Subjecting immigrants to X-rays and MRIs to check their age is unethical and inaccurate, experts say

Subjecting migrants to X-rays and MRIs to assess their age is inaccurate, unethical and risks increasing NHS waiting times, radiologists say.

New laws came into force in January allowing the Ministry of the Interior to use x-rays of wrists and teeth, and MRIs of thighs and collarbones to establish whether a migrant is under 16 years of age.

Then-Home Secretary Priti Patel described the practice of adult men “posing as children” as an “appalling abuse of our system” when she announced plans for the new checks in 2022.

He warned the men were using “deceit and trickery” to gain access to children’s services and schools, where they put real pupils “at risk”.

But the UK Council of the Society of Radiographers will today ask delegates at its annual conference in Leeds to oppose the legislation, arguing that the risk of performing these scans on migrants is far greater than the threat of an adult being treated like a child.

Radiologists often carry out X-rays, MRIs and CT scans to help diagnose health problems, and shortages of staff and scanners contribute to long waits in the NHS and delays in treatments.

The use of the equipment to test migrants is controversial, with critics saying the results are inaccurate and the process unethical and potentially illegal.

The British Dental Association is among those who oppose the controls, calling them “pseudoscience.”

Richard Evans, chief executive of the Society of Radiographers, said: “When hundreds of thousands of people wait unacceptably long times for MRI scans, it is completely unjustifiable to take up machine time calculating the age of migrants.

‘No radiologist should feel obligated to perform these scans during clinical time.

The ‘Society of Radiographers’ manifesto calls on all political parties to ensure a safe service for patients and staff in all areas of radiography.

‘This new legislation risks compromising the safety of migrants being scanned and the care provided to other NHS patients.

‘It is nothing more than a measure that will grab the headlines. “There are many moral reasons to object, and also serious legal, ethical and health reasons to object.”

Explaining why checks may be useless, Mr Evans said: “An x-ray of a child’s wrist can be used to accurately assess age up to puberty. After puberty, it is unlikely to be accurate.” .

Wisdom teeth usually come in between the ages of 17 and 25, and immigrants can have a dental x-ray done to determine if they have come in.

But again, Mr Evans said this is not a safety measure either, adding: “Some people get their wisdom teeth much later than others.” But some people never get their wisdom teeth.

Under UK law, even a low dose of ionizing radiation is prohibited without patient consent.

Mr Evans said: “The Society of Radiographers opposes scanning migrants because it trivialises exposure to ionizing radiation, because issues of consent have not been adequately explored and because we are not convinced that there is adequate legal regulation for exposure to radiation.”

Although the use of MRI scans to assess age does not involve ionizing radiation, questions about consent remain.

There are also additional risks associated with the very high magnetic fields used in MRI environments.

For example, scanning someone who has metal in their body can cause injury to the person and damage to the scanning equipment.

The Home Office has previously said that two-thirds of age dispute cases have found that the individual claiming to be a child is actually over 18.