Hello, and thank you for downloading the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Ian McNess, and today I'm taking you back to 1992, and a health scare in the US

that made headlines across the globe.

I've been speaking to plastic surgeon Alan Matarazo about the time America banned

silicone-filled breast implants.

On the 6th of January 1992, the US government ordered a suspension of all procedures involving

silicone breast implants.

Plastic surgeons in Britain are trying to reassure women about the safety of breast implants

after concern in America over possible health risks.

Two and a half thousand women had complained of poor health and pain after receiving the implants.

Among the issues mentioned were ruptures of the implants, connective tissue diseases,

and even fears of a possible link with cancers.

The United States Food and Drug Administration advised doctors to stop using the implants

for 45 days, while new evidence is considered.

The ban was a shock because millions of women around the world had received silicone breast

implants since their introduction three decades earlier.

The news from the United States highlighting fears the implants could pose health risks

by leaking or causing tissue disease has left a mood of fear and uncertainty amongst

women who've had the operation.

Alan Matarazo is a New York plastic surgeon.

There had been interest for a long time about enlarging breasts, reconstructing it after

trauma or reconstructing it after cancer.

...