Fw: oldie/old news feature biased view

[Guest guest]

We are posting a few of the 'oldies', simply to give the newcomers some

'insight' into the history of where we've already been with this issue. We

will try not to 'bore' you with all of the history, as that would indeed be

a looonnnggg reading project! (To put it mildly!)

MM

Martha Murdock

National Silicone Implant Foundation

www.topica.com/lists/BreastImplantNews/

From: <S3733@...>

Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 10:35 PM

Subject: oldie/old news feature biased view

> Subject: NEWS Feature

> Newsgroups: alt.support.breast-implant

> Date: 1996/05/10

>

> NEWS FEATURE ON BREAST IMPLANTS

>

> The news feature aired at 10:00 p.m. Thursday evening, May 9, 1995, on

> KMOL Television represented a very biased view of the breast implant

> subject. The feature discussed saline implants as the only current method

> of breast augmentation, completely ignored the current issue of serious

> health effects from silicone implants, and featured women desiring

> augmentation for cosmetic purposes. This was an insult to the thousands

> of women suffering from silicone implant-related problems; moreover, it

> was an affront to the millions of women (and men) who believe cosmetic

> breast implantation represents an inappropriate emphasis on the importance

> of physical characteristics in today's society. Along with the large

> on-screen ad for a plastic surgeon association 800-number, the piece

> seemed to be an advertisement for the plastic surgeon industry, perhaps

> necessary because of their decreased business from silicone implants.

>

> The saga of the silicone implant industry is a long and sad tale of

> subjugation of women to sexual insult and ignoring of personal values; of

> treatment of women as second class citizens subject to decisions by

> male-dominated industry/society; of greed of the chemical industry; of

> failure to provide medical concern and care when needed (often in

> violation of the Hippocratic Oath); and finally of deceit and hiding

> behind an overwhelming PR campaign.

>

> Silicone implants were defective devices; at one time, over a period of 15

> years or so, the implants being produced had an ultimate failure rate of

> over 80%! At this same time, the implants were being touted by

> manufacturers as designed " for a lifetime. "

>

> Silicone implants bleed silicone compounds continually, representing an

> implanted, continuous time-release device for a drug. In the extreme they

> rupture, releasing a massive dose of foreign material into the body. In

> either case, the silicone can migrate by physical and physiological

> methods to organs throughout the body.

>

> Silicone unarguably produces local inflammatory effects, often severe.

> Coupled with migration, these effects can be widespread.

>

> Silicone may produce systemic connective tissue and neurological diseases.

> These issues are very controversial. However, silicone is an immune

> system activator, and new evidence indicates it can break down in the body

> to different silicon-containing compounds, including silica, a known

> immune system adjuvant and a suspect carcinogen. The latest and largest

> epidemiological study(J. American Medical Assoc., February 1996) indicates

> a significant increase in risk of classical connective tissue disease for

> women with silicone implants. This study did not address neurological

> disease and did not address non-classical connective tissue disease. The

> latter disease is apparently where most of the problems lie for implanted

> women.

>

> The silicone implant issue is subject to mass tort litigation against a

> group of manufacturers and of bankruptcy court negotiation for one of the

> largest chemical companies in the country -- Dow Corning Corp. Perhaps 15

> individual cases have been decided in court throughout the country,

> including a number in Texas. Many more have been settled out of court.

> The court cases have uncovered massive numbers of suppressed, internal Dow

> Corning and Dow Chemical documents which indict these companies with

> respect to consumer health protection and ethics.

>

> This story has been told in many recent magazine feature articles and in a

> number of books, including " Informed Consent " , A. Byrne, McGraw Hill,

> 1996, about the Ethics Officer of Dow Corning, Swanson and his wife,

> Colleen, who has suffered tremendously following the implantation of

> silicone implants.

>

> This " story " could make television classics such as " Roots " and " Rich Man,

> Poor Man " pale by comparison; it could make " All the President's Men " seem

> minor in importance; in fact, " Silicongate " is the name of one of the

> several current books on this story.

>

> It is a story that needs to be told to _________.

>

> Copyright © 1996, J. Schaezler,

>

>

>

> J. Schaezler, Ph.D., P.E., CIH