France urges removal of breast implants

PARIS - Reuters

French Doctor Denis Boucq shows a breast implant produced by PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) company after a surgical operation on December 21, 2011 in Nice, southeastern France. AFP Photo

The French government urged tens of thousands of women on Friday to seek removal of breast implants made of a suspect silicone gel by a firm that exported its product worldwide.
 
Junior Health Minister Nora Berra said the government was recommending removal as a precautionary measure after complaints about abnormal rupture rates, but she added that there was no conclusive evidence of a link between the sub-standard silicone and cancer.
 
An estimated 30,000 women in France have had breast implants made by the now-defunct company Poly Implant Prothese SA (PIP), which produced about 100,000 implants a year before its product was ordered off the market in early 2010.