Breast Milk Contamination and Silicone Implants: Preliminary Results Using Silicon as a Proxy Measurement for Silicone

Abstract

In response to concerns about contamination of human breast milk from silicone gel-filled breast implants, and because silicon levels are assumed to be a proxy measurement for silicone, we compared silicon levels in milk from lactating women with and without implants. Two other sources of infant nutrition, cow's milk and infant formulas, were also analyzed for silicon. The survey took place at the Breast-feeding Clinic at Women's College Hospital in Toronto. A convenience sample of lactating women, 15 with bilateral silicone gel-filled implants and 34 with no implants, was selected. Women with foam-covered or saline implants or with medically related silicone exposures were ineligible. Collection of samples was scrupulously controlled to avoid contamination. Samples were prepared in a class 100 "ultraclean" laboratory and analyzed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Silicon levels were analyzed in breast milk, whole blood, cow's milk, and 26 brands of infant formulas. Comparing implanted women to controls, mean silicon levels were not significantly different in breast milk (55.45 +/- 35 and 51.05 +/- 31 ng/ml, respectively) or in blood (79.29 +/- 87 and 103.76 +/- 112 ng/ml, respectively). Mean silicon level measured in store-bought cow's milk was 708.94 ng/ml, and that for 26 brands of commercially available infant formula was 4402.5 ng/ml (ng/ml = parts per billion). We concluded that lactating women with silicone implants are similar to control women with respect to levels of silicon in their breast milk and blood. Silicon levels are 10 times higher in cow's milk and even higher in infant formulas.

The impact of cosmetic breast implants on breastfeeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Between 1992 and 2006 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed silicone gel-filled breast implants in moratorium as a result of serious safety concerns [ 40 , 41 ]. These included concern about the wellbeing of breastfed infants of mothers with silicone gel implants, which was addressed by extensive research aimed at examining the silicone contents of breast milk [ 42 , 43 ] and its implications on infant oesophageal disorders [ 44 - 46 ]. Although no conclusive evidence was found, psychological studies during this period showed that the moratorium and its media coverage had a marked effect on preoperative concerns and postoperative levels of satisfaction of breast augmentation patients [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Current status of breast implant survival properties and the management of the woman with silicone gel breast implants

“…Although earlier studies by Garrido and colleagues (61) indicated that silicone from ruptured gel implants could travel to a patient's blood and liver, subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance investigations in our laboratories under identical assay conditions failed to detect silicone in the blood of women with intact or ruptured implants (62). Semple and colleagues (63) have shown that the mean silicon levels in breast milk of 15 patients with gel implants was not significantly different from those of 30 control patients.…”

“…Silicone gel has been found to migrate into both surrounding and distant tissues as a result of rupture or bleed. Reports have shown that silicone can be found in the breast, axillary lymph nodes, arms, fingers and groin (61)(62)(63)(64). Capsular calcification of second-generation gel implants is more common in disrupted implants than in intact implants (9).…”

Breast-Feeding and Silicone Implants: Good News for Mothers and Infants

“…44,45 Silicone is a polymer, 40% silicon by weight, and is used in many prostheses, medical devices, and pharmaceutical products. 45,46 A recent study 46 revealed that there was no significant difference in the levels of silicone in breast milk and blood between two groups of women. One group of women was breast-feeding with silicone implants, whereas the group breast-feeding without silicone implants acted as a control group.…”

“…Perhaps one of the most interesting findings in this study was that silicon levels measured in samples of cow's milk and infant formula were higher than those found in any of the study groups including breast milk from women with implants. 46 (See Table 1. )…”