As medical professionals, physicians, and patients meet in Washington to discuss the health risks of breast implants, a Canadian petition calling on the government to conduct a similar investigation is gaining traction online.
is asking Health Canada to form an independent committee to conduct a hearing to examine the correlation between breast implants, autoimmune diseases, and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), which is a serious and rare form of cancer that affects the immune system.
The petition鈥檚 organizer, Judith Coates, an Ontario woman who had her breast implants removed after she says she suffered painful side-effects from them, is also urging the government to require more transparency from breast implant manufacturers about the chemicals they use in the surgical enhancements.
Additionally, Coates is asking that plastic surgeons be held accountable for disclosing the potential risks to their patients. The petition also calls for mandatory testing for BIA-ALCL of all recipients of textured breast implants, the type of implant linked to the cancer, along with mandatory reporting of all confirmed cases of BIA-ALCL.
As of Tuesday morning, the petition has received 2,599 signatures since it was first launched in December 2018.
Although they have been banned in 40 countries, textured implants 鈥� which have a rough, sandpaper-like surface and adhere to the body better than smooth implants 鈥� are still available in Canada and the U.S.
However, both Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have acknowledged that textured implants can lead to BIA-ALCL.
In January 2019, Health Canada announced it would be updating its earlier safety review of breast implants from 2017. The agency said they have received reports of 22 confirmed and 22 suspected cases of BIA-ALCL.
to be completed in spring 2019, according to Health Canada.
鈥淯pon completion, Health Canada will take action as required and inform Canadians and healthcare providers,鈥� the agency said on its website.
In the U.S., the FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee鈥檚 General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel, which is holding the two-day meeting in Washington, will make recommendations concerning the benefits and risks of breast implants.
Breast implant illness
Despite Health Canada鈥檚 second safety review concerning BIA-ALCL, the petition鈥檚 supporters want the agency to go one step further and look into 鈥渂reast implant illness,鈥� an umbrella term for a variety of health problems women claim are associated with the surgical enhancements.
Those illnesses have not been officially recognized by health authorities in Canada or the U.S.
According to the petition, thousands of Canadian women have experienced symptoms including extreme fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, rash and skin disorders, and anxiety, after they received breast implants.
Ashley Dale Grant, a fitness trained from Clarington, Ont., is one of those women. She had her breast implants 鈥渆xplanted鈥� or removed in the spring of 2018 after she said she was suffering pain, hormonal problems, a loss of her period, and skin rashes.
Nearly a year later, Dale Grant said her health has drastically improved.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible how much better I feel. There were things that were happening to me that I didn鈥檛 even associate with the breast implants that have actually improved,鈥� she told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Tuesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a significant difference in my health.鈥�
Dale Grant is supporting Coates鈥� petition and said she hopes future recipients are more informed than she was when she received her breast implants.
鈥淚 just want proper testing done and proper consent with doctors and patients making sure that we know all of the risks that are involved when getting breast implants,鈥� she explained.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Health Canada said the agency recognizes the association between breast implants and cancer, but not other illnesses.
鈥淭o date, there is no evidence that breast implants cause or are statistically associated with breast implant-related illnesses,鈥� the statement to CTV鈥檚 Your Morning read.
Dale Grant said she鈥檚 frustrated by Health Canada鈥檚 refusal to recognize a link between symptoms she suffered and breast implants.
鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 irresponsible for them to say that it can cause breast implant-associated cancers, but no other illness at all,鈥� she said.
The petition will be closed to signatures on April 3 and then it will be submitted to the government for consideration.
