In 2010, French authorities announced that the manufacturer of PIP silicone breast implants had been fraudulently substituting the silicone gel that had been authorised by regulators as being suitable for use in these implants, with another gel that had not been approved for this use.

 

Women with PIP silicone breast implants who have breastfed, are currently breastfeeding, or are contemplating breastfeeding their baby will understandably be concerned about whether there are any health risks to themselves or their baby from their implants.

 

Silicone is widely used - most teats on babies’ bottles are made from silicone, silicone is used in nappy rash creams, children’s medicines for colic and reflux, and silicone is also present in many cosmetics, hair shampoos, perfumes, and

deodorants used by breastfeeding women.

 

Silicone compounds, including those found in PIP breast implants, have been the subject of intense scientific study for over 50 years, and are generally accepted as being safe for a wide variety of medical and other uses.

 

A major review of the safety of silicone breast implants published by the US Institute of Medicine in 19991 concluded that “there do not appear to be long-term systemic toxic effects from silicone gel implants or from unsuspected compounds in these gels or elastomers”.   A more recent (2007)2 review again found no evidence that silicone breast implants had any toxic effects in pregnant or breast-feeding women.

 

Following the worldwide recall of these implants in 2010, the unauthorised gel used in PIP implants has been subjected to a considerable amount of scientific testing both in Australia and in other countries.   Fortunately, none of the tests undertaken to date has shown the presence of any chemicals that are likely to pose a health risk for either a woman with the implants, or her baby during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

 

Analysis of the silicone used in PIP implants has to date only revealed the same chemicals that are present in other silicone implants, and biological testing has not shown any toxic effects on living cells of the silicone used in PIP implants.   It is not uncommon for some silicone to remain in breast tissue following removal of any ruptured implant, but there is no evidence that this is a health risk, or that the risk would be any greater with PIP implants compared to others.