Episode 9 - Timebomb

Are breast implants safe? No one can seem to agree. On this episode, we explore the health risks associated with breast implants - and we dive into the story of one company that put greed over everything, risking women’s lives to profit off poorly made breast implants for close to a decade.

Also discussed: good news from the US as the Supreme Court unanimously rejects the effort to ban mifepristone.

Special thanks to Jonathan Skourletos for the audio production support.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might enjoy the following:

• The PIP scandal: an analysis of the process of quality control that failed to safeguard women from the health risks (2013) - As discussed in the episode, this JRSM article outlines the various issues associated with the UK’s expert panel investigation of the PIP scandal.

Episode Sources

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676226/

2. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation/implants

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6797490/

4. https://cdn.theaestheticsociety.org/breast-implant-resources/The-Game-of-Implants-a-Perspective.pdf

5. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pip-implants/

6. https://www.tga.gov.au/poly-implant-prothese-pip-breast-implants-australian-perspective

7. https://theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/pay-compensation-to-victims-of-defective-breast-implants-rules-paris-court

8. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-breast-implants-idUSTRE7BM14420111224/

9. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/breast-implants/risks-and-complications-breast-implants

10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9060741/

11. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/05/world/europe/france-breast-implants-banned-cancer.html