Euro threat to MRI scanners

Urgent action and public pressure is still required to stop the European Union adopting legislation restricting use of MRI scanners in the UK and throughout Europe say the Institute of Physics

Would new EU legislation limit the use of MRI?

The IOP say that the legislation – the Physical Agents (EMF) Directive – which among other things will impose a limit for exposure to low-frequency magnetic fields, is based on out dated research.

Earlier this year a last minute postponement to the Directive was introduced which delayed its implementation that would have had a serious impact on current and emerging MRI techniques.

Dr Stephen Keevil, author of an IOP report - MRI and the Physical Agents (EMF) Directive - said: “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that a range of current and emerging MRI procedures would be rendered illegal by the directive. Some of these techniques simply cannot be performed in other ways, and in other cases the only possible option would expose both the patient and workers to ionising radiation.”

Although the implementation of the directive has been postponed until April 2012, its content remains unchanged and, unless there is a further amendment, the exposure limit for low-frequency magnetic fields will still severely impair use of MRI scanners in medical practice and research.

This new report suggests that the logic behind the limit on low-frequency magnetic fields is based on out-of-date and unreplicated research and, if implemented, will result in increased use of X-rays as a diagnostic tool.

The report summarises a series of possible outcomes proposed by the European Commission and suggests that a solution specific to MRI would be more suitable than a one-size-fits-all mandatory directive as it would be easier to modify when new research about exposure levels is undertaken and, unlike the directive in its current form, could specifically address any health concerns surrounding MRI.

There are 500 MRI scanners situated in hospitals around the UK, benefitting more than one million patients every year.