HEALTH

Mentor May Continue to Sell Breast Implants: Mentor Corp. said it may continue to manufacture and sell silicone-gel breast implants in light of a pending $3.75-billion settlement that other manufacturers have reached with women who have had implants. The Santa Barbara-based medical devices company, the only firm selling silicone implants in the U.S., agreed to quit marketing them by 1995 as part of a $24-million settlement of hundreds of lawsuits against the company. The agreement, however, allows for Mentor to continue selling silicone gel implants if a separate global settlement of implant lawsuits allows another company to market them. Mentor said it understands that other manufacturers may continue to sell gel implants as part of the global settlement that women and their lawyers reached with Dow Corning, Baxter International and other firms.