Watchdog reveals real danger of PIP implants
When the PIP health scandal hit headlines in 2010, it kickstarted a worldwide trend that saw thousands of women having their implants removed. Now, the French Agency for the Safety of Health Products (ANSM) has revealed the seriousness of the ongoing situation in its damning new report.Back in 2001, just 13 women had their PIP implants removed but within a decade that number had reached 2,406. A year later, in 2012, the figure leapt to a staggering 14,990 and by the end of May this year, a total of 16,426 had had operations performed amid fears that the implants posed a potential health risk.
Around 5,500 of these women have been victims of the faulty PIP implants, which were made using industrial grade silicone, and over a quarter of all implants showed some sign of damage.
From minor lacerations, holes and discolouration to dangerous ruptures and large scale tears in the implants, the ANSM has reported a range of malfunctions that it attributes to the poor quality manufacturing processes of PIP.
A further 2,883 women reported inflammation, leakages and allergic reactions to the substandard implants.
According to the ANSM, women most affected by serious health implications, such as ruptures, are those who have had implants for five to seven years.
While some women were told it was necessary to have their implants removed, around 12,000 women chose to have their implants taken out as a preventative measure.
However, in 20 per cent of these 'preventative removals', the ANSM reports that there were already developing problems with the implants that medical staff had been unable to identify.
The report also tackled the widely spread rumour that the implants have been linked to cancer. "There have been 70 cases of breast cancer among PIP carriers," says the ANSM, "but the detected tumours are not associated."
It is believed that there are 30,000 women in France who still carry PIP implants.
