Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change our server in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7131 Volume 316 News Saturday 21 February 1998 Canadians win award over breast implants About 3,000 women in Ontario and Quebec have won a compensation settlement of US$15.3m (£9.5m) in a suit involving silicone gel breast implants. The settlement involves women who claim that their health has been adversely affected by implants manufactured by a United States firm, Heyer-Schulte Corporation, which is now defunct. It was negotiated with another US firm, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, which assumed Heyer-Schulte's liabilities. The settlement is the second reached in Canada. A $28m fund was negotiated in 1995 for 5,000 women, who received implants made by Bristol Myers Squibb. The type of breast implant which women claim has caused ill health Photo: JOHN LEHMANN/CANAPRESS PHOTO SERVICE A third lawsuit brought by about 1800 women in British Columbia and the Prairie provinces is still in litigation. As many as 100,000 Canadian women had silicone breast implants before they were removed from the market in 1992. Some estimates suggest that one third of these have suffered problems caused by leaks, but scientific proof of a causal connection is lacking. Baxter's lawyer, Mirilyn Selznick, said the settlement did not indicate any admission by Baxter that negligent design or production of implants led to medical problems. She called the settlement a reasonable compromise between the parties. Under the latest settlement the affected women will receive between US$5,000 and $50,000 each. But a spokeswoman for a Quebec lobby group, Bonnie O'Hearn, said: "For a woman affected by silicone implants, even $1m won't change her condition." David Spurgeon, Quebec Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline