There has been a lot in the news today about breast implants by French company, PIP, and concerns about their safety. In France, 30,000 women who have had the implants fitted will be entitled to have them removed at the governments’s cost. The potential problems are due to PIP’s use of cheaper, industrial-grade silicone intended for use in electronics, mattresses or agriculture and not approved for medical use, which can lead to the increased risk of rupture, leading to inflammation.
Here in the UK many women also have these inferior implants and yet our government is not planning any action. Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, insisted the estimated 40,000 British women with PIP implants “should not be unduly worried”. She said: “We have no evidence of a link to cancer or an increased risk of rupture. While we respect the French decision, no other country is taking similar steps. Because of this, and because removing these implants carries risk in itself, we are not advising routine removal.”
France, as a country, believes in adopting the precautionary principle, as I do. For example, they have banned the use of mobile phones by children. Furthermore, my campaign is called “Healthy Breasts For Every Woman” and even if these implants do not cause cancer, the inflammation means not having healthy breasts. Also a court hearing in Cardiff next month will see lawyers apply for a group litigation order, so that a class action could be launched against at least six clinics.Mark Harvey, a partner at Hugh James solicitors which is representing more than 250 women, said some clients complained of inflammation, fatigue and fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal pain disorder, which, if not cancer, are still unwanted conditions.
Nikki Mattei
Healthy Breasts For Every Woman Campaign
