The implants were designed for radiolucency, safety, and long life. The implants are made by LipoMatrix of Neuchatel, Switzerland, which is owned by Collagen Corporation, Palo Alto, California. Longterm clinical trials on humans and mammals are being conducted in the United States and Canada. About 70 people in the U.S. and Canada have participated so far. Silicone implants are not radiolucent and obscure mammogram.
Breast tissue consists of glands and fat and has an atomic number six.
The soybean triglycerides used in the breast implant have an atomic number of 5.9 and are radiolucent. The breast contains a significant amount of fat and thus use of soybean oil does not in itself cause problems. Soybean oil has been used in medicines for years as a drug carrier and does not present a problem. It is proposed that small leakage of soybean oil from the shell of the implant into the breast would be absorbed and metabolized by the body. Animal studies involving rabbits and rats indicate that soybean oil leakage is not a health problem.