The controversial breast implants banned in France will not cause cancer, British experts said yesterday.
The group, led by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, said the Pip implants were low quality – but did not contain cancer causing substances.
Their poor design means the failure rate is twice that of other implants. And some women who received them have experienced unpleasant side-effects following a rupture.
Professor Keogh’s group has studied information on some 240,000 breast implants and some 5,600 operations to remove implants.
The group found the implants contained large amounts of compounds called siloxanes, found in hair and skin care products. The substance is similar to the silicone, which should have been used, but less strong.
The findings mean the NHS has reinforced its existing policy of offering to back women who want the implants removed. It also led to repeat calls for private clinics to do more to support women who received the implants.
The NHS has so far seen more than 7,000 women who had the implants – and some 490 have asked for removal.
Sir Bruce said: “This has been an incredibly worrying time for women. We have been determined to look thoroughly at all available evidence so we are able to give them the best clinical advice possible.
“Repeated tests on different batches of PiP implants have been carried out in the UK, France and Australia according to international standards. Those tests 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."
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