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SITCSection 5
U.S. imports of radioactive elements, isotopes, and compounds n.e.s.; residues (SITC 52519) totaled $49.0M in July 2026, traded with 33 countries.
Importers of Radioactive Elements, Isotopes, and Compounds N.E.S.; Residues paid $146K in duties in July 2026 — an effective duty rate of 5.3% on $2.7M in dutiable value, based on actual customs collections rather than the published tariff schedule. Radioactive Elements, Isotopes, and Compounds N.E.S.; Residues imports of $49.0M in July 2026 ran 11% below the year-to-date monthly average of $54.9M.
Basic heading 74 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 52519 · $49.0M of $28.9B
Radioactive materials not captured by the more specific nuclear fuel cycle headings—including radioisotopes used in medical imaging, cancer therapy, industrial gauging, and scientific research—fall here along with radioactive residues from processing operations. Medically critical isotopes such as molybdenum-99 (the parent of technetium-99m) and iodine-131 are traded under this heading and face acute supply-chain vulnerability due to their short half-lives and dependence on a small number of reactor production sites globally. NRC import licensing under 10 CFR Part 110 applies, and FDA oversight intersects for radiopharmaceutical precursors. The combination of radioactive decay, cold-chain logistics, and regulatory lead times makes procurement planning uniquely complex.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
1.7K shipments/mo
Short physical half-lives—molybdenum-99 has a half-life of roughly 66 hours—mean that any delay in production, transport, or customs clearance directly reduces the usable quantity reaching the end user. Unlike most chemical imports, there is no inventory buffer: product decays in transit. This forces importers to maintain multiple approved supplier relationships and expedited clearance procedures, and any reactor outage at a producing facility creates immediate shortages in US nuclear medicine departments.
FDA oversight applies when a radioactive compound is intended for use as a drug or drug precursor in humans—for example, radiopharmaceutical-grade isotope generators or labeled compounds used in PET imaging. In those cases, the importer must satisfy both NRC import license requirements for the radioactive material and FDA admissibility requirements for the drug or device component. Coordination between the two agencies' review timelines is a practical compliance challenge.
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Imports · July 2026
origin
Canada and Germany together supply 55% of it.
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
destination
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.
ImportsExports
Imports
$49.0MYoY · Pro
Exports
$30.9MYoY · Pro
12-mo low · imports
YoY · ProThrough July 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.