Souvenir baby scans warning

Although scans are important to check the health of babies, the Health Protection Agency said there were potential health risks which meant that they should not be used unless there was good reason to do so.

The HPA's comments follow a report by its independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation which gave ultrasound a clean bill of health and said there was no evidence of specific hazards. However, there had been some unconfirmed reports suggesting possible effects on the developing nervous system.

HPA chief executive Justin McCracken said: "Overall, there is a track record of safety with diagnostic use of ultrasound, so people should continue using ultrasound for medical purposes. However, there are some uncertainties that need to be clarified through additional research."