice 6:OOpm Bantam Rep Practice 7:OOpm PeeWee LL 8:30pm Midget Rep Practice Tuesday, March 22 10:OOam Adults & Tots Skating - $2/Skater 5:OOpm Atom LL Practice 6:OOpm Bantam LL Practice 7:OOpm OPEN ICE 8:30pm Midget Rep Playoff Game vs Hanover HURON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO-OPERATIVE LTD. 519-395-3800 www.hurontel.on.ca