MEP backs call for better breast implant checks

Chris Davies MEP

Rochdale MEP Chris Davies is backing calls for stricter EU regulation of silicone breast implants following the PIP scandal.

French company PIP is accused of using industrial silicone more commonly used in the manufacture of industrial rubber tubing instead of a more expensive medical grade silicone.

The safety certificate for the implants was issued by a private company in Germany.

Currently the EU is not allowed to perform further inspections to make sure medical implants are safe.

Over 7,000 women in the UK received the substandard implants, many of whom have since had them removed in a further operation.

Now MEPs will vote on regulations that would allow European regulators to conduct spot checks to ensure that product safety rules are being complied with.

Mr Davies said: “This is a sensible and proportional way forward for ensuring the safety of medical implants.

“National authorities will still be able to do their own safety checks but as products are sold all over the EU there needs to be an assurance that every certificate is accurate and every breast implant is fit for purpose.

“The EU shouldn’t just be providing support to women who discover they have had industrial chemicals put inside their bodies, it should be making sure products are safe in the first place.”