Women fret over scandal-hit implants

BOGOTA, Colombia - Fear and anger are growing among women with breast implants in Latin America, a key market for the bankrupt French firm that used industrial silicone to make cheap prostheses linked to health risks.

The implants at the center of the scandal were made by the now defunct Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) and appear to have an unusually high rupture rate, prompting French authorities to urge women to have them removed.

Some 300,000 PIP implants, used in cosmetic surgery to enhance breast size or replace lost breast tissue, were sold worldwide, tens of thousands of them in Latin America, where demand for cosmetic procedures is high.