[Voiceover]

China has started mass production of the radioactive isotope carbon-14, widely used in science and medicine, in a breakthrough that’s set to end the country’s long-time dependence on imports.

According to the China National Nuclear Corporation, the isotope is being mass produced by a commercial nuclear power reactor at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, with the first batch C-14 expected to enter the market later this year.

Officials say the project is expected to meet domestic demand.

[Soundbite]

Shang Xianhe, general manager, Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC):

"Now that we are able to produce carbon-14 domestically, it will greatly increase the number of domestic users and further promote the development of downstream application technologies for carbon-14."

[Voiceover]

Carbon-14 is a radioactive carbon isotope and is widely used in archeology to determine the age of historic items or fossils.

It's also used in medicine to detect the bacteria H. Pylori, as well as in environmental sciences, biomedical research, and forensics.