BY ESTELLE DEBATES
COLUMBUS, Ohio - "We are encompassed in a nightmare for which there is no awakening.... There are women who are becoming gravely ill, dying, or committing suicide because we cannot get the medical help we need," said an open letter to the attendees of the annual conference of the National Organization for Women (NOW) held here in late July. The letter was signed by Susan Boone, a founder of Recovery with PALS (Positive Action, Love, and Support), a support group in Ohio for women suffering from serious health problems due to breast implants. Boone is also a member of the National Breast Implant Task Force.
Boone and other fighters from these organizations staffed an information table at the convention. These women all suffer from silicone poisoning in their bodies. Behind the table was a black banner that took aim at Dow Chemical Co. "Deceitful, despicable, Oppressive, offensive, Weaselly, Watergate Tactic," it read. Dow Chemical is the parent company of Dow Corning, the nation's largest manufacturer of breast implants.
The dangers of implants, in use since the early 1960s, drew national recognition in 1992 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a moratorium on the silicone devices. An ongoing investigation forced Dow Corning to release internal documents that revealed the company knowingly put women's lives at risk for the sake of profits. According to the activists, 44,000 women have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers.
The women said that since the moratorium Dow has dropped the silicone time bombs on the Third World. This is nothing new. A 1979 internal company memo discussed what to do with a bad batch of implants. "These units can be packaged ready to go for shipment to any country other than USA, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. They are excellent for South America, Near East, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Far East," wrote one executive.
The activists explained how the "scientific" studies pointed to as proof of no connection between implants and the disorders thousands have suffered were bought and paid for by Dow Chemical. Hundreds of participants in the NOW conference signed petitions and took information supporting a newly launched boycott against Dow products.
One of the women staffing the table, Jean, told her own story, typical of growing numbers of women who have been poisoned by implants and suffer from Silicone Associated Disease (SAD).
Despite her pain, Jean was actually in a celebratory mood, having finally succeeded in getting her implants removed the week before the conference. She got the implants 13 years ago after surgery for fibercystic breast disease. "One out of eight women gets breast cancer. Most chose implants, but were never informed of the risks," she said. "I believe there should be criminal charges against Dow for falsifying documents, covering up, and for murder. And all implants - including saline, which are in a silicone sack - should be banned."
Over the years Jean has had hair loss, inflammation in her right hip, severe pain in her left breast, fainting spells, a series of systemic infections, and many other symptoms. Her doctor reassured her that it couldn't be from the implants. She finally learned through her own research what the problem was. "I thought, `Now I see why those women filing lawsuits are so pissed off - I'm one of them too!' " she stated.
Manufacturers of the implants continue to insist that their products are safe. At recent congressional hearings reviewing the FDA ban on the implants, one legislator, David McIntosh, argued that keeping breast implants off the market is dangerous. Women who would otherwise get screened for breast cancer might put off the procedure out of fear that they could not get implants if a mastectomy were needed, he contended.
Susan Cunningham is an activist in the National Breast Implant Task Force. Her story is strikingly similar to Jean's - a litany of illnesses with no apparent explanation. She too could no longer hold her job. "Women with breast implants cannot donate their organs, we cannot give blood. If our illnesses are psychosomatic or we're just after money, why is this true?" Cunningham asked. "I've accepted that my life will be shorter because of my implants," she said, "but it will be a worthwhile life, because I'm going to fight until my last breath."