(Image source: Poly Implant Prothese)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

Fears over the safety of silicone breast implants are spreading across Europe, Australia and South America this week. Here’s Al Jazeera with the story.

“It’s implants such as these that are the problem. Made by the now-defunct French company PIP, they were found to be carrying a silicone gel not approved for medical use.
It’s not just France that’s concerned --- PIP was ranked third in the world, and 87 percent of the product was exported -- so we’re looking at 300,000 to 400,000 potential victims in the world.”

In France, about 2,000 complaints have been made over the implants, which are said to be rupturing. PIP went into liquidation after the implants were recalled due to the abnormally high rupture rates -- and now, there’s concern that the implants might cause cancer or other illnesses.

But the BBC spoke with British medical authorities, who say-- don’t panic yet.

“We did extensive testing on this -- and found no cause for concern in terms of safety issues or chemical issues. We’ve also looked at any association with cancer -- we’ve worked with the professional bodies, the Cancer Registry on this, and we can find no association with any cancer.”

The French government says it will pay for the removal of the implants for anyone who has them in France, but in the UK -- about 250 women want to sue. The Daily Mail spoke with the group’s lawyer, who says they can’t sue PIP because its bankrupt, so they’re suing the clinics where they had surgery.

“He said that the clinics had charged clients thousands of pounds to fit the implants, worth only a few hundred pounds, and had entered into contracts promising the implants would last a lifetime and would not rupture or leak silicone.

And a writer for The Guardian points out the dangers of news like this -- noting that breast enhancement is the most common cosmetic procedure in the UK. She says this is all part of a bigger problem.

“We do not need an implant scandal to tell us there's something deeply messed up about all this … The tens of thousands of women currently worrying about the sacs they have paid to have sewn under their skin are not all vain, or stupid, or duped by patriarchy. Among the very worst things contemporary capitalism does to women is its manipulation of our desire for independence, our legitimate longing to be confident and respected, in order to sell us shoes, handbags and dangerous medical procedures.”