In 1943 Dow Corning Corporation was set up to develop commercial uses for silicone products. One of the products invented were breast implants made of silicone. This product was intended to improve the current substances used such as rubber and plastic sponges in order to enhance women's breasts. In 1963 the first silicone implant made it on the market. After 37 years Dow Corning was still in the business making $2.7 billion and employing over 9,300 workers. The irony of the company's situation is that no testing of the product had been conducted before it went on the market. .
The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 allowed devices to be put into the human body without requiring any testing. The Dow Company took advantage of this gap in the law. Lawsuit upon lawsuit began to pile up on the company as several problems resulted from the breast implant surgery. Such problems included: loss of nipple sensation, painful immune system response, scar tissue, skin necrosis, inflammation, and infection. .
In 1976 congress amended the 1938 law and required safety tests before products were marketed. Later, breast implant manufacturers were given 30 months to submit evidence for the safety of silicone breast implants. Dow Corning submitted 10,000 pages that were intended to prove the safety of the product. The FDA found the evidence insufficient. I think Dow Corning should have from the beginning done a variety of experiments to test the safety and the complications that could arise.