18/06/2012

Final Report Finds PIP Implants Not Toxic

The final report into the PIP breast implant scandal has concluded that the gel material does not cause any long-term threat to human health.

The review, led by Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, said they do have double the rupture rate of other implants, however the implants, which were made with unauthorised silicone filler, are not toxic nor carcinogenic.

Around 47,000 women in the UK have had the implants fitted.

Around 95% were fitted privately. A minority of operations were carried out on the NHS, mostly for breast reconstruction following cancer.

Prof Keogh said women had faced an "incredibly worrying time".

He said that repeated tests in many countries have "shown that the implants are not toxic and therefore we do not believe they are a threat to the long-term health of women who have PIP implants".

He added: "We have however found that these implants are substandard, when compared to other implants and that they are more likely to rupture. We would therefore advise that women who have symptoms of a rupture - for example tenderness, soreness or lumpiness - should speak to their surgeon or GP."

(H)


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