UK scientists celebrate postponing of MRI restrictions

UK scientists have welcomed the delay of introducing an EU directive which will restrict staffs’ exposure to the emissions from MRI scanners in hospitals. The Physical Agents Directive, which was originally to be introduced in 2008, has been postponed for a further four years.

MPs had argued that the restrictions were likely to hinder diagnosis and research with the exposure restriction to be set at 100 times lower than what a patient is exposed to when undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans.

The directive was to limit exposure of staff to electromagnetic fields from zero to 300GHz. It also means that research into less invasive surgery, guided by MRI, would be rendered illegal.

Fueling scientists’ and doctors’ outrage at the prospect of the new directive is the fact that contrary to popular belief, there is very little risk aside from feeling dizzy or slightly ill when in areas of high magnetic fields, with no significant cases of health risks or illness in staff or patients noted in the last few decades.

The directive is allegedly based on a ten year old risk assessment and scientists in the UK hope to use the additional four years to research the risks of MRI and hopefully reduce the overly cautious restriction proposed by the directive.