The Health Ministry first raised concerns in 2010 about implants sold by the now defunct PIP. Based on new guidance from French authorities, it advised women to remove PIP implants done after 2001.

On Thursday, it expanded the warning to include women who had implants earlier, advising them to seek medical assistance.

A March 12 letter from the French health authorities, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, was sent to several European countries. It said PIP implants were sold in Europe before 2001.

The silicone implants were banned in France between 1995 and 2001 due to health concerns, but were still manufactured and exported by PIP to other European markets, it said.

Industrial silicone used in PIP's implants has leached into women's bodies. In France, 1,262 of the roughly 300,000 implants sold have split open in the past two years.

The number of women affected by the implant scandal may now be much larger than previously thought, although it is unclear how many were sold outside France.

PIP's former owner, Jean-Claude Mas, is in prison awaiting criminal proceedings after missing bail payments. He began selling breast implants in 1992.

Silvie de Peijper, a Dutch health inspectorate spokeswoman, said there was no registry for breast implants in the Netherlands, so it was unclear how many women are at risk.

Dutch authorities estimate around 2,700 women in the Netherlands had PIP implants since 2001.

The Dutch have sought clarification from France in recent weeks about when PIP implants were sold in Europe, after questions were raised by Dutch journalists and after the publication of a Reuters “Special Report-The great French breast implant scandal." (This story, originally published on Mar 15, 2012, was corrected to remove reference to Silopren in 8th paragraph and changes the time frame in the 6th paragraph.)

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