platinum in breast implant envelopes (the coverings)

[Guest guest]

Platinum is a heavy metal similar to mercury...

M.

" A complex platinum salt, hexachloroplatinate, has been used in silicone

gel-filled breast implants as a catalyst in both the gel and envelope.

Platinum salt exposure has been associated with a range of problems, from

positive skin-patch tests (indicating an allergic reaction) and contact

dermatitis, to more serious problems such as asthma, immunogenicity, inhibitory

effects on brain enzymes (brain damage), neurotoxicity (nerve damage),

mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and allergic anaphylactic reactions.

Recent studies have shown that there are significant amount of platinum in

silicone breast implant gel and envelopes. Platinum has been shown to leak out

and accumulate in the scar tissue and fat tissue of women exposed to silicone

breast implants.

Platinum in compounds that occur in oxidation states other than zero (0) may be

harmful to human health. In the compound hexachloroplatinate, the oxidation

state of platinum is +4. No previous study ever published actually analyzed a

breast implant or explant for the various forms of platinum. "

Online source; http://www.humanticsfoundation.com/cando.htm

original source; research published on-line April 1, 2006 by Analytical

Chemistry, a peer-reviewed chemistry journal.

[Guest guest]

Sorry.

You all probably knew this.

I had meant to post this to the breast cancer support group and I will. So many

of those women are thinking that the " new " implants are the safe ones :-(

I am also sending them the short well written summary of McDonough's story.

" From 1971 until 1981, I portrayed on The Waltons. It was a wonderful

experience, and when it was over I was 21 and wanted to continue to work as an

actress. I studied, took classes, and did theater. But, it didn't take long to

realize that it wasn't enough to be the " All American Girl " anymore. I was told

that I would have more opportunities as an actress if I was sexier. And I was

told that bigger breasts would make me sexier. I was advised to get breast

implants, but I was reluctant. I carefully considered it, asking the doctors all

the usual questions about risks. The plastic surgeon told me that they were safe

and would last a lifetime. And so, at the age of 24, I took their advice. I was

so embarrassed, I didn't even tell my mother.

I later found out that it was impossible for me to make an informed choice,

because the information was not available to me, or any woman, in 1984. Not a

single study had ever been done on any women to find out whether they were safe.

If I had been told by my doctor that after having implants I might break

out in rashes, run fevers, and become sensitive to light, I never would have had

implants. If I had been told I would have muscle pain, that I would be stiff,

and have chronic fatigue, I never would have had implants. If my doctor had told

me that I would wake up feeling like I was hit in the head with a frying pan,

that I would have dry eyes, shooting pain in my ribs and chest, and my breasts

would ache, I never would have had implants. If he had told me there was even

the slightest chance that I might develop connective tissue disease or that I

wouldn't be able to pick my daughter up or hold her close, believe me, I never

would have made that choice.

Within the first 24 hours my chest and back had a terrible rash. The other

symptoms developed over the years. I never imagined that the implants were the

cause. As I got sicker and sicker, my career went downhill. My illness also put

a strain on my marriage. Finally, in 1993, I received a phone call from a friend

who had also had implants. She told me that when her implants were removed, they

found a cyst the size of a golf ball lodged behind the implant. I began to

wonder whether my implants might be causing problems for me too. But I didn't

want to believe it, and I didn't rush to judgement. When I eventually decided to

have the implants removed a year later, the surgeon found that the silicone

envelopes and polyurethane foam that had covered the implants had disintegrated

inside my body. All that was left was the silicone gel, surrounded by my body's

own scar tissue.

It is difficult and time-consuming to remove broken implants, and the

surgery took hours longer than expected. Like most explanted women, I was left

with smaller breasts than I had before the implants. So, even though the health

risks of implants are a controversial issue, many of my problems were very

obviously related to the implants: the rupture, the disintegration of the foam

and silicone envelope, the loss of breast tissue, the chest pain, and the

rashes. These are what are often called " local complications " - a term that

sounds much less serious than the reality.

As I was getting sicker, my doctors kept reassuring me that it was nothing

to worry about - after all, aches and pains were a natural part of growing

older. But I was in my early 30's, and I felt like an old woman. When I asked

whether I should get my implants removed, my doctors advised against it, saying

it would not improve my health, and would probably make me severely depressed.

They didn't understand how terribly ill I felt, and how little I now cared about

looking sexy. Finally, I became so sick that I decided I wanted to get rid of

any chemical exposure that might be harming me - including my implants. My

rheumatologist was still insisting that my implants were unrelated to my

illnesses, but after I had my implants removed she diagnosed me as having lupus.

I am well aware that some scientists believe that implants do not cause

lupus, chronic fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or the aches and pains that I

suffered from. I'm not a scientist, but I am an expert on me, so let me say it

simply: I was healthy, I got implants, I got sick, I had them removed, and I got

better. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but since my implants were removed, I

have become healthier every year, and now I can work as an actress again. And I

know many women with implants who have had similar experiences. And when I look

at the studies, I see that most of the studies include very few women who had

implants as long as I did. Remember, my lupus was diagnosed more than 10 years

after I got implants. If I had been studied 9 years after getting my implants, I

would not have been considered sick with lupus, even though I was. We obviously

need better studies, studying large numbers of women who have had implants for

long periods of time. And their health should be evaluated by objective,

open-minded doctors, before and after getting implants.

Even more upsetting for me than my own illness is that my infant daughter

became sick, with symptoms that were similar to mine. Is it just coincidence

that she became ill after being nursed by a mother with broken silicone

implants? There aren't enough good studies to be able to answer that question

either, but I can't help feeling guilty about it.

Looking back, of course I wish I had never gotten breast implants. Maybe it

was a vain choice. Maybe it was a stupid choice. But, because of the lack of

information, I wasn't able to make an informed choice. And I am so sorry that

young women today are in the same situation - being told that implants are

perfectly safe, when the truth is that they cause many serious problems, and we

still don't know what the long-term risks are. "

Source: http://www.center4research.org/mary1.html

M.

[Guest guest]

Sorry.

You all probably knew this.

I had meant to post this to the breast cancer support group and I will. So many

of those women are thinking that the " new " implants are the safe ones :-(

I am also sending them the short well written summary of McDonough's story.

" From 1971 until 1981, I portrayed on The Waltons. It was a wonderful

experience, and when it was over I was 21 and wanted to continue to work as an

actress. I studied, took classes, and did theater. But, it didn't take long to

realize that it wasn't enough to be the " All American Girl " anymore. I was told

that I would have more opportunities as an actress if I was sexier. And I was

told that bigger breasts would make me sexier. I was advised to get breast

implants, but I was reluctant. I carefully considered it, asking the doctors all

the usual questions about risks. The plastic surgeon told me that they were safe

and would last a lifetime. And so, at the age of 24, I took their advice. I was

so embarrassed, I didn't even tell my mother.

I later found out that it was impossible for me to make an informed choice,

because the information was not available to me, or any woman, in 1984. Not a

single study had ever been done on any women to find out whether they were safe.

If I had been told by my doctor that after having implants I might break

out in rashes, run fevers, and become sensitive to light, I never would have had

implants. If I had been told I would have muscle pain, that I would be stiff,

and have chronic fatigue, I never would have had implants. If my doctor had told

me that I would wake up feeling like I was hit in the head with a frying pan,

that I would have dry eyes, shooting pain in my ribs and chest, and my breasts

would ache, I never would have had implants. If he had told me there was even

the slightest chance that I might develop connective tissue disease or that I

wouldn't be able to pick my daughter up or hold her close, believe me, I never

would have made that choice.

Within the first 24 hours my chest and back had a terrible rash. The other

symptoms developed over the years. I never imagined that the implants were the

cause. As I got sicker and sicker, my career went downhill. My illness also put

a strain on my marriage. Finally, in 1993, I received a phone call from a friend

who had also had implants. She told me that when her implants were removed, they

found a cyst the size of a golf ball lodged behind the implant. I began to

wonder whether my implants might be causing problems for me too. But I didn't

want to believe it, and I didn't rush to judgement. When I eventually decided to

have the implants removed a year later, the surgeon found that the silicone

envelopes and polyurethane foam that had covered the implants had disintegrated

inside my body. All that was left was the silicone gel, surrounded by my body's

own scar tissue.

It is difficult and time-consuming to remove broken implants, and the

surgery took hours longer than expected. Like most explanted women, I was left

with smaller breasts than I had before the implants. So, even though the health

risks of implants are a controversial issue, many of my problems were very

obviously related to the implants: the rupture, the disintegration of the foam

and silicone envelope, the loss of breast tissue, the chest pain, and the

rashes. These are what are often called " local complications " - a term that

sounds much less serious than the reality.

As I was getting sicker, my doctors kept reassuring me that it was nothing

to worry about - after all, aches and pains were a natural part of growing

older. But I was in my early 30's, and I felt like an old woman. When I asked

whether I should get my implants removed, my doctors advised against it, saying

it would not improve my health, and would probably make me severely depressed.

They didn't understand how terribly ill I felt, and how little I now cared about

looking sexy. Finally, I became so sick that I decided I wanted to get rid of

any chemical exposure that might be harming me - including my implants. My

rheumatologist was still insisting that my implants were unrelated to my

illnesses, but after I had my implants removed she diagnosed me as having lupus.

I am well aware that some scientists believe that implants do not cause

lupus, chronic fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or the aches and pains that I

suffered from. I'm not a scientist, but I am an expert on me, so let me say it

simply: I was healthy, I got implants, I got sick, I had them removed, and I got

better. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but since my implants were removed, I

have become healthier every year, and now I can work as an actress again. And I

know many women with implants who have had similar experiences. And when I look

at the studies, I see that most of the studies include very few women who had

implants as long as I did. Remember, my lupus was diagnosed more than 10 years

after I got implants. If I had been studied 9 years after getting my implants, I

would not have been considered sick with lupus, even though I was. We obviously

need better studies, studying large numbers of women who have had implants for

long periods of time. And their health should be evaluated by objective,

open-minded doctors, before and after getting implants.

Even more upsetting for me than my own illness is that my infant daughter

became sick, with symptoms that were similar to mine. Is it just coincidence

that she became ill after being nursed by a mother with broken silicone

implants? There aren't enough good studies to be able to answer that question

either, but I can't help feeling guilty about it.

Looking back, of course I wish I had never gotten breast implants. Maybe it

was a vain choice. Maybe it was a stupid choice. But, because of the lack of

information, I wasn't able to make an informed choice. And I am so sorry that

young women today are in the same situation - being told that implants are

perfectly safe, when the truth is that they cause many serious problems, and we

still don't know what the long-term risks are. "

Source: http://www.center4research.org/mary1.html

M.