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IOM GIVES BREAST IMPLANTS CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH On June 21, 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Science released a report which found that women with silicone breast implants are no more likely than the rest of the population to develop cancer, immunologic diseases or neurological problems. The 440-page IOM report, created at the request of Congress, states that implants pose no threat in breastfeeding or to unborn babies and that "there is no plausible evidence of a novel autoimmune disease because of implants". BEHIND THE REPORT The report, funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, was created by an independent panel of 13 scientists under the auspices of the IOM, a private, non-profit organization that provides the government health policy advice. The panel did not conduct its own clinical studies but instead reviewed the research performed and reported by a number of other clinicians. The IOM report echoes the findings of a National Science Panel review, released at the end of 1998, which also found no causal link between silicone breast implants and systemic disease. IOM SUMMARY FINDING The IOM report states "a review of 17 epidemiological reports of connective tissue disease in women with breast implants was remarkable for the consistency in finding no elevated relative risk or odds ration for an association of implants with disease". Other key points noted in the report summary state:
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