The fallout from the war in the Middle East has led to cuts in helium supplies for health services in at least one province \u2014 and experts are warning that Canada still hasn\u2019t done enough to secure sovereignty over critical medical supply chains.<\/p>\n
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Saskatchewan\u2019s health authority says it has been warned by its supplier that its \u201callocations\u201d of liquid helium, used in MRI machines, \u201cwill be reduced temporarily by 50 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson said there is no impact on patient care at this time, but researchers who rely on helium say they\u2019ve been warning about supply issues for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must establish a sustainable, stable and secure helium supply in Canada,\u201d said Genevieve Seabrook, manager of the nuclear magnetic resonance research facility at Toronto\u2019s Princess Margaret Cancer Research Centre.<\/p>\n
Strikes by Iran on Gulf states in early March led the state-owned QatarEnergy to shut down a main liquefied natural gas terminal, citing force majeure \u2014 meaning it is unable to supply its customers due to circumstances beyond its control.<\/p>\n
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Helium is a byproduct of natural gas processing and Qatar is one of the world\u2019s largest suppliers of liquid helium.<\/p>\n
Liquid helium is used as a coolant in MRI machines and in nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers used for scientific research.<\/p>\n
Air Liquide, which says it is Canada\u2019s largest liquid helium distributor, has also declared force majeure and sent notices to some of its customers warning that their supply is being cut by 50 per cent and prices are being hiked.<\/p>\n
HealthPro Canada is a non-profit company that helps around 2,100 medical facilities in Canada secure supplies. Its customers represent around 80 per cent of hospitals and health authorities in the country.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s president and CEO Christine Donaldson said it\u2019s pushing back against notices of price hikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not accepted that price increase. In fact, that\u2019s where we look at all of those contracts one by one and work with our suppliers to hold them to the contract that they sign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Donaldson said there has been no impact on patients to date. She said her organization is doing a scan of its clients\u2019 needs in case the shortage continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur assessment is looking at the age of certain MRI machines and working with one of our partners to see if there\u2019s an opportunity for us to maybe target the ones that are most at risk,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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New MRI machines require thousands of litres of liquid helium when they\u2019re installed. Once filled, the machines only need to be replenished once or twice a year, though older machines use up their helium faster.<\/p>\n
Seabrook helped to found the Canadian Helium Users Group, which is pushing Canada to invest in domestic helium purification and liquefaction. Right now, most helium extracted in Canadian LNG production is shipped to the U.S. to be liquefied.<\/p>\n
Spectrometers like the kind Seabrook uses in her research require much more helium than MRI machines \u2014 her two instruments need around 500 litres every five weeks.<\/p>\n
If they run out, she said, the magnets could \u201cquench\u201d \u2014 rapidly lose superconductivity \u2014 permanently damaging the machines and setting research back by years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a catastrophe,\u201d Seabrook said.<\/p>\n
The problem isn\u2019t new. There were helium supply issues during COVID-19 and at the start of Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. Russia is another major supplier of helium.<\/p>\n
Anne Snowdon is the scientific director and CEO of the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health. Her research focuses on issues with Canada\u2019s medical supply chains.<\/p>\n
She said the 13 health systems across the country lack the capacity to proactively plan for shortages of global supplies.<\/p>\n
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