British Agency to Study the Health Effects of EM Energy from MRIs

The Chairman of Great Britain’s Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart has announced that the Agency’s Board has approved in principle the need for an epidemiological study of possible adverse health effects from high static Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. He noted, “The exposures to patients and to medical staff from the magnetic fields can be high, and there is a shortage of information on possible adverse long-term effects.The announcement follows a report to the Board from the Agency’s independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionizing Radiation (AGNIR) that made a number of recommendations on new areas for research. This recommendation followed a thorough examination of the sources of MRI exposure and the scientific evidence for biological and health effects. AGNIR Chairman Prof. Anthony Swerdlow said, “There is a pressing need for a well conducted study of mortality and cancer incidence in workers with high occupational exposure to static magnetic fields, especially those associated with medical MRI scanners. As its next step, the Agency will be setting up a Working Group. For additional details, see the announcement on the HPAwebsite.