Canadian Breast Implant Registry

Following on the heels of the highly successful and universally praised Canadian Firearms Registry, a new Canadian Breast Implant Registry has been announced.

The registry would address concerns of Health Canada that illegally sold and unregulated breast implants are making their way across the border from the US and Asian countries. It is estimated that the illegal breast trade has swelled to nearly $300 million since most breast implants were banned in Canada in the early 1990’s in a wake of device failures and court settlements.
The Breast Implant Registry would be backed by new legislation that would allow police to enter any hospital or commercial place of business without a warrant. In special circumstances, searches can be extended to allow physical examinations if illegal implants are suspected. Negotiations are underway with the provinces to hammer out who pays for removal of illegal implants, as these devices are a known threat to health, and many victims are unaware they have them.
The legislation also further restricts the use of approved breast implants, including limits on minimum age and maximum size. As of Jan 1, 2005, no implant in excess of a B cup will be legal in Canada, unless approved by a hospital committee.
Health Canada reports that about 4,500 Canadian women per year, as well as a handful of men, require surgery for breast implant related injuries or illness, and that many others go unreported. It is unknown how many illegal breasts are in Canada, but estimates go as high as 40,000.
“We are seeing just the tit of a breast implant iceberg”, says New Democrat MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis. Wasylycia-Leis is part of an all party committee looking at the problem.