EU Physical Agents Directive

The Wellcome Trust, as part of a coalition of UK research funders including the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is working with European partner organisations to ensure that European legislation does not impede the use of MRI in research or the clinic.

Read the UK funders’ statement [PDF 67KB] supporting the European Commission's 2011 proposals to revise the Physical Agents Directive.

History ,overview and latest news

A history and overview of the issues relating to the EU Physical Agents Directive 2004 is provided in a Wellcome Trust policy and practice highlight [PDF 70KB].

Successful work by the Trust and the MRI research community led to the implementation of the EU Physical Agents Directive being postponed from 2007 to 2012. This allowed time to review recent evidence and prepare an amendment to the Directive.

News story: MRI legislation postponed (October 2007).

Consultation response

The Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council responded to the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, emphasising the importance of research evidence in determining safe limits for electromagnetic field exposure.

Read the Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council response [PDF 26KB].