Mentor's First Story

[Guest guest]

More women than ever, it seems, want large breasts. Women are entering contests to get them. They're dipping into their savings accounts or maxing out their credit cards to buy them.

Listen to Bartlett and McKie's reportsthis week on CBC Radio's World Report and The World at Six.

Every year thousands of Canadian women have breast implants. Some have them to replace breasts lost to cancer but the majority simply wants a bigger, firmer, shapelier bosom. In fact breast enhancement is one of the most popular forms of plastic surgery in North America.

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But the desire for bigger breasts is only one side of the story. There's another side that doesn't get much attention anymore. It's the story of the thousands of women who became sick after having breast implants that contained silicone gel. The use of the implants was restricted in the early 1990s because the manufacturers couldn't prove they were safe. Today, these "silicone women" are still sick but they are told that their illnesses are not caused by their implants, despite the fact that thousands and thousands of women who had silicone breast implants have only one thing in common — their medical symptoms.

After silicone implants were taken off the market for mass distribution, saline implants, considered an imperfect replacement, became the only type widely available in North America. Saline is a salt-water solution. Women are told that if saline implants rupture there is no risk because the salt water will simply move through the body and be excreted in their urine. But doctors are seeing cases where the saline becomes contaminated with bacteria, creating health problems similar to those that the "silicone women" experienced.

Most recently there has been talk of bringing silicone implants back into general use. The new improved version is said to be more like Jell-o rather than the liquid of the past and that is said to guarantee that, should the implants rupture, silicone will not be released into the body. In 1999, Health Canada began a special access program to allow some women to receive silicone breast implants. The plastic surgeon must apply to Health Canada, giving medical reasons why silicone would be a better choice. So far more than 400 women have received silicone implants under the special access program.

On this Web site you will hear the stories of women who have had silicone and saline breast implants. You can listen to doctors talk about the pros and cons of silicone and saline implants. You will find links to chat groups, support groups, information about class action suits in Canada and the United States, and regulatory sites such as Health Canada and the FDA in the U.S.

One thing everyone on both sides of the issue agrees with is that women need to be informed before making a decision to get breast implants. And that information should not come only from plastic surgeons or friends and neighbours. Health Canada has information on its Web site.

There were class action lawsuits against manufacturers. Some were settled out of court, but the largest, against Dow Chemical, is still stuck in litigation. In the meantime, the "silicone women" have received no money. They are still sick. They are angry. While they fight their own cases, they are also waging a campaign to have the devices banned on both sides of the border. These warriors say if they're not successful, a new generation of women will be doomed to the same fate of ill-health and misery.

Martha Murdock, DirectorNational Silicone Implant FoundationDallas, Texas Headquarters

Purposes for which the Corporation (NSIF) is organized are to perform the charitable activities within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 501©(3) and Texas Tax Code Section 11.18 ©(1).Specifically, the Corporation is organized for the purposes of education and research of Ilicone-related disease.

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