Why has COMARE extended its remit to include medical exposures to radiation?
Medical exposures account for over 97% of the annual dose to the UK population from artificial sources of radiation, and constitute approximately 14% of the average annual dose to the UK population, although obviously there will be marked variations in the doses received by individuals in the UK depending on their unique exposure characteristics. The Department of Health’s (DH) radiation protection concerns increasingly centre on medical exposures. As a consequence of this concern DH in 2005 instructed COMARE to include within its sphere of interest radiation protection from medical practices.
