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

COMARE advises on the health effects of natural and human-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 Energy Security & Net Zero

  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

  • 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

  • NHS Scotland

  • 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 human-made radiation and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research.

COMARE Work Programme 2025-2026 (PDF, 33.7 KB, 2 pages)

Publications

Latest statement

COMARE Statement on the publication ‘Low doses of ionising radiation: Definitions and Contexts’ (PDF, 59.5 KB, 3 pages)

COMARE welcomes the latest publication by Harrison et al on the definition of what constitutes a low dose of radiation, noting that the term is used differently according to context.

Documents

COMARE Annual Report 2024 (PDF, 68.1 KB, 5 pages)

COMARE Reports Collection

COMARE Early Reports

COMARE Statements

COMARE Documents

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

Meetings

Minutes

13th November 2024: COMARE 139th meeting minutes (PDF, 84 KB, 7 pages)

10th July 2024: Minutes 138th meeting (PDF, 41.3 KB, 5 pages)

6th March 2024: Minutes 137th meeting (PDF, 73.6 KB, 5 pages)

23rd November 2023: Minutes 136th meeting (PDF, 77.7 KB, 6 pages)

COMARE past meetings - minutes and agendas

Abbreviations list for COMARE meeting minutes (PDF, 99.5 KB, 4 pages)

COMARE meetings - 2025

140th meeting - 6th March 2025 - online

141st meeting - 8th July 2025 - online

141st meeting - draft agenda (PDF, 52.1 KB, 1 page)

142nd meeting - 11th November 2025 - in-person

Open meetings

COMARE holds open in-person 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 July 2022) (PDF, 67.3 KB, 3 pages)

Open meetings application form (updated July 2022) (PDF, 62.1 KB, 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)

  • Professor Amy Berrington de Gonzalez (The Institute of Cancer Research, London)

  • Professor Russell Foster (Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology , University of Oxford)

  • Dr Geoff Heyes (University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Dr Mark Hill (University of Oxford)

  • Dr Ray Kemp (Lay member)

  • Dr Mark Little (National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health)

  • Dr Colin Martin (University of Glasgow)

  • Professor Stewart Martin (University of Nottingham)

  • Dr Susan McCready-Shea

  • Dr Richard McNally (Newcastle University)

  • Professor David Read (University of Surrey)

  • Professor Lesley Rhodes (University of Manchester)

  • Professor Graham Smith (Clemson University, S.C., and GMS Abingdon Ltd)

  • Professor James Smith (University of Portsmouth)

  • Professor Malcolm Sperrin (Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Professor David Sutton (NHS Tayside)

  • Dr Samantha Terry (King’s College London)

  • Professor Mireille Toledano (Imperial College, London)

  • Dr Chris Westcott (Lay member)

COMARE Subcommittees and Working Groups (PDF, 71.2 KB, 7 pages)

Declarations of members' interests (PDF, 32.2 KB, 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, 2021) as is appropriate and in agreement with the Department of Health and Social Care.

COMARE Code of Conduct (PDF, 51.1 KB, 2 pages)

Contact

Email: comare@ukhsa.gov.uk

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

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