On a daily basis, we are exposed to pollutants of various kinds. But, how do we measure our level of exposure? Well, silicone breast implants may be one of our answers.

Molecularly similar to body fats, these implants function as a sink for environmental pollutants that build up in the fatty tissues of humans and animals. With these implants being replaced every 10-20 years, these implants can be used as a proxy for actual human tissue as they are cheaper and easier to procure. As such, implants can potentially become long-term records of a person’s exposure to environmental toxins. An experiment carried out by OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences studied discarded implants for 1,400 environmental chemicals (O’Connell et al., 2015). Unused implants served as controls in the experiment. Results revealed that these implants contained 14 common compounds used in foods and personal-care products, commercial and industrial products, and pesticides.

However, the study of breast implants as an environmental pollution indicator remains limited. With breast augmentation being more popular than ever and being one of the most sought-after cosmetic surgeries in many countries, large quantities of implants are removed every year. Yet, the current practice is to burn them as waste. Beyond serving its purpose of increasing breast size and volume, these implants may be of value in the research field as well. They can be utilised in studies for quantifying the types and amounts of environmental pollution as well as assessing human long-term exposure. Well, breast augmentation may not be just all for superficial reasons, and they do prove to be useful beyond vanity reasons.

 

References

O’Connell, S. G., Kerkvliet, N. I., Carozza, S., Rohlman, D., Pennington, J., & Anderson, K. A. (2015). In vivo contaminant partitioning to silicone implants: Implications for use in biomonitoring and body burden. Environment International, 85, 182–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.016