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18 March 2010

Answer to Question #4945 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Radiation Workers — Pregnant Workers

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I am an operator of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. I am pregnant and would like to know what type of risk I have working with the MRI machine. Can I work with 1.5 tesla MRI machine? Must I stop working with this machine?

Let me assure you that you can continue working around the MRI unit. In fact, there is no evidence in the scientific literature that a standard diagnostic MRI performed on a person who is pregnant will cause fetal biological effects. The literature suggests that the strength of the magnetic resonance (MR) field at diagnostic levels does not affect DNA synthesis, cell cycle, or proliferation kinetics in a fetus. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies have strict limits on MRI field strengths at diagnostic levels.

Kelly Classic
Certified Medical Health Physicist

Answer posted on 5 January 2006. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.