Strasbourg, 14/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Adopting, by 422 votes, against 70 and 22 abstentions, the report by Janelly Fourtou (EPP, French), the European Parliament welcomes the European Commission's intention to adopt, this year, a Communication proposing measures in view of guaranteeing greater safety for breast implants. The EP insists in particular on the quality and safety of silicon implants as well as the framing of the surgical act, and its recommendations firstly aim to inform patients. The EP feels that any advertising for breast implants in the framework of cosmetic surgery should include health warnings, of residual dangers and side effects, inherent in such operations. It favours the introduction of a consent form signed by the patient the surgeon as well as the obligatory institution of national registries for breast implants. Furthermore the Parliament calls for the ban on breast implants for those under eighteen. The research should cover: - The long-term impact of this form of surgery; - the trusted techniques to measure silicon concentrations in the fluids and tissue and the tissue reactions to the presence of silicon; - local complications.
Mrs Fourtou, whose report follows-on from several petitions calling for an immediate ban on silicon implants, explained to EUROPE that such a ban for reasons of public health protection can only be envisaged at the time being due to sparse information available on this form of act and the absence of scientific studies demonstrating the dangerous nature of silicon implants. From where the need to establish registers enabling to gather the necessary data and ensure a better follow-up for patients. She justifies the ban for minors (who must either way have parental consent) by the protection of minors against possible pressure from "unscrupulous" modelling agencies, but also by the specific nature of the damage that could be linked to an operation on a chest, which is not entirely developed. Mrs Fourtou also explained that warnings should in particular inform women of the temporary nature of this kind of cosmetic surgery operation.