Radioisotope production and use generate a variety of radionuclides for commercial use, such as cobalt-60 for sterilization and cancer therapy units, and molybdenum-99 or other isotopes for use as tracers for medical research, diagnoses and therapy. Wastes that are generated during production are managed by the respective producers.

A number of waste management facilities process and manage the wastes that result from the use of radioisotopes for research and medicine. In general, these facilities collect and package waste for shipment to approved storage sites such as AECL-CRL. In some cases, the waste is incinerated, or retained in the facility to allow for decay to insignificant radioactivity levels and then released as clean materials.