Fw: BBC News ~ Europe considers breast implant measures (4 stories)

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From: " Ilena Rose " <ilena@...>

Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2001 11:36 AM

Subject: BBC News ~ Europe considers breast implant measures (4 stories)>

> ~~~ thanks to all our group who have worked so hard on this for years ~~~

>

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> EU backs safety checks on silicone breast implants

> 21/3/01

>

>

> New safety measures governing the use of silicone breast implants are

being

> unveiled by the European Commission.

>

> The move marks a breakthrough in a six-year campaign by ish Labour

> Euro MP Bill .

>

> He says thousands of lives are put at risk every year because of a lack of

> recognised health and safety controls.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> EUROPE BIDS TO END IMPLANT NIGHTMARE

> 21/3/01

>

>

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> NEW proposals to regulate breast implant surgery will be presented to the

> European Parliament today.

>

> They include the introduction of independent counselling for women before

> and after surgery, a register of qualified surgeons and the monitoring of

> operations across Europe.

>

> The move follows a six-year campaign by Scots Labour Euro MP Bill ,

> who has battled for regulations since he met Margo Cameron from Glasgow.

>

> Now in her mid-40s, Margo had silicone injections in her lips 10 years ago

> - but within months suffered headaches, nausea and mobility problems and

> discovered the silicone had spread throughout her body.

>

> She now suffers from multiple sclerosis and set up the Silicone Support UK

> Group in 1993 to campaign for the British Government to outlaw silicone

> implants, which are already banned in the US.

>

> Today, EU Enterprise Commissioner Erkki Liikanen is due to present the

> proposals for health and safety regulations on implants.

>

> Bill also plans to call for a minimum age limit of 18 to be

imposed.

>

> He said: " What saddens me is that there is a lot of pressure put on young

> people to have an ideal body. It is ridiculous that a 15-year-old should

be

> thinking about this. "

>

> After years fighting for the implant industry to be more tightly

regulated,

> he sees the new proposals as a watershed in the campaign.

>

> He added: " Although we have further to go, this is still a victory for the

> hundreds of women throughout the UK and Europe who have worked tirelessly

> to make sure other women do not repeat their painful experience of implant

> surgery.

>

> " The health of thousands of British women is put at risk by an implant

> industry which seems to have avoided basic standards of information and

> safety regulation.

>

> " British women are given pre-surgery implant counselling by plastic

> surgeons who make a small fortune from these operations. No wonder the

vast

> majority of women say they did not know the risks involved. "

>

> believes a comprehensive register of qualified plastic surgeons

must

> be set up, adding: " We can't tell the good guys from the bad guys.

>

> " We must put cosmetic cowboys out of business. "

>

> Silicone Support UK failed to persuade the Tories to take action when they

> were in power, while the current Labour Government set up an inquiry but

> didn't support the claims.

>

> CHRISTINE'S STORY

>

> MUM-OF-TWO on, 48, from Glasgow had breast implants to

> boost her figure in 1979.

>

> She had them removed because of health fears - and had to have a

mastectomy

> as the damage to her breasts was beyond repair.

>

> She now suffers constant pain and is too ill to continue working as a

> clothes designer. She also blames the problems with the implants for the

> break-up of her marriage.

>

> , chairman of Silicone Support UK, said: " My implants went hard

> four times within the 13 years I had them. But the methods used to treat

> the problem led to silicone being released into my body.

>

> " Studies show seven out of 10 women have suffered ruptured implants within

> 10 years. And one in five have had silicone from implants spread to other

> parts of their bodies. "

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~

>

>

> EU executive to issue guidelines on breast implants

>

> By Jucca

>

>

> BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) - The European Commission will respond to a

> seven-year campaign by women for tighter rules on breast implants by

> recommending independent counselling and close monitoring of operations,

> officials said on Wednesday.

>

> The European Union executive said it will issue " best practice " guidelines

for

> breast implants within the next four weeks, but it will stop short of

calling

> for a ban on silicone implants as some women's health activists had

wanted.

>

> " We are working on a set of recommendations...drawing the attention of

(EU)

> member states to the importance of providing sufficient information to

patients

> before the operation takes place, " Per Haugaard, spokesman for EU

Enterprise

> Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, told reporters.

>

> The guidelines are aimed at ensuring that women receiving implants, of

which

> breast implants are the most common, are given adequate independent

counselling

> on the risks before the operation. The guidelines will also include a

second

> medical opinion and national registers of all operations.

>

> The Commission's move follows a campaign started by Margo Cameron in

Britain

> after her silicon-gel lip implant spread throughout her body. Women's

health

> activists in Belgium have also pushed for EU-wide rules.

>

> " Seven years ago a woman called Margo Cameron walked in my door, " said

Bill

> , a ish Labour MEP backing the campaign. " I listened to her

story

> and thought she had a case. "

>

> said the campaigners were pushing for a total ban on silicone

implants,

> which although allowed in nearly all EU countries, have been the focus of

> health concerns.

>

> But Haugaard said the Commission had no plans to call for a ban on

silicone

> breast implants.

>

> " There is no scientific evidence showing a link between silicone and

cancer. We

> do not think there is justification for banning silicone implants, "

Haugaard

> said.

>

> SAFETY ISSUE

>

> Breast implants, which thousands of women have had either for cosmetic

reasons

> or after cancer surgery, are made from a variety of materials, including

> silicone, salt water and soya bean oil. Silicone has been used in implants

> since 1962.

>

> Of the 15 EU countries, only France has a ban on silicone-gel implants,

> although studies to determine whether they are linked to cancer and

auto-immune

> diseases have been inconclusive.

>

> The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned silicone-gel implants

for

> most women in 1992 because of safety concerns. In the United States, only

women

> participating in studies can receive them.

>

> Dow Corning, once the world's largest maker of silicone gel implants,

filed for

> protection from creditors in 1995 after it was hit with about 19,000

lawsuits

> from women alleging the implants caused health problems.

>

> The U.S. company reached a $3.2 billion settlement with a creditor

committee

> representing about 176,000 women in 1998. The company however denied the

> implants cause diseases.

>

>

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> BBC News Online: Health

>

> Wednesday, 21 March, 2001, 11:09 GMT

>

> EU considers breast implant measures

>

>

> Measures to improve the safety of silicone breast implants are being

> considered by the European Commission.

>

>

> Proposals, presented to MEPs on Wednesday by EU Enterprise Commissioner

> Erkki Liikanen, include:

>

> independent pre and post-surgery counselling, with women being given a

> " second opinion " by a specialist other than their own surgeon before

> surgery

>

> a register of qualified plastic surgeons

>

> national registers of every operation carried out in all of the 15 EU

> member states, with surveillance and monitoring of those undergoing

> surgery

>

> major studies to establish the precise health risks of implants

>

> The EU plans to issue guidelines in the next fours weeks, but it will be

> for individual EU governments to decide whether to approve the measures.

>

>

> A total ban on implants has been ruled out in the immediate future.

>

> An EU spokesman said: " There is no scientific evidence showing a link

> between silicone and cancer. We do not think there is justification for

> banning silicone implants, "

>

> The EU move marks a breakthrough in a six-year campaign by ish Euro

> MP Bill , who has warned that thousands of women's lives are being

> put at risk because of a lack of safety controls.

>

> He backed the measures being presented to the EU, and added he wanted to

> see a minimum age limit of 18 for cosmetic treatment.

>

> Women are still getting sick. They are still not being told of the

> risks before they have implants on,Silicone Support

> UK on, head of Silicone Support UK, told BBC News

> Online that her group wanted a total ban on silicone implants.

>

> Ms on, who lost breast tissue, chest muscle and lymph nodes when

> her implant ruptured and had to be removed, said if a ban was not

> possible, the group wanted tighter regulation, including a mandatory

> register of breast implants.

>

> " Women are still getting sick. They are still not being told of the risks

> before they have implants.

>

> " All silicone implants leak from day one, and they all have to be

> replaced. Every surgeon will tell you they don't last. "

>

> She said she hoped the EU would set down laws: " I actually think they are

> going to change the laws. I'm really hoping. "

>

> Ms on added that action was needed.

>

> " Everyone knows that implant shells rupture and silicone migrates to

> every organ in their body.

>

> " Women lose their breasts, some women end up in a wheelchair. Some women

> die. "

>

> Silicone Support UK, formed by Glasgow woman Margot Cameron after she

> became ill following silicone injections in her lips, wants independent

> advisors to counsel women considering cosmetic surgery.

>

> 'Painful experience'

>

> The group said surgeons are the wrong people to offer the advice as they

> have a financial interest in the operation going ahead.

>

> The group also wants a register of women who have had the operation - by

> number so women can keep their anonymity - and a register of surgeons

> properly qualified to carry out the procedure.

>

> Mr said: " This is a watershed in our campaign. Europe has

> recognised that there is a problem with silicone implants and is going to

> do something about it.

>

> " This is a victory for the hundreds of women throughout the UK and Europe

> who have worked tirelessly to make sure other women do not repeat their

> painful experience of implant surgery. "

>

> Silicone breast implants are already banned in America, Japan, Canada and

> France. A recent US study found that 69% of them rupture within 10 years.

>

>