Answer:
It is known that the polyurethane cover of meme implants slowly hydrolyzes over several years into unknown breakdown products. The body’s esterases theoretically could biodegrade the polymer into the parent structure of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and its amine form, toluene diamine (TDA). TDI in aerosol form has been shown to be an allergic stimulant in industrial workers, producing asthma-like reactions. TDA has been linked with an increased incidence of rodent tumors. In studies done in the 1960’s, large doses of TDA fed to rats produced hepatomas. TDA has never been documented to be a human carcinogen, and there is no evidence that TDA is formed in vivo from polyurethane. But because of the potential toxicity, polyurethane implants were removed from the market in 1991 by their manufacturer. The FDA has concluded that the probable risk of cancer from these implants is less than one in one million. Recent studies have shown that approximately 80% of women with these devices show traces in their urine, probably from residual chemical in the original foam that has not been completely washed out, rather than from any chemical deterioration. There has not yet been a case report in the medical literature of cancer in a woman with polyurethane implants. Because the small but real risks associated with surgery are greater than the apparent risk of cancer, the FDA has advised that there is no health reason for asymptomatic women to have these implants removed.