Breast Implants:the Dow Corning Scandal

Abstract The subject of this white paper is Dow Corning 's silicone breast implants and investigation into the cause of the scandal becoming a corporate crime. This topic is particularly interesting to me, as my mother has filed lawsuits with Dow Corning since the late 1980s. We use several research methods to create this research paper. They include the use of research books and the Internet. According to my research, Dow Corning has been manufacturing and distributing dangerous products for more than 30 years and I know that its recipients are in danger.

Silicon breast implants were originally designed by Dow Corning in the early 1960s. The first breast implant was implanted in the body in 1962. Initially, for patients undergoing mastectomy, silicone breast implants were almost exclusively used. However, two forces are working to change this situation. The first force is an increase in orthopedic experts. Due to normal working hours, wealthy customers, and high profits, doctors are fascinated by orthopedics. However, the growth of the orthopedic department has exceeded the demand demanded. In order to meet the needs of orthopedic surgeons, we need to establish a new market. Second, new, softer, more flexible implants can be inserted using smaller incisions resulting in fewer trauma to the patient, breast implants become cheaper, and for the consumer It becomes more attractive.

In 1962, Dow Corning became the first company to manufacture and sell silicone breast implants. The implant consists of a rubbery silicone shell containing a silicone gel. The orthopedic surgeon soon discovered that perhaps a percentage of implants (not yet determined) bursted on their own. This is probably due to breast damage or just split implants. In many cases, the gel remains in or adjacent to the implant. In rare cases, the gel may move inside the body. In addition, the implant itself is permeable and a small amount of silicone gel may penetrate the implant and remain in nearby tissue, or it may move through the whole body.

From the late 1970s to the 1990s, one of the main consumer product issues was the use of silicone breast implants. Dow Corning, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, began manufacturing silicon breast implants in 1963. (Velasquez, 356) Throughout the major litigation in the late 1990s, there were many problems in the quality, safety and ethics of the manufacture and display of these products. The case of Dow Corning in Business Ethics, Concepts and Cases (355 - 359) of Manuel Velasquez is a good example of how to deal with issues related to consumer production and marketing ethics.