Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation

The Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation (AGIR) advises Public Health England on radiation hazards.

This group has closed

The Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation (AGIR) was an independent scientific advisory group set up in 1995 to report to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and ultimately Public Health England (PHE). Since the group completed its work in 2014, there is no longer a need for this group.

Past publications can be viewed on the UK Government Web Archive.

The AGIR was responsible for advising PHE about the risks posed to human beings by the use of ionising radiation. This applied to medical, public health, occupational and environmental exposures.

It met annually, except in extreme cases.

Terms of reference

To review work on the biological and medical effects of ionising radiation relevant to human health in the occupational, public health, medical and environmental fields, and advise on research priorities.

Issues within AGIR’s terms of reference included:

  • genetic heterogeneity of response to radiation
  • guidance on the promotion of further optimisation of medical exposures
  • epidemiology of second cancer
  • reassessment of the risks of radiation-induced leukaemias and lymphomas in the UK population
  • risks from exposure to tritium
  • high-dose radiation effects and tissue injury
  • radon and public health
  • circulatory disease risk
  • solid cancer risk
  • human radiosensitivity

Membership

The members and observers were:

  • Dr Dudley Goodhead OBE (acting Chair), MRC Harwell (retired)
  • Professor Peter Hoskin, University College London Hospitals
  • Dr Mark Little, US National Cancer Institute, Bethesda
  • Professor Trevor McMillan, Keele University
  • Dr Hilary Walker, Department of Health (Observer)
  • Dr Stuart Conney, Department of Health (Observer)

Bibliography

AGIR (1999a). Genetic heterogeneity in the population and its implications for radiation risk. Report of an Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Doc NRPB, 10 (3), 1-47.

AGIR (1999b). Guidelines on patient doses to promote the optimisation of protection for diagniostic medical exposures. Report of an Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Doc NRPB, 10 (1), 1-43.

AGIR (2000). Risks of second cancer in therapeutically irradiated populations: comparison with cancer risks in the Japanese atomic bomb survivors and in other exposed groups. Report of an Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Doc NRPB, 11 (1), 1-105.

AGIR (2003). Risk of leukaemia and related malignancies following radiation exposure: estimates for the UK population. Report of an Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Doc NRPB, 14 (1), 1-119.

AGIR (2007), Review of risks from tritium. Report of the independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc HPA, RCE-4, 1-90.

AGIR (2009a), High dose radiation effects and tissue injury. Report of the independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc HPA, RCE-10, 1-94.

AGIR (2009b), Radon and public health. Report of the independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc. HPA, RCE-11,1-240.

AGIR (2010). Circulatory disease risk. Report of the independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc HPA, RCE-16, 1-116.

AGIR (2011). Risk of solid cancers following radiation exposure: estimates for the UK population. Report of the independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc HPA, RCE-19, 1-258.

AGIR (2013a). Evidence for transgenerational effects following exposure to ionising radiation. A briefing note prepared by a subgroup of the Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton.

AGIR (2013b). Human radiosensitivity. Report of the Independent Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation. Chilton, Doc HPA, RCE-21, 1-152.

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