Independent MEP Marian Harkin hailed "important new EU legislation which will ensure that patients can continue to benefit from the vital use of MRI scanners".

Speaking from the European Parliament in Strasbourg ahead of a final vote by MEPs on Tuesday (11 June), Harkin said that "the revised Directive on Protecting Workers from Electromagnetic Fields is an important improvement on its 2004 predecessor, which if implemented would have prevented workers from using MRI scanners on health and safety grounds, thus effectively banning their use".

"From a medical perspective this would have been a disaster for many patients as MRI scans are essential diagnostic tools and MRI imaging technology is also used in the treatment of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart disease and brain disorder," she noted.

"Instead, a common-sense, evidence-based approach has been adopted which respects the safety of workers while also ensuring continued use of these important tools for patients. A significant improvement in the new legislation is that it deals with possible long-term effects of exposure to radiation by ensuring that as soon as conclusive scientific evidence emerges, the EU Commission shall present a new proposal on the long-term effects.

"I am pleased to have worked with the many groups who pushed for this useful revision, including the Irish Medical Association (IMO), Irish Heart Foundation, Faculty of Radiologists Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and Irish Nurses and Midwives Association (INMO)," the Independent MEP concluded.