By Chung Hyun-chae
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday it launched an investigation after a mother complained about breast implant filler found in her breast milk fed to a baby.
According to the ministry, the mother, who underwent a cosmetic breast augmentation operation five years ago, requested an investigation recently. The mother's identity is undisclosed.
"We are investigating the cause of the accident," a ministry official said. "We will especially look into the main cause of the rupture ― the product itself or the patient."
The rupture of silicon filler is a common side effect of breast implants ― out of 3,600 reported cases during last four years, 66 percent involved such a rupture. But it took the authorities by surprise because the case has not yet been reported in Korea.
In an interview with the Seoul Broadcasting System on Thursday, the mother said, "while breast-feeding my baby, I found a transparent, sticky substance mixed with the breast milk."
That happened last spring, she said. The mother visited a doctor and was told that two silicone gel implants in her breasts had ruptured before flowing into her breast milk. The woman told SBS she eventually removed the ruptured implants and cut off some part of her lactiferous drift.
It's unclear how long the baby had consumed the potentially toxic milk. Doctors told her the baby is fine, but the mother is still worried. "Given that I had been breast-feeding my baby, I am worried about my child's health."
The government official said the silicon filler is known to contain high polymer chemistry substances, and poses no serious health concern, but some doctors dispute that point.
The reason for the rupture has also yet to be verified. The ministry plans to focus on clarifying if the implant component was released through the woman's lactiferous drift. In the wake of the issue, the ministry said it will strengthen the reassessment of the breast implant which was introduced last year.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday it launched an investigation after a mother complained about breast implant filler found in her breast milk fed to a baby.
According to the ministry, the mother, who underwent a cosmetic breast augmentation operation five years ago, requested an investigation recently. The mother's identity is undisclosed.
"We are investigating the cause of the accident," a ministry official said. "We will especially look into the main cause of the rupture ― the product itself or the patient."
The rupture of silicon filler is a common side effect of breast implants ― out of 3,600 reported cases during last four years, 66 percent involved such a rupture. But it took the authorities by surprise because the case has not yet been reported in Korea.
In an interview with the Seoul Broadcasting System on Thursday, the mother said, "while breast-feeding my baby, I found a transparent, sticky substance mixed with the breast milk."
That happened last spring, she said. The mother visited a doctor and was told that two silicone gel implants in her breasts had ruptured before flowing into her breast milk. The woman told SBS she eventually removed the ruptured implants and cut off some part of her lactiferous drift.
It's unclear how long the baby had consumed the potentially toxic milk. Doctors told her the baby is fine, but the mother is still worried. "Given that I had been breast-feeding my baby, I am worried about my child's health."
The government official said the silicon filler is known to contain high polymer chemistry substances, and poses no serious health concern, but some doctors dispute that point.
The reason for the rupture has also yet to be verified. The ministry plans to focus on clarifying if the implant component was released through the woman's lactiferous drift. In the wake of the issue, the ministry said it will strengthen the reassessment of the breast implant which was introduced last year.
