The implants were introduced for commercial use in the 1960s by Dow Corning. But in the 1970s and 1980s, some women with the implants experienced hardened breasts, aches and fatigue. Thousands sued Dow Corning, which eventually filed for bankruptcy, and other implant companies.
In 1992, fearing that the implants may cause chronic disease, the F.D.A. called for a moratorium on them for cosmetic augmentation, although it continued to allow them for breast reconstruction. But a subsequent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that silicone implants did not cause systemic disease.