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.

Role of the group

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

At its meetings, the committee has representatives from:

  • Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

  • Department of Health and Social Care

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

  • Environment Agency

  • Food Standards Agency

  • Food Standards Scotland

  • Health and Safety Executive

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

  • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

  • Office for Nuclear Regulation

  • Public Health Scotland

  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency

  • Scottish Government

  • UK Health Security Agency

  • Welsh Government

Terms of reference

To assess and advise government and the devolved administrations 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: 2021-2022 (PDF, 31.6KB, 2 pages)

Publications

Annual Report: 2020 (PDF, 63.1KB, 4 pages)

COMARE Reports

COMARE Statement (PDF, 99.3KB, 1 page) on the ‘Analysis of cancers associated with radiation in the area around Dalgety Bay, 2008-2017 - An update for the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE)’ - Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland

COMARE - files for early reports, statements and other documents

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

Meetings

Minutes

8th July 2021: Minutes 129th meeting (PDF, 64KB, 7 pages)

11th March 2021: Minutes 128th meeting (PDF, 60.2KB, 7 pages)

12th November 2020: Minutes 127th meeting (PDF, 62.2KB, 7 pages)

9th July 2020: Minutes 126th meeting (PDF, 49.6KB, 7 pages)

COMARE meeting minutes and agendas

Abbreviations list for COMARE meeting minutes (PDF, 76.3KB, 3 pages)

Future meetings - 2021-2022

130th meeting - 18th November 2021

130th meeting draft agenda (PDF, 21.5KB, 1 page)

Note: the 130th meeting will be held online and applications for observers to the meeting will not be accepted for this meeting.

131st meeting - 11th March 2022

132nd meeting - 7th July 2022

133rd meeting - 15th November 2022

Open meetings

COMARE holds open meetings to increase the visibility and transparency of its work. To attend a meeting as an observer, you will need to send an open meetings application form to the secretariat and follow the code of conduct for observers.

Procedure for open meetings (updated September 2019) (PDF, 67.4KB, 3 pages)

Open meetings application form (updated September 2019) (PDF, 63.1KB, 3 pages)

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 John Harrison (Chair)

  • Dr Jane Barrett

  • Professor Frank de Vocht (University of Bristol)

  • Dr Mark Hill (University of Oxford)

  • Dr Ray Kemp (Lay member)

  • Dr Colin Martin (University of Glasgow)

  • Professor Stewart Martin (University of Nottingham)

  • Dr Susan McCready-Shea

  • Dr Richard McNally (Newcastle University)

  • Dr Teik Chooi Oh (Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)

  • Professor Paul Pharoah (University of Cambridge)

  • Professor David Read (University of Surrey)

  • Professor Lesley Rhodes (University of Manchester)

  • Professor Graham Smith

  • Professor James Smith (University of Portsmouth)

  • Professor Malcolm Sperrin (Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Professor David Sutton (NHS Tayside)

  • Professor Roger Taylor (Swansea University)

  • Professor Mireille Toledano (Imperial College, London)

  • Dr Chris Westcott (Lay member)

Subcommittee, working group and secretariat membership (PDF, 26.8KB, 1 page)

Declaration of members' interests (PDF, 29.3KB, 1 page)

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 and Social Care.

COMARE Code of Conduct (PDF, 50.5KB, 2 pages)

Contact

Email: comare@phe.gov.uk

COMARE Secretariat
c/o UK Health Security Agency
Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards
Chilton
Oxon OX11 0RQ

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