Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE)

COMARE advises on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation, both ionising and non-ionising.

Contents

Vacancies

DH is advertising posts for the Chair of the committee and for 5 members. For more information please go to Working for DH.

Role of the group

COMARE is a Department of Health expert committee, but it provides independent advice to all government departments and agencies.

At its meetings, the committee has representatives from:

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

  • Department of Energy and Climate Change

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

  • Department of Health

  • Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland)

  • Environment Agency

  • Food Standards Agency

  • Health and Safety Executive

  • Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland

  • Medical Research Council

  • Ministry of Defence

  • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

  • Office of National Statistics

  • Public Health England

  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency

  • Scottish Government

  • Welsh Government

Terms of reference

To assess and advise government and the devolved authorities on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research.

Work programme: 2014 (PDF, 27.2KB, 2 pages)

Publications

COMARE Annual Report: 2013 (PDF, 130KB, 2 pages)

COMARE reports

Past documents, including statements and history of the committee, are held on the National Archives website.

Minutes

16 July 2014: Minutes 108th meeting (PDF, 75.1KB, 8 pages)

19 March 2014: Minutes 107th meeting (PDF, 56.4KB, 5 pages)

12 November 2013: Minutes 106th meeting (PDF, 67.7KB, 8 pages)

For previous minutes please go to the National Archives website.

Membership

COMARE chooses members for their medical and scientific expertise and has never had members from the nuclear or electrical power supply industries. Current members are:

  • Professor Alex Elliott, Chair (University of Glasgow)

  • Dr Jane Barrett

  • Dr Paul Darragh (Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland)

  • Dr Frank de Vocht (University of Bristol)

  • Professor William Evans (University Hospital of Wales)

  • Dr Brenda Howard (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, NERC)

  • Professor Munira Kadhim (Oxford Brookes University)

  • Professor Peter Marsden (UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Professor Stephanie McKeown (University of Ulster)

  • Dr Tom Nunan (retired)

  • Dr Mark Pearce (Newcastle University)

  • Mr Ian Robinson (consultant on nuclear and radiation safety)

  • Professor Roger Taylor (Swansea University)

  • Professor Richard Wakeford (University of Manchester)

  • Professor Peter Warwick (Loughborough University)

  • Professor Catharine West (University of Manchester)

Subcommittee, working group and secretariat membership (PDF, 19.4KB, 2 pages)

Declaration of members' interests (PDF, 87.3KB, 5 pages)

Code of practice

COMARE adheres to the guidelines laid down in the code of practice for scientific advisory committees (Government Office for Science, 2011) as is appropriate and in agreement with the Department of Health.

Contact

Email: comare@phe.gov.uk

COMARE Secretariat
c/o Public Health England
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards
Chilton
Oxon OX11 0RQ
Telephone: 01235 825397