UK's Department of Health announced yesterday that there might be as many as 7000 more women in the UK with faulty breast implants produced by French firm, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

The total number of women in the UK, affected by the worldwide health scandal involving the France-based firm, is now believed to be 47,000. The additional women were identified after investigations into allegations that the company might have been using the sub standard implants longer than earlier thought.

UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency found that the implants made before 2001 were also of sub standard quality and posed a risk to the patients.

PIP) sold as many as 300,000 implants around the world, which were found to be harmful to the health of the women. The implants were found to be with industrial-grade silicone gel and were linked with risks of cancer. The company was closed down in France and ban was imposed on the implants.

The European Commission is expected to present proposals later this year with much tougher rules and regulations. The commission ahs been reviewing the rules form the last three years and will present its recommendations later this year.

In the UK, several thousand women received implants from various medical facilities and about 2,000 of them had them for medical reasons under the National Health Service. Some women are pursuing legal actions against clinics that used implants. PIP was shut down in 2010 following an order from the French authorities.