Ban on Breast Implants Is Urged

The consumer group Public Citizen called today for a ban on silicone gel breast implants, citing Food and Drug Administration documents that say the gel causes cancer in animals.

In a letter to FDA Commissioner Frank Young, Public Citizen Health Research Group director Dr. Sidney Wolfe said silicone gel, implanted in 130,000 women a year, “causes highly malignant cancers in over 23% of the animals tested.” According to an FDA memo cited by Public Citizen, Dow Corning, the major supplier of silicone gel implants, agreed that it can cause sarcomas in rats but contends that this does not demonstrate health consequences in humans.