Areva will be constructing a facility which will produce medical-grade lead-212 for anticancer treatments on its Bessines site in France.

Lead-212 is a rare radioactive isotope that shows promise in alpha radioimmunotherapy to combat cancer, said the company, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Areva said it has developed processes to extract rare isotopes derived from its industrial activities and the new facility is scheduled to open in 2013.