Women Suffering from Toxic Substance Breast Implants

Product Halted in 2010 Major Recall
Automakers Also Added Fuel Additives to Cut Costs

Stories of women suffering from ruptured illegal breast augmentation implants have been reported. These implants were made by filling harmful industrial silicone, which poses a danger to the body.

On the 14th (local time), the British media outlet Daily Mail shared the story of Beth Hewson (49), a British woman experiencing pain due to ruptured breast implants. Hewson recently visited a hospital because of breast pain. Her symptoms were reported to be so severe that she could not lie down or lift objects.

A British woman who underwent removal surgery after rupture caused by using industrial material breast implants [Image source=Daily Mail capture]

After imaging Hewson's chest at the hospital, it was confirmed that the implant used in her past breast augmentation surgery had ruptured. Hewson immediately sought implant removal surgery, but due to a long waiting list, she eventually underwent the surgery about a year later after paying approximately 18 million KRW.

The problematic implant was developed by the French company Poly Implant Proth?se (PIP). This implant was banned in 2010 after it was revealed that it was made by filling harmful industrial silicone not intended for human use. In addition, various industrial chemicals such as Syloprene and Baycylon, which are automotive fuel additives, were mixed in.

At the time of the ban, about 300,000 of these implants had already been produced and exported to 65 countries, including the UK, Western Europe, and South America. In South Korea, there have also been cases where breast surgeries using PIP implants were performed and later required removal. In 2012, a patient underwent removal surgery due to implant rupture, and the removed implant was confirmed to be a PIP product. Implants containing components not approved for medical use are known to have about six times higher risk of rupture compared to other products.