Silicone breasts `are safe'

Silicone breast implants do not damage the immune system and do not cause connective-tissue disease among women who have them, according to the latest study of one of the most vexed issues in medicine.

No good evidence has been produced that implants cause such problems, the British Medical Journal says, yet US manufacturers have paid $4bn (pounds 2.48bn) to women with them and in Britain the Department of Health has set up an inquiry, due to report in spring.

The new study found that the incidence of immunological disorders in 7,000 Swedish women with implants was no higher than in 3,000 women who had had surgery to reduce the size of their breasts.

In an editorial the BMJ says the results add weight to the conclusion that implants are safe, although they are associated with less serious problems such as hardening and occasional rupture.

"It is difficult to see how epidemiological studies will shed more light on this," it says.

In a letter to the journal, three plastic surgeons question the granting of legal aid to a woman with silicone implants who claims they are to blame for her child's stomach cramps, skin problems and food allergies after breast-feeding.

The authors say silicone is used for teats for infant bottles and is a constituent of baby-milk formula.

- Jeremy Laurance

Health Editor