Recent Press Releases
Scientists save MRI from inappropriate regulation
IOP
PR41(07)
Wed, 24 October 2007
After a concerted effort from scientific organisations such as the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Royal College of Radiologists, the EU is no longer planning to impose draconian restrictions on the use of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners in European hospitals or research laboratories.
The EU’s Physical Agents Directive, which had been due to come into force next year, was going to place excessively low limits on the level of electromagnetic radiation that occupational physicians and researchers could be exposed to in the workplace.
IOP, the Royal College of Radiologists, the British Institute of Radiology, the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine and the British Chapter of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine all opposed the directive on the grounds that the research into negative effects of electromagnetic radiation, upon which the directive was based, was limited and based on theoretical speculation.
There are more than 20,000 MRI scanners around the world, performing more than 60 million tests every year. MRI is a physics-based, non-intrusive method used to identify alterations in living tissue which can indicate the growth of cancerous tumours or the onset of diseases like multiple sclerosis.
IOP submitted their memorandum on the European directive to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee in 2005. The Committee consulted a wide range of UK scientists and science organisations and presented their findings to the European Commission.
The European Commission announced on Monday, October 22, that they would postpone implementation of the legislation for a further four years while the latest research is compiled and evaluated.
Professor Peter Main, director of education and science at the IOP, said, “While it is of course crucial that people working with MRI scanners are protected from any harmful effects, it would be disastrous if people were denied the possibility of early diagnosis via MRI because of unfounded speculation.
“Over the next few years, alongside other scientific bodies, we will ensure that the European Commission has all the latest research to make a truly informed decision and assert the limits appropriately.”
Notes to editors:
1. To see IOP’s 2005 memorandum to the Commons Science and Technology Committee, go to http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmsctech/1654/165402.htm
2. For further information about the EU’s Physical Agents Directive or the Institute of Physics, contact Joe Winters, Press Officer for the Institute of Physics, on 020 7470 4815 or email joseph.winters@iop.org.
3. The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently around 34 000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
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