Sweden's Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) has banned three brands of silicon breast implants due to the risk of bursting.

The agency confirmed on Thursday that it has followed the lead of the French authorities to ban the products manufactured by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

Since 2001 it is estimated that the breasts of around 35,000 to 45,000 European women have been augmented with the faulty implants. There are no firm figures for how many Swedish women may be affected, while in France around 1,000 women are set to be offered alternatives. <more>