Letter: Implant blame

Sir: I hope the media will accept their share of the responsibility for the current reported problems with soya bean oil filled breast implants ("Poison warning to 5,000 women as soya implant banned", 9 March). It was because of the unnecessary alarm caused by press articles and television "shockumentaries" on the unsubstantiated risks of silicone implants that manufacturers sought alternatives .

The government-commissioned Independent Review Group last year confirmed what had already been shown by years of objective peer-reviewed scientific articles - that silicone does not cause disease in human beings. It turns out to be the "safe" alternative that apparently causes problems, which I hope will not be lost on editors, producers and

pressure groups.

Most of us won't really believe a DC-10 has been found on the Moon but we do trust serious newspapers to be accurate on subjects about which we may have no prior knowledge.

OLIVER FENTON

Consultant Plastic Surgeon

Pinderfields Hospital

Wakefield, West Yorkshire