MRI SCANNERS SAVED BY EU U-TURN

12.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 26th Oct 2007

The European Commission has u-turned on a controversial directive which would have restricted the use of high-tech MRI scanners, used to detect early signs of cancer amongst other things.

The EU directive had threatened to severely restrict their use by banning new applications and limiting staff operating times but has now been delayed for four years by the European Commission, allowing reviews of the risks involved.

Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne, Vice President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, had campaigned hard for a delay after outcries from leading scientists and experts in the UK. She today expressed relief at the decision:

"The Commission's u-turn is a victory for common sense. Health and safety legislation must be based on the latest medical and scientific advice, not non-existent risks and the egos of Brussels bureaucrats.

"The medical profession's evidence has always been against restricting MRI scanner use, which is why I campaigned to have them left out of the directive in the first place.

"These machines are vital life-savers and have been used safely for 25 years. Limiting their use would have been a backward step in patient care.

"The guidelines imposed by the directive are unnecessary and overcautious. MRI scanners pose no known health risks, and medical staff are already protected under the Medical Devices Directive. I hope a four-year delay will give experts the time to prove this."

ENDS

Note to editors:

Please find a link to the Commission's press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1610&type=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Liz Lynne is a leading campaigner in the Alliance for MRI, a group comprising patients' groups, medical experts and politicians across Europe which is urging amendment of EU Directive 2004/40/EC.

Liz Lynne was shadow for the Physical Agents Directive for the wider Liberal and Democrat Group in the European Parliament and worked hard at the time this directive went through the Parliament to exclude medical devices and static magnetic fields from its scope but without the political support of Socialist or Conservative MEPs.

Last year Liz Lynne gave evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on the use of scientific evidence in their review of the Electromagnetic Fields Directive. The House of Commons report critised the European Commission's use of scientific evidence.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmsctech/1654/1654.pdf

Liz Lynne has tabled a number of parliamentary questions to the European Commission asking them to consider an amendment to the 2004 Electro Magnetic Fields Directive as well as holding meetings with Commissioner Spidla to discuss the issue and speaking on the issue in debates in the European Parliament since 2005.