Bursting The Silicone Dream: The PIP Implant Scandal Explained | Plainly Difficult Documentary

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  • Опубліковано 6 лис 2024

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  • @PlainlyDifficult
    @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +114

    Thanks for watching!!
    This weeks outro Song: madebyjohn.bandcamp.com/track/yesterdays-rain
    Have anymore scandal suggestions let me know!!

    • @relwalretep
      @relwalretep Рік тому +1

      Pemberton Mill

    • @dadhaniasona
      @dadhaniasona Рік тому +1

      Less of a scandal, but more a story about the danger of indecisiveness and lack of preparation: the story of Okawa Elementary School during the 2011 Japan tsunami

    • @JaydragonM
      @JaydragonM Рік тому +1

      I'm confused. Please help.
      I thought the silicone implants produced by PIP were solid silicone... if they aren't filled with anything, how can they "rupture?"
      Wouldn't they just "tear" or something?

    • @timwestlund3072
      @timwestlund3072 Рік тому +2

      The Machiarini plastic trachea scandal. He basically claimed that it was possible to create a viable trachea, that could be transplanted into patients, by putting stem cells on a piece of fancy plastic! He lied and said that he had done animal studies when he had not done any such studies. He went straight for testing it on humans. Not suprisingly, patients started dying in agony. In a great documentary by SVT, they inteviewed a doctor who said that he would rather choose the firing squad than a plastic trachea.

    • @paul6925
      @paul6925 Рік тому +1

      In liking the soundtrack. I used to go to ambient nights at a local coffee shop in the 90s. Brings back memories

  • @nabagaca
    @nabagaca Рік тому +4262

    The punishment for this is laughable. He knowingly used non-medical silicone, leading to women's deaths for greed. I would expect at minimum a manslaughter charge. Truly disgusting that after 4 years and a small fine (small enough that he likely earnt more money while selling the dodgy implants) he'd be free.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +642

      It is very disgusting how little he got off with

    • @notproplayer3649
      @notproplayer3649 Рік тому +1

      That's the French justice system for ya. There were literally murderers released after one year of prison.
      Disgusting bunch of people, French judges, lawyers and criminals alike.

    • @Kalvinjj
      @Kalvinjj Рік тому +103

      @@nonanamnom erm... I doubt. I would bet a woman doing the same crap would get just as little, heck if not less, than he did. It's more like corruption and/or negligence overall that is just ridiculous.

    • @lukekirkby5304
      @lukekirkby5304 Рік тому +229

      That's how the justice system works. If he was a poor nobody and had killed 1 person they would throw the book at him.

    • @mommachupacabra
      @mommachupacabra Рік тому +53

      @@lukekirkby5304 (in France) unless it was a Jewish person and he could claim insanity. This has happened repeatedly lately - some really horrific torture and violent murder cases that slipped under the radar.

  • @CarlottaRomero124
    @CarlottaRomero124 Рік тому +2308

    Can you imagine having breast cancer, fighting that, getting a mastectomy to prevent the cancer's spread, and then the implants you get afterwards end up ALSO causing you to get cancer?? It's ridiculous how flippant people can be about the safety of others.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +247

      It is truly horrific

    • @amarissimus29
      @amarissimus29 Рік тому

      Don't worry, they've moved on from butchering cancer sufferers to butchering kids.

    • @themaskedtalker2171
      @themaskedtalker2171 Рік тому +116

      Yeah... My ex told me if she had breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, she told me she'd never have reconstructive implants put in for this reason alone.

    • @ptonpc
      @ptonpc Рік тому +20

      Profit before honour.

    • @SamBrickell
      @SamBrickell Рік тому +39

      They act like that because even if they are convicted they only get a 4 year prison sentence.
      If he knew he could be executed for committing this crime he would not have done it and innocent women would not have died.

  • @Starphot
    @Starphot Рік тому +1061

    My sister had the saline implants until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. Shortly after that the CDC came out that the same model of implants was implicated with cancer due to the lining. She died a year ago. RIP sis.

    • @angelachouinard4581
      @angelachouinard4581 Рік тому +79

      Very sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing her story, people need to be made aware of these things.

    • @silllykitten329
      @silllykitten329 Рік тому +7

      What were the brand of her implants, do you know? Sorry for your loss.

    • @ptonpc
      @ptonpc Рік тому +4

      RIP

    • @fluffyraichu9706
      @fluffyraichu9706 Рік тому +5

      I’m sorry for your loss

    • @TheDragonSeer
      @TheDragonSeer Рік тому +1

      I'm sorry for your loss. I'll pray for you and your sister.

  • @shellshell942
    @shellshell942 Рік тому +1181

    I had a breast reduction and my surgeon was awesome. He found a mass, removed it and sent it for testing but he never told me while I was at the hospital. I thought my surgery was routine until he told me at my check up the pathology came back and everything was fine. He said he didn't want me freaking out for a few weeks for no reason when we would just deal with whatever the pathology result was. In hindsight I am very grateful for his little deception 😊

    • @DoveAlexa
      @DoveAlexa Рік тому +148

      Good on them, since humans kinda just grow benign lumps a lot.

    • @Alikaoz
      @Alikaoz Рік тому

      @@DoveAlexa yeah. To the point that more people die with cancer than of cancer, as some lumps grow so slowly that they won't be an issue in decades.
      No point in going under the knife for something that might kill you at age 130

    • @jennifersignsoflife1375
      @jennifersignsoflife1375 Рік тому +173

      This goes to the importance of doctors really knowing their patients well. When my daughter was just 9 years old she had tumor on her eye. Her surgeon asked us if we wanted him to wait for the results of the biopsy while she was still under anesthesia so he could go ahead & remove her eye if it was malignant. Because of the dangers with anesthesia with children, we told him, "Yes", but that meant we had no idea if our daughter would come out of surgery with one eye or two. It was a terrifying wait. The tumor was benign, thank God, and she recovered quickly. All patients should receive this level of care.

    • @katiekane5247
      @katiekane5247 Рік тому +59

      I'd be mad as hell if my Dr didn't mention that but we're all different.

    • @shellshell942
      @shellshell942 Рік тому +45

      @@jennifersignsoflife1375 Wow that must have been terrible. I'm glad your daughter recovered. My surgeon told me he thought just by looking at it he thought it was fine and telling me wouldn't have changed anything other than cause me to freak out so he just didn't tell. Some people are just gems 🥰

  • @dakat5131
    @dakat5131 Рік тому +856

    "So you inspected the ingredients and manufacture and deemed this product safe?"
    TUV: "yes"
    "So you know that those ingredients were unsafe then?"
    TUV: "We didn't know what the ingredients were!"
    🤔

    • @onijester56
      @onijester56 Рік тому +89

      I worked in a shampoo factory (ironically because I couldn't get a job at BMS) and when there was ANY deviation from "purely smooth" in the freshly-produced shampoos the clumps were taken out, that batch was set aside, and the Quality Department I was in was tasked with finding out what the clump was.
      I couldn't tell you beforehand what the ingredients for that specific batch of the shampoo consisted of, but I can tell you exactly what the clumps were, and often tell you a good handful of the other ingredients after a couple tests. (Hint: almost every such clump was a chunk of soap-fats/fatty-acids that simply didn't dissolve fully.)
      So, TUV was either openly trying to pull some bs excuse or else admits they are incompetent.

    • @lit_for_20
      @lit_for_20 Рік тому

      its still plausible that the ingredients of the silicone itself were kept a "company secret" and that TÜV only certified the plant itself, but they can be bought, and really lack competent people in certain (rural) regions, as well. in germany, your car has to be inspected by the TÜV every 2 years, and i can speak from personal experience that there are some strict but also some reeeeally dodgy "inspectors" out there. however, they generally do a pretty good job over here, and i'd say that most people would trust their kids going on a playground certified by the TÜV - they most certainly claimed that to get themselves off the hook, though. other people's experiences may vary, though, and this is just my two cents on them

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Рік тому +16

      @@onijester56 That opens question about road safety in the region. It's the TÜV that checks the cars.

    • @matthewmiller6068
      @matthewmiller6068 Рік тому +1

      Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking!

    • @The_Modeling_Underdog
      @The_Modeling_Underdog Рік тому +4

      @@HappyBeezerStudios The TÜV has been effin' up for decades now.

  • @TotallyNotRedneckYall
    @TotallyNotRedneckYall Рік тому +330

    I worked in commercial water treatment for a few years and we always used food grade silicone lubricant when we needed to grease something in a filter housing. I would NEVER use silicone or any other product that hadn't been tested and approved for human use or consumption. A lot of our units weren't even producing drinking water and we STILL used food grade silicone, don't even want a tube of regular silicone on the truck.
    I find it maddening that a bunch of skilled laborers had more concern for our customer's health and safety than a multi million dollar company with real scientists on staff.

    • @iClone101
      @iClone101 Рік тому +16

      It's likely that the scientists either never knew of the industrial silicone being used, or were told by higher-ups that it already had been tested by other scientists, regardless of whether the latter was actually true. Probably it was only executives who knew of the truth, who cared far more about profits than any dangers they could cause.

    • @nigelft
      @nigelft Рік тому

      ​@Galactic Ruler
      That may well be the case ...
      As I mentioned in my post about GMP/GLP, it is the gold standard to not just be _very_ through when it comes to anything to be used in a clinical setting, not least prescription medication, but that thoroughness is backed by an equal, if not higher, level of QC, to ensure the mantra of Quality, Safety, and Efficacy, is followed, with only - very - minor deviations allowed ...
      If the French governmental agency failed in its duty of care, to ensure that those implants were made up of medical grade silicone (although, personally, saline is the better option, as it is less riskier ...), then that body should also be sued ...

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +2

      It's absolutely disgusting, isn't it? 😡

    • @stardresser1
      @stardresser1 Рік тому +4

      Thank you for doing so. If only there were more lime you and your co workers.

    • @hx5525
      @hx5525 Рік тому +1

      Isn’t silicone safe to handle? Shouldn’t technical grade be good enough for non-drinking water treatment operations?

  • @Secean
    @Secean Рік тому +1129

    Speaking of french engineers and silicone, in the 90s Sweden was to build a tunnel through the Halland Ridge. A problem arose when the drilling caused the groundwater to leak out, creeks dried, wells were emptying and so on. The french company Rhône-Poulenc stepped in with a product that seemed to solve all the problems, Rhoca-Gil. It turned out that the Rhoca-Gil was only safe in lab tests, and out in nature cows died in the fields, crops had to be destoyed and quite a number of worker that was literally sprayed with the stuff developed cancer at a surprisingly high rate

    • @dominickkramer6469
      @dominickkramer6469 Рік тому +66

      what did the rhoca-gil do ? fix the hole ? feed the cows ? water the crops ? why did workes get sprayed with it ? im confused as to what it was actually for

    • @Secean
      @Secean Рік тому +217

      @@dominickkramer6469 The Halland Ridge, they discovered, isn't bedrock, its tightly packed gravel so the groundwater was gushing through these little openings in the tunnel walls. Rhoca-gil was supposed to plug the bigger holes and also get in to the gravel and create a seal. With all the groundwater leaking out, the silicone went into the water and it turned out it was toxic and a carcinogenic. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough =)

    • @dominickkramer6469
      @dominickkramer6469 Рік тому +60

      @@Secean ahhhh gotcha thank you that makes much more sense. given this was the 90s its a shame they didnt spend the money to survey the ground better. they definitley had the means to do it... thanks for sharing !

    • @djkarcher1896
      @djkarcher1896 Рік тому +57

      Sounds like something that John should do a video about.

    • @NinoJoel
      @NinoJoel Рік тому +25

      I want a video from Jon on this

  • @devikwolf
    @devikwolf Рік тому +401

    This scandal is more along the lines of "Plainly Greedy" than difficult.

    • @mommachupacabra
      @mommachupacabra Рік тому +29

      Possibly this calls for a "Plainly Greedy" sub-channel. :)

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +97

      I did consider doing a series just called Greed!

    • @TotallyNotRedneckYall
      @TotallyNotRedneckYall Рік тому +23

      @@PlainlyDifficult you would never run out of material 😔

    • @DarkZodiacZZ
      @DarkZodiacZZ Рік тому +5

      @@PlainlyDifficult There is a lot of things you can fit under that. Anything from corporate/personal greed to some stupid wartime decisions to darwin awards.

    • @catalintimofti1117
      @catalintimofti1117 Рік тому +1

      @@mommachupacabra most of the shit shows he covers are plain greed

  • @mildlycornfield
    @mildlycornfield Рік тому +116

    *Deaths* were linked to his cost-cutting and all he gets is four years and less than a million euros in fines???? Absolutely unbelievable

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +6

      Laws for the rich are different than laws for the poor.

    • @philiplubduck6107
      @philiplubduck6107 7 місяців тому

      The laws are the same, it’s the lawyer that finds the holes in the case and loopholes and ways to influence the jury and or judge.
      Poor people get the lawyer the court appoints and that lawyer is usually the lowest on the totem pool and has 50 other case to work on so you have little time with them. I had a court appointed lawyer and had less than 5 minutes before I saw the judge. Needless to say I could have got a much better deal.

  • @carlam6669
    @carlam6669 Рік тому +375

    Funny story: At a company I used to work at there was a computer in a laboratory used by various people in our group. One day this odd looking wrist support appeared near the mouse. It was quite comfortable and was a welcome relief when using the mouse for extended periods. But there was also something vaguely familiar about it. On closer examination I found a part number and after Googling the part number discovered it was a silicone breast implant! Nobody would admit to being the one who brought it in.

    • @SianaGearz
      @SianaGearz Рік тому +12

      There's probably bits of someone's flesh on it.

    • @grmpEqweer
      @grmpEqweer Рік тому +68

      @@SianaGearz
      That would be a biohazard, and therefore disposed.

    • @fluttzkrieg4392
      @fluttzkrieg4392 Рік тому +46

      I've seen some mouse pads for sad and lonely people that have certain drawings printed onto them and where the wrist support are, let's just say, supposed to look like breasts.
      I'd more disturbed seeing something like that on someone's desk.

    • @nenjea648
      @nenjea648 Рік тому +36

      My grandpa used to regularly do blood donation. The nurse would always make him hold something while his blood was drawn, to help maintain the position I think. Well once in those years, he realized it was one of those breast implants! A cosmetic clinic had given them away. They quickly stopped being used for that when enough people complained about having to hold a breast implant.

    • @biazacha
      @biazacha Рік тому +60

      @@nenjea648 that’s so silly, at that point it wasn’t a breast implant but a package full of silicone, not far from those stress relief toys people squish on. I swear people will find the weirdest hills to die on, waste perfectly functional solutions cause “ew, it goes in boobies!”

  • @misterflibble6601
    @misterflibble6601 Рік тому +291

    Like so many other cases of corporations and executive responsible for the suffering, injuries and deaths of thousands of people, they get away with what is, for all intents and purposes, a slap on the wrist or a "naughty, naughty don't do that again". And the agencies responsible for protecting the public at large failing miserably due to incompetence and/or corruption. It is depressing and infuriating but thank you for bringing these often obscure or forgotten instances to light

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +36

      Sadly true

    • @andy70d35
      @andy70d35 Рік тому

      The same thing is happening now, look into the excess deaths all over the world after a certain medical procedure over the last few years.

    • @DoveAlexa
      @DoveAlexa Рік тому +5

      I'm thinking at this point that said protective agencies are doing exactly what they mean to.

    • @mimsydreams
      @mimsydreams Рік тому

      This is one of the reasons (besides sheer stupidity) that many distrust authorities on major health and safety concerns. Our governments do a piss-poor job at monitoring these agencies who do a piss-poor job of monitoring these companies/product manufacturers. And the piss-poor if it all is due to bribes, campaign "donations" and other kickbacks.
      Fast forward to the current, and you got people not getting life-saving medication because they think the manufacturers have been bribed to put 5G cancer in them. The logic is ridiculously flawed, but it comes from a place of skepticism, due to cases like these from the past. Lives often don't matter, when there's money to be made. Especially when the courts will give you a little slap on the wrist for killing hundreds or even thousands.
      Who watches the Watchmen? Another set of Watchmen that want to get richer too! And people wonder why anti-capitalistic views are growing.

    • @williebeamish5879
      @williebeamish5879 Рік тому +2

      @@DoveAlexa Nothing. Glorified paper shufflers.

  • @pilsnerd420
    @pilsnerd420 Рік тому +105

    "They test and certify anything you can think of."
    "They denied knowing what the ingredients were."
    What did they test then? How high it bounced when dropped?

    • @stuartgmk
      @stuartgmk Рік тому +2

      😱

    • @poindextertunes
      @poindextertunes Рік тому +5

      😂

    • @ZGryphon
      @ZGryphon Рік тому +5

      More likely how high the check _didn't_ bounce when cashed.

    • @Mightyhero777
      @Mightyhero777 Рік тому +2

      they tested how closely they felt like a natural woman’s breast, and that’s about it.

  • @herbcraven7146
    @herbcraven7146 Рік тому +178

    Wow! As a US citizen, I remember when the FDA banned silicone implants, but it actually surprises me that they got in front of the problem before the EU did, as our regulatory agencies are notoriously lax, business-friendly, and probably corrupt. It also surprises me that PIP was using industrial silicone. I knew of the problem of silicone implant leakage, but I didn't know anyone was using non-medical grade product in them. Needless to say, it seems Mas got off very easy indeed.

    • @ElectricAir42
      @ElectricAir42 Рік тому +22

      This is the 2nd story I’ve seen were the FDA really did it’s job well.

    • @misseselise3864
      @misseselise3864 Рік тому +6

      the US hasn’t banned silicone implants….

    • @tookitogo
      @tookitogo Рік тому +23

      The FDA is not actually lax, contrary to many people’s belief. There have been instances where the FDA blocked harmful things the rest of the world had allowed, and it’s not at all uncommon for new drugs to go on the market in Europe before USA.

    • @leogama3422
      @leogama3422 Рік тому +2

      It being a foreign company's product likely had an incentive for them to do their job

    • @ignorance72
      @ignorance72 Рік тому +5

      The US regs for food, drugs, air pollution, automotive safety, consumer product safety, and other things are all much more strict compared to Europe.

  • @snibetisnab211
    @snibetisnab211 Рік тому +134

    since you're doing French happenings, you should do the 1966 Feyzin refinery explosion that devasted a good chunk of the Lyon valley and was the first documented case of a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion).

  • @flyaway1470
    @flyaway1470 Рік тому +72

    My aunt died from cancer because of her implants. This is really sad and infuriating.

  • @phil4986
    @phil4986 Рік тому +194

    Excellent video, Plainly. Just regular 100% properly made silicone implants were found to be dangerous. Even the smallest leak of the silicone was found to create massive, chronic, negative health effects in women that doctors could never explain. This was until the women got sick and tired of feeling awful, guessed it was the silicone implants and had them removed. The resulting improvement in their health was immediate and very positive but it was not easy. The absolute horror of an exploded silicone implant, degrading into a viscous plastic slime, inside of a womans chest, is a terribly unforgettable sight. Removing that mess is a very time-consuming process. By contrast, saline implants that fail, have a far lower incidence of medical complication and those implants outer casings, collapsed, have been removed easily. I am astonished and proud the FDA outlawed silicone implants in America.
    Jean Claude Mas used poison in his implants. I think he should have been forced to get two of his own poison breast implants installed in his own chest. Then he could reap what he sowed. Jean Claude Mas died in 2019 still under indictment for two lawsuits. It is estimated that 400,000 women have had these PIP products installed in their bodies. That should not be allowed to stand. PIP's poisonous products should all be removed, paid for by all of the financial resources of every executive who ever worked at PIP. Just like the Therac 25 Cancer treatment machine, this was all about saving a penny versus giving a damn about human life. People who do these things should be put away in prison, for the rest of their lives.

    • @dinoflagella4185
      @dinoflagella4185 Рік тому +20

      I had a friend that got sick and lost a lot of weight. She was bedridden for weeks. She couldn’t keep a meal down and was constantly vomiting. I saw her one day and he her had gotten better. She lost almost 100 lbs and was really thin. She said she had her breast implants removed and her health instantly got better.

    • @rileyrobin2
      @rileyrobin2 Рік тому +5

      those horror stories about the therac 25 are gonna stick with me for a long while.

    • @phil4986
      @phil4986 Рік тому +1

      @@rileyrobin2 yea, me too. makes me want to vomit even right now.

    • @1978garfield
      @1978garfield Рік тому +7

      Actually the FDA has said since 2006 that silicone implants are fine and dandy.
      Although a number of independent reviews, including the Institute of Medicine in the United States, subsequently indicated that silicone breast implants do not cause breast cancers or any identifiable systemic diseases, on 21 March 2017, the FDA issued a statement indicating that women with breast implants have a "very low but increased risk" of getting a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL).The cancer is associated with nine deaths, the FDA said.
      That's not 9 deaths per year, that's 9 deaths during the decade or so they did the study.
      Statistically I suspect you would be more likely to die from a car wreck on your way to the surgeons office than that cancer.
      Also it isn't the silicone that causes the cancer:
      The material inside the implant didn’t seem to affect the risk of BIA-ALCL. The FDA had information on the implant fill material in 312 BIA-ALCL cases:
      186 were filled with silicone gel
      126 were filled with saline (salt water).
      Obviously the FDA is talking about medical grade silicone here not calk, or whatever that French guy was making.

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +1

      ​@@rileyrobin2 Aaaah, the good ol' Therac 25. Nothing like having your CANCER treated with a nice fatal dose of RADIATION!!🤮

  • @janemiettinen5176
    @janemiettinen5176 Рік тому +205

    As an artist I work with silicone constantly, making molds, sealant, coating and even as a glue. How someone thought this stuff would be just fine *inside* the human body escapes me. Unbelievable! This video made me appreciate my boobs even more as they are, maybe not perfect, but all mine.

    • @sendthis9480
      @sendthis9480 Рік тому +8

      What would you think of a woman that was totally stacked…and had what were perceived as “perfect” boobs…round, firm, large…whatever…
      And she got implants to get some droopers?
      Or made them small and saggy?
      Or made them shaped different and spread apart far?
      Or made them what was perceived as “not perfect”?
      I think this would be interesting.
      I’m a dude…and not at all attracted to huge boobs…and especially not attracted to fake implants that don’t really look like real body parts.
      So maybe I’m a bit biased due to my own contrarian preference.
      However admittedly I would likely give the latter woman more validity than the Barbie boob woman….right or wrong.

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +24

      There’s no such thing as “perfect boobs.” It’s entirely subjective, and a lot of men don’t find large breasts attractive anyway. A ridiculous stereotype drove many of these women to seek implants when it was completely unnecessary. Cosmetic surgery is a terrible way to treat body dysmorphia.

    • @VonVikoGoat
      @VonVikoGoat Рік тому +13

      silicone is similar to plastic in the way that both can seem extremely mundane items but have medical grade versions that are completely safe in a medical setting (when done right)

    • @janemiettinen5176
      @janemiettinen5176 Рік тому

      @@sendthis9480 I have a friend who has naturally big boobs, shes really smart, but even other women wont take her as seriously as they should. Men can be downright grouse, even when her husband and kids are around. Shes in a weird bimbo limbo, or thats what we call it. Its really odd when total stranger feels comfortable to comment on particular part of your body, luckily shes pretty thick-skinned.
      And there are other “imperfections” than just size. I might lose my wamen-card for this, but Ill let you in a secret; most girls has asymmetrical boobs, the difference can be couple cup sizes, but its usually one cup or close to it. Bra shopping can be a task, I never look forward to it.
      When otherwise beautiful or “perfect” people opt for surgery, I find it kinda sad. Then its not about the reality anymore, its more of an self-esteem issue and no amount of surgery or other external measure can fix that. So many celebs have turned into almost monsters, its amazing. Meg Ryan comes to mind, she doesnt look like a human anymore.
      Im so lucky to have grown up without any major insecurities and the artist in me loves imperfections, I find them much more interesting. If we all looked flawless, life would be so boring. Just thinking about society of Barbies and Kens living in perfect little cities, driving just washed cars into their immaculate driveways gives me the willies. Much more than I expected, in fact.

    • @janemiettinen5176
      @janemiettinen5176 Рік тому +13

      @Lawofimprobability Theres also food grade silicone, that couldve been slightly safer, but he didnt use even that, he went for the cheapest possible version there is, the construction stuff. Just the fumes have driven me out of my studio, sometimes for days, and this guy put it into womens chests.. money can make monsters.

  • @clementclarisseclemen3d708
    @clementclarisseclemen3d708 Рік тому +157

    He fools the autorities by manufacturing two sets of implants : one for their QC, one for sale, then he let them assumed it's all sames (that's how he was able to sell his dodgy stuff)
    There was also a bit of corruption of course...

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      What you’ve described _is_ essentially corruption.

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Рік тому +8

      @Lawofimprobability yup, in the end it were additives for industrial silicone that caused them more cancer, not the silicone itself.
      And it's surprising how often qc samples and actual retail units differ in quality.

    • @SianaGearz
      @SianaGearz Рік тому +6

      @@HappyBeezerStudios it's a common and somewhat illegal practice where "engineering samples" get sent for certification that don't end up matching production units.

    • @DEtchells
      @DEtchells Рік тому +1

      In that way, very reminiscent (or prescient) of the VW emissions scandal: Show your best (false) face when the regulators are watching, do whatever is most profitable when they aren’t.
      Unfortunately, the consequences here were vastly more severe than VW’s emissions cheating 😢

  • @robina.9402
    @robina.9402 Рік тому +73

    I'm enjoying the scandal series! A future medical scandal could be Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon Physiomesh. I think there were two types, transvaginal and hernia repair. People were in excruciating pain, and the stories I've read suggest J&J did not properly warn doctors of risks and downplayed serious side effects seen in research trials. There was a settlement, but some lawsuits are still ongoing.
    I almost had an internship at Ethicon working on another mesh product, but it got suddenly cancelled in 2018 - then I learned about the lawsuits.

    • @pete904ni
      @pete904ni Рік тому

      Oh there's a big medical scandal on the horizon alright

    • @Microwave_Dave
      @Microwave_Dave Рік тому +8

      That's a scandal deserving of a video.
      One of my good friends had his life destroyed due to a failed hernia repair involving Physiomesh. He's a shell of a man compared to his old capable, independent, jovial self. Constant pain and suffering, plus a bunch of new medical issues caused by the mesh fusing to his internal organs. Awful stuff.
      I'm sure countless women are suffering similar fates due to this PIP scandal. Heartbreaking.

    • @BluetheRaccoon
      @BluetheRaccoon Рік тому +1

      The reason I have medically untreated P.O.P is that I have a connective tissue disorder already, and fear the idea of bladder mesh killing me.

  • @Maplenr
    @Maplenr Рік тому +38

    Oh man that punishment will definitely dissuade people... 🙄🙄

  • @steve64464
    @steve64464 Рік тому +112

    When he made the mistake of saying "hydrogen in implants" i had a strange mental image of exploding jugs.

    • @hikari_manekineko
      @hikari_manekineko Рік тому +19

      Ohh, the humanity!

    • @YukikoTsuki
      @YukikoTsuki Рік тому +32

      Gives a whole new meaning to "having a bombshell figure", huh?

    • @hirisk761
      @hirisk761 Рік тому

      @Yuki Tsuki underrated response 👏 👌

    • @paulsto6516
      @paulsto6516 Рік тому +1

      @@hikari_manekineko
      I see what you did there.

    • @NinoJoel
      @NinoJoel Рік тому +6

      That would be the most absurd and funny recall in history. "Product might cause exploding boobs " Haha

  • @TobyChampion
    @TobyChampion Рік тому +22

    I really liked your "forward" about the reasons people get breast implants. Much respect.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +4

      Thank you!

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      Yes, he deftly avoided the whimsical versus necessary discussion.
      BTW, it’s mostly whimsical and entirely unnecessary.

    • @nancyrobinson3567
      @nancyrobinson3567 Рік тому +3

      @@anhedonianepiphany5588 As are all of your inane comments 🤷🏻‍♀️

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      @@debesys6306 If you’d actually read all my comments then you would be aware that I sympathise with _all_ the recipients of these atrocious implants. My point is that the vast majority of them were entirely unnecessary. I’m not blaming the victims, just the society which encourages and permits this.

  • @scarffracker1918
    @scarffracker1918 Рік тому +235

    Four years is an insanely short jail term. Given the scope of the disaster, he should have gotten life.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +25

      I agree

    • @christopheferraux2864
      @christopheferraux2864 Рік тому +16

      there is worse in France the affair of the contaminated blood: we gave blood products contaminated by hiv to hemophiliacs only sulbalterns we were condemned Laurent Fabius prime minister of the time was involved he did not have anything like comdanation

    • @katiekane5247
      @katiekane5247 Рік тому

      @@christopheferraux2864 shipped out of the USA to many countries rather than destroy all the HIV positive blood products. Clotting factors likely killed many but no one followed them to the best of my knowledge.

    • @darthkarl99
      @darthkarl99 Рік тому +1

      @@PlainlyDifficult I'm honestly not surprised, modern justice systems are primarily concerned with preventing future harm. Him being banned from the medical field and from running a company, (combined with the level of oversight on such things making bypassing difficult), removes any future threat.
      Now TUV, they're a real problem that needs hammering ASAP. They're still out there doing inspections on all kinds of things and have a history of incompetence, that screams problems within the company that need a thorough investigation.

    • @TatsuZZmage
      @TatsuZZmage Рік тому +2

      This is France they had a guy stab another man in the chest a year after he was beaten in CS 1.6 with a knife, 2 years, for premeditated attempted murder.

  • @LilyLewis771
    @LilyLewis771 Рік тому +34

    I’ve heard so many stories of women having issues with implants- and the massive FB groups for support about it, too. It seems they almost always go wrong somehow, eventually. How horrifying to have something foreign inside of your body making you sick, it’s terrifying.

  • @citrineelephant6576
    @citrineelephant6576 Рік тому +80

    can't imagine any other medical implant being denied a replacement when serious risks are involved

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +5

      The fact that most of these implantations were completely unnecessary surgeries may play a role here. That they were vulnerable people who shouldn’t have been permitted to undergo such procedures ought to be a consideration.

    • @grmpEqweer
      @grmpEqweer Рік тому +10

      @@anhedonianepiphany5588
      Once you put it in, it's going to look odd if you just remove it. If you leave it, it's a time bomb.

  • @judyArsh
    @judyArsh Рік тому +28

    As a breast cancer survivor this is really terrifying. It’s why I said no to implants. Especially given the history of various faulty implant types going back to the 1980s. No other medical device has a more troubled history than breast implants.

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      If they weren’t being applied trivially and recklessly, it’s unlikely there’d be any problems. Were implants only used in those who truly require them then the huge popular market wouldn’t exist to exploit.

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +1

      @@debesys6306 You’ve misinterpreted my post. If they were only used as specialty surgical items for reconstruction etc. then far more scrutiny would apply, meaning these toxic cheap versions likely wouldn’t exist.

  • @pamyuhnke8143
    @pamyuhnke8143 Рік тому +11

    Thank you for mentioning that plastic surgery is often done after medically necessary tx. I’m recovering from my 4th post mastectomy surg. I love your channel. It’s fun to listen while I’m recovering.

    • @TheElf_Online
      @TheElf_Online Рік тому

      Hope your recovery goes well and/or continues to go well!

  • @antjeprivat1010
    @antjeprivat1010 Рік тому +22

    I'm from Germany, and I have to say: Thank you for your creative pronounciation of TÜV-Technischer Überwachungs-Verein. At least, you tried. But it is the same for me with french words, I have to admit, and because of German being a hard to learn language, you don't have to be ashamed. It definately made me smile.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +6

      Thank you :D

    • @Dutch3DMaster
      @Dutch3DMaster Рік тому +3

      Hehe, it's the same when I hear TV programs try to pronounce Dutch in an English voice-over, and the attempt catches me off guard and I pause, reverse and re-listen, only to not hear it, sometimes turning the volume up to stupid and then realizing they are trying to use a Dutch word, pronounce a Dutch name or something like that :P .

    • @antjeprivat1010
      @antjeprivat1010 Рік тому +1

      @@Dutch3DMaster I have to admit that "Technischer Überwachungsverein" is a complicated name for non-native speakers. But my favorite example is the German real crime tv show: Aktenzeichen XY. Sounds creepy in english.I really like to hear dutch people speaking. It always sounds cute to me.

  • @TheEssraw
    @TheEssraw Рік тому +16

    You should make a video about Paolo Macchiarini, a doctor who decided to implant plastic throats in people, you can imagine what happened

  • @rmt3589
    @rmt3589 Рік тому +2

    5:57 Great way to check if people are paying attention! Scared me for a sec.
    But, it would give a new meaning to "her bust".

  • @kipter
    @kipter Рік тому +27

    The fda is one of the few agencies that are suprisingly competent. They also caught the thalidamide thing pretry early.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +17

      They seem to be on it in some ways

    • @HailAnts
      @HailAnts Рік тому +3

      Not really. The FDA's ban on (medical grade) silicone implants was completely unnecessary and politically motivated. There has never been any conclusive evidence that they are harmful.
      What this French guy did is completely different..

    • @curiousbystander9193
      @curiousbystander9193 Рік тому

      they are captured too

    • @markrichards636
      @markrichards636 Рік тому +1

      Not anymore

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому

      The days of the FDA being competent are long gone. I mean, thalidamide was before I was born. And I'm over 50.

  • @pipactioncampaign3127
    @pipactioncampaign3127 Місяць тому +1

    Hi John! Great video! Keen to share with members of the PIP Action Campaign as we push toward a Public Inquiry in the UK. Tried to add a “Thanks” strangely not possible. But we shall keep sharing. 💛

  • @ziggyzap1
    @ziggyzap1 Рік тому +147

    I had a nose job after getting hit in the face with a basketball that is really the only cosmetic surgery I have had. I love these videos, please keep em up

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +16

      Thank you!

    • @eliscanfield3913
      @eliscanfield3913 Рік тому +9

      ow, that must've been quite a hit

    • @ziggyzap1
      @ziggyzap1 Рік тому +28

      @@eliscanfield3913 It bounced off the backboard and hit me in the face and yeah but I wasn't mad, the other kid just started saying sorry over and over again as blood came out my nose, my glasses were broken but I was laughing because I now had a reason to leave school that day

    • @ArDeeMee
      @ArDeeMee Рік тому +18

      @@ziggyzap1 Kid humor is weird. =)

    • @mrjjman2010
      @mrjjman2010 Рік тому +8

      @@ziggyzap1 lol thought your story was going to take some sort of a dark turn, glad it didn’t. Glad you’re well and you didn’t get given a cancerous nose or something 😬

  • @mov9576
    @mov9576 Рік тому +44

    love your vids! keeping me company while im in the hospital! thanks man!

  • @DeputatKaktus
    @DeputatKaktus Рік тому +32

    For killing at least one and seriously endangering thousands of people, this man got away with basically a polite slap on the wrist and a „tut-tut, that was very naughty of you!“
    Unbelievable.

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому

      The laws for the rich and the poor are VERY different. 😡

  • @MomentsInTrading
    @MomentsInTrading Рік тому +12

    Interesting and well made.
    I remember the big silicone scandal in the US in the 90s. There were talk shows interviewing women who had implants leak. I didn’t know silicone was still being used in other countries after that.

    • @revenevan11
      @revenevan11 Рік тому +2

      They do allow silicone implants in the US and other countries nowadays once the scandal was cleared up, but of course it's with safer linings and it's medical grade silicone! Also, both the saline and silicone gel filled implants use a silicone lining around it. There are, however, issues with a type of implant with a textured lining on the outside (to help hold it in place I think)... apparently it causes buildup of micro scar tissue or somethin, iirc. But I've heard it is linked to a very specific (and otherwise very very rare) type of cancer.

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому

      ​@@revenevan11 Large cell lymphoma, which is a rare cancer of the immine system. Nasty, nasty stuff.

  • @shatteredshards8549
    @shatteredshards8549 Рік тому +6

    You started to discuss medical-grade silicone, and my eyes were widening, like I knew what nasty turn was coming, but I still shouted "NO!" at my computer at the words "industrial-grade."

  • @leesutton7317
    @leesutton7317 Рік тому +1

    Thankyou so much for covering this john. My partner is still, after 20 yrs, suffering from the complete, No Fux Given, dishonesty, greed and negligence of this man and his company. The fact that she will always have to face irreversible and persistent health problems for the rest of her life is something, that while we have come to terms with, will never be set right.

  • @chocolatechip12
    @chocolatechip12 Рік тому +10

    I'm severely sleep deprived, but I laughed till I cried at that YOLO. And I appreciate your disclaimer at the beginning. I remember when this scandal broke, and the victims were so often treated as if they deserved what happened.

  • @SmolAliens
    @SmolAliens Рік тому +9

    I’m excited to watch this, love that you’re covering such a different kind of scandal.

  • @bigoderra
    @bigoderra Рік тому +7

    Hey dude, Brazilian here!
    Let me start stating that i binge watch your docs and find them extremely well done and educating! Secondly, i apologize in advance if i make any mistake in English. Most of my english skills came from TV, UA-cam and games (school english here is terrible, i've revised verb to be since 5th grade up to the last year of high school) , so It may be the case that wrote something that have one meaning in my head, but another when read by someone more proficient.
    I know you have just briefly mentioned the dam(n) disasters in Brazil, but hey it's sunday and i have time to spare (not really), so i'd like to point out a few things that your mention didn't cover (or couldn't, given that it wasn't the main theme of this video).
    First is that the dam in Mariana wasn't operated by Vale, but by Samarco, which is owned by Vale and BHP (an aussie mining company, which competes with Vale... go figure). As Vale is much bigger than Samarco, it was held responsible. An interesting fact is that BHP is almost unknown to the general public here, and they didn't take as much flak as Vale, both in terms of taking legal responsibility (is far as i know, BHP wasn't fined or had a much smaller fine than Vale, even though the both hold similar amounts of shares) and in terms of public opinion. I also think that TüV wasn't the company responsible for inspecting that dam... Might be, but i've never heard of it and quick googling it returns only results relating TüV to Brumadinho.
    Another thing is that during the investigation of the Brumadinho case there were some allegations that TüV had alerted Vale of the problems, but Vale contested and pressured TüV to change their final say. Of course TüV assume the responsibility when they bent over to Vale, but ther are not to blame alone.
    Now everything i've wrote so far is either verifiable by researching it or disclaimed that i'm not sure of the most recent developments. What i'm writing next is my personal opinion.
    As an engineer (mechanical) and having worked at both brazilian and foreign multinational companies (including a 1 and a half year internship at Vale) i came to conclude that our culture here is heavily focused on short term results, frequently sacrificing the long therm stability. To contextualize i'm on the industry for about 10 years (i've started working when i was in the 3rd semester in uni) and have developed this opinion from both my experiences and talking to people with 30 to 40 years, mostly those who are now in managing positions and had a lot of contact with the international offices.
    I believe this short term approach happens for two main reasons, although there definitely are others. First is that we are strongly influenced by the american (as in "from United States") culture, which is stereotyped to be "fast paced" (in oposition to the german, nordic or japanese cultures when it comes to project diligence). Second it that, as an emerging economy, we have to be profitable for the foreign companies, but being rigorous increases time and cost.
    As an example i always cite something that a retired maintenance manager said during a production managing workshop i've attended. He worked for a company that manufactured and maintained locomotive engines. He was saying that the south american market has around one sixth the efficiency of the developed countries and to illustrate this he told that in Chile it takes 3 technicians 2 days do disassemble one engine, while i takes 1 technician to disassemble 2 engines in the US (he had personally visited these and other facilities). As i'm both aware of what we call the "stray dog syndrome" (the tendency that we have to believe that other countries are light years ahead of us and that we are the worst in most aspects - which might be true in some cases) and cautious to recognize valuable critics, i raised my hand and asked: "is that entirely because the south american are not as qualified??". Info: i'm from Minas Gerais, a state in the southeaster region which is the most industrialized in the country. His took a deep breath and said in an almost confession tone: "yeah... good question. Actually, we must recognize that in some less developed regions we don't have good technical school or they do not teach enough people to attract industries there, but near developed regions as here (note: my state alone is as big as France and is only the 10th in per capita GDP) we have people as qualified as any other i've seen in north america and Europe... The thing is that those guys in Chile worked in an open workshop made of vinyl tarp in freezing weather in high altitudes with manual tools... So as the gloves interfered with work, they were able to work for only about 20 minutes straight before their naked hands started to hurt, so they took turns with one working at each time while the other two were warming themselves in a campfire and their bathroom was an open latrine behind a wall. The american guys work in a closed heated workshop with electric hoists and pneumatic tools."
    This raises the question: why don't the workers unite, form a union and vindicate better conditions? The answer is uncomfortably simple: if we have better conditions we would cost almost as much as their workers, so why would they pay us and not their compatriots? This answer might be limited when applied to maintenance in equipment used for commodities exploration that depend on the natural occurrence, but is valid nonetheless and even more in other sectors.
    Well, that was interesting, organizing the thought like that, especially in another language, but i gotta get back to work. You know, emerging country, having to make end meet, being understaffed... those kind of thing.
    Sorry for the long text and i will be glad to answer anyone who would like to know more about here! Cannot promise fast answers, but i promise good intention.

    • @bigoderra
      @bigoderra Рік тому

      31 to 40 years of experience*. i'm 30 something myself, needed to endorse the argument by evoking someone more experienced than me.

  • @CainXVII
    @CainXVII Рік тому +2

    My grandmother lost a breast to breast cancer at a pretty young age. I never even noticed, but my mom told me she was very self-conscious about it her whole life. So I can see people getting these for all kinds of reasons.

  • @hylacinerea970
    @hylacinerea970 Рік тому +7

    my grandma got a complete removal of everything on her left side including the lymph feeding the area due to stage 4 bc, and she was asked if she wanted implants to "restore the appearance" when going through the surgery information. she looked at the surgeon and said "I'll be damned if I put anything else in my body" referring to this. 11 years later she's still using those heavy silicone inserts u put in bras.

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +3

      Industrial grade silicone. The same stuff used to caulk the bathtub. He should have been given life in prison.
      Good on your grandmother for having common sense!👍🏽

    • @suzyfarnham3165
      @suzyfarnham3165 Рік тому +1

      My Mum is also a BC survivor. She now knits 'boobs' for survivors? They are so much lighter that the bulky silicone ones? You should look into them? My Mum donates them to the BC centres here in Australia? I am sure she got the pattern for them from a BS Facebook group or something?

  • @DeathMetalDerf
    @DeathMetalDerf Рік тому +41

    These things often do boil down to sales and products. There are companies who knowingly put out dangerous, toxic, and potentially deadly products every single day, and they basically just do a simple calculation to decide if the risk is worth it. Would the money coming in from sales outweigh the cost of how hard they're going to be sued by the people who get hurt by this shoddy product? That's a huge simplification of things of course, but that doesn't make it any less true.

    • @horiciOwO
      @horiciOwO Рік тому +10

      I feel like this is true for a lot of cheap "silicone sculptures". Most people would not suspect or if so go to a court that they got cancer from a sex toy

    • @elcidleon6500
      @elcidleon6500 Рік тому +1

      Now with microplastics that is lingering everywhere now...

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      @@horiciOwO Well, we all know that excessive sexual releases, especially with an excessive number of partners but also entirely unaccompanied, are potentially carcinogenic, so such an argument would be an uphill battle.
      (This comment is _partly_ tongue-in-cheek.)

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому

      @@debesys6306 Well I borrowed the “stop it or you’ll go blind” bit and modified it to “stop it or you’ll develop cancer.” That STIs can cause various cancers would be an actual fact.

  • @DystopianOverture
    @DystopianOverture Рік тому +49

    Holy moly, this should of never happened.

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +11

      I agree very much

    • @brianallison1913
      @brianallison1913 Рік тому

      And just think about the fact that this is a scandal that was actually exposed. Makes you wonder what else is going on. But thats what happens when everything is fully corrupted. Then, for some reason, people think the next sacks of fecal matter put in charge will actually change things.

    • @DystopianOverture
      @DystopianOverture Рік тому +2

      @@PlainlyDifficult Industrial silicone? seriously I can't believe he thought he'll get off Scott free.

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +3

      * _should’ve_ or _should have_
      (no offence intended)

    • @DystopianOverture
      @DystopianOverture Рік тому +1

      @@anhedonianepiphany5588 Oh yeah, oops my bad.

  • @michaelimbesi2314
    @michaelimbesi2314 Рік тому +5

    “Show us the boob factory” has to be the single funniest quote I’ve ever seen in a Plainly Difficult video. Thanks for making my day :)

  • @NinoJoel
    @NinoJoel Рік тому +63

    You made it Jon your scandal video is so informative that the German Version of UA-cam warns you before watching your video to inform yourself at the official government health institution before being "miss informed" Haha

    • @ohioplayer-bl9em
      @ohioplayer-bl9em Рік тому +19

      These people are sick. The "official" approved "information" is just as likely to contain misinformation or be outright lies. Conspiracy theorist is a word they use to paint anyone that doesn't believe the official approved information as crazy. When having any debate or conversation with someone you automatically lost the second you start calling people names and trying to get everyone else to do the same or worse then cutting their microphone off. If your argument is solid you should have zero need to go to that level and easily win the debate with provable facts.

    • @ArDeeMee
      @ArDeeMee Рік тому +13

      @@ohioplayer-bl9em You‘re missing the point, fictional person. If anything, there are more videos needing some form of „use your brain“ reminder, and official government websites are the way to go.

    • @RoboRoby321
      @RoboRoby321 Рік тому

      @@ArDeeMee official government websites are not 100% safe, the government will also do stuff that goes against the people's interests and they WILL hide and reroute evidence and investigations so the truth remains hidden

    • @omarb7164
      @omarb7164 Рік тому +6

      @@ArDeeMeehi, I heard something about weapons of mass destruction? In Iraq?
      A guy, I think American, mentioned it in the UN assembly recently. Do you have a link to the official statement on the government website?
      I’m very concerned about the nukes being developed… the American insisted there’s even proof! He said so in no uncertain terms! A top ambassador of the US government! Who am I to argue?

    • @ajax700
      @ajax700 Рік тому +5

      _the German Version of UA-cam warns you before watching your video to inform yourself at the official government health institution before being "miss informed"_
      Hello Nino.
      I don't understand. What does the German version suggest to do?
      It is a french company. Has the German government banned these implants?
      Best wishes.

  • @legendoffupa
    @legendoffupa Рік тому +7

    I met some girls who have implants over the years, all of them intelligent, funny and ambitious, hard working people. It would break my heart knowing one of their lives had to end like this, and my thoughts go out to everyone who is somehow affected by this tragic chapter in medical history. 😭

  • @jt2249
    @jt2249 Рік тому +15

    I wonder if the lethal dose of irony was met when TUV tried to use "We had no idea what was in those implants!" as a defense for not properly inspecting the implants before certifying them

    • @SianaGearz
      @SianaGearz Рік тому +2

      They probably wouldn't have found anything. They would have received "engineering samples" aka product made 100% to spec rather than a sample out of mass production. The manufacturer is responsible for providing the sample, and it signs (pinky promises) that it's representative. If you were a cheating manufacturer, would you let them potentially find what you don't want to be found this easily, or would you prepare a perfect product?

  • @XSpImmaLion
    @XSpImmaLion Рік тому +20

    The inheritance of hell from this guy and many others lives on, because I remember quite clearly that the scandal of using non medical grade silicone for breast implants is a recurring theme that pops up in news every few years, at least here in Brazil (nice Mariana link btw... :D That's some good piece of investigation there!).
    Sometimes it's about producers and distributors, sometimes it's clandestine plastic surgery clinics, but it always comes back at some point.
    The thing is, the cosmetic surgery industry in several countries in the world have become so entrenched and their advertisement so predatory that there are several people who are treated less like patients or costumers, and more like a part of some cult. There is a large part of the cosmetic surgery industry that operates much like alternative medicine scams.
    Costumers, or indoctrinated, will do anything and everything towards a cosmetic surgery blindly believing it'll solve all of their problems, and it's a sad sight to see.
    Vice made a piece just recently about a mother in Japan submitting her young daughter to an eye lid cosmetic procedure that was completely unnecessary... hearing her speak on how this was going to change her daughters' life somehow was just heart breaking. It was obvious that she was convinced that if her daughter didn't do that at a young age, she would amount to nothing as an adult.
    Behind closed doors some of these so called doctors will promise the world to them, boost their self confidence, serve basically as cult leaders telling how a surgery here and there will boost their images and open doors in all places, preaching how image is everything in today's world, and how there is no risk in any procedure they make.
    It operates in varying levels of scam, but people will always be able to find at any price unscrupulous "doctors" that are willing to take the money.
    Of course, there are legit reasons for cosmetic and plastic surgery... and in a way, the science has advanced a lot because of people who don't really need it throwing insane amounts of money in it. But man, I've seen so many sad cases of people getting into cosmetic surgeries they didn't need, either dying because of it or spending the rest of their lives with health problems because of those.
    Rule of thumb for me? If it isn't a procedure a competent and trustworthy doctor is recommending, I'm out. I can live pretty well with being ugly and having imperfect whatever... nose, hairline, cheeks, eye lids, belly, etc. It's just flesh and meat. I don't wanna get into a relationship with anyone who can only judge me on those factors anyway.
    Women are way worse off due to the pressures of the beauty industry and the general sexism that still permeates all levels of societies all around the world, but if I'm asked for an opinion, I'll always say don't do it. If it isn't a strictly necessary surgery needed for health related reasons, don't do it. If a doctor you are not too sure about is telling you to do it, ask for a second and third opinion, don't go into it blindly. And another thing I should mention - no, the time it takes to do it, the expected recovery time, the fact that it can be done without a full surgery center, the fact that the place looks more like a dentist's office... none of those things diminish the fact that an invasive procedure is a serious thing that can cripple you for life it not outright kill you.
    The cosmetic surgery industry has worked hard over the years to mask it as a less scary thing than regular surgery, but it's still a serious procedure that can carry all sorts of potentially scary consequences in the long run, it doesn't matter how doctors and offices are trying to make it look trivial.
    I don't wanna offend or incense people too much on this topic, so I'll just stop. This is only my personal opinion anyways, anyone is free to disagree. But modern societies should be making a better job of celebrating diversity and the uniqueness of each of us, not trying to box everyone into specific standards.

    • @anhedonianepiphany5588
      @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +3

      Agreed, but please work on condensing your thoughts to reduce verbiage.

    • @markusgorelli5278
      @markusgorelli5278 Рік тому +1

      @@anhedonianepiphany5588 I read his essay and I don't know how. maybe you can paraphrase it shorter so we can see how it should be done.

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +1

      ​@@anhedonianepiphany5588 Haha, right? Hope he gets that novel published.

  • @mjaricacat
    @mjaricacat Рік тому

    I love your quirky sense of humour while still remaining serious about the tragedies you narrate! And im in love with your voice😻

  • @heavyhitter2655
    @heavyhitter2655 Рік тому +10

    You post, my fingers come running on my screen to click. Good work, bud.

  • @janjans1178
    @janjans1178 Місяць тому

    Hi John! Great video! Keen to share with members of the PIP Action Campaign as we push toward a Public Inquiry in the UK.

  • @JQLiFiCE
    @JQLiFiCE Рік тому +22

    from a german standpoint: i love how hard you butchered Technischer Überwachungsverein at 13:37 :D

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +17

      Thank you it was my pleasure

    • @numeristatech
      @numeristatech Рік тому

      @@PlainlyDifficult same for the French words too 🤣

    • @thomasbell7033
      @thomasbell7033 Рік тому +3

      You do know how your language sounds to those of us who don't speak German? Like somebody getting sick after eight double-shots of tequila. I mean, with apologies to Goethe.

    • @hirisk761
      @hirisk761 Рік тому +2

      I can imagine John seeing French,German or Japanese and going OH BUGGER ME!

    • @ArDeeMee
      @ArDeeMee Рік тому +3

      @@thomasbell7033 Goethe sucks, so it‘s fine. The language you‘re actually thinking of is probably Dutch or even Danish, both of which have harsher sounds than German.

  • @MegaCheesypeas
    @MegaCheesypeas Рік тому +2

    Always love your videos. What is even more shocking are the side effects a lot of the PIp implant patients have encountered since their surgeries including joint and muscle aches, lethargy, headaches, hair loss & a type of non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Some of these do not subside even if the implants are removed.

  • @Siarawaszympanemjest
    @Siarawaszympanemjest Рік тому +16

    A hydrogen implant...now I am almost certain that if a corporation would see some money in it they would actualy make such a thing.

  • @Choralone422
    @Choralone422 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for this video. I remember reading about the 2000 US FDA ban on silicone implants. Along with seeing sporadic news reports of issues with them going back into the late 80's. However, I was unaware of what happened with PIP! Wow!

  • @SpankyK
    @SpankyK Рік тому +5

    Great video John. I can't believe how easily these fools got off.
    Have a great day!

  • @exileayahika
    @exileayahika Рік тому +1

    Wow, I randomly was recommended this. Excellent coverage. This does explain the jump in breast cancer in UK and USA. Medical grade is so different than industrial; excellent point.

  • @crazycoffee
    @crazycoffee Рік тому +8

    My Grandpa was a Sheriff's deputy for 24 years and a sheriff for 7 before he retired. He pulled someone going down the interstate swerving at high speed. He got up and she screamed my "Tit exploded!" He followed them to the hospital and sure enough her implant burst

  • @chesspiece81
    @chesspiece81 Рік тому

    John, I've been watching your videos since 2018, and I can't believe how much your channel has grown.

  • @tessfabled4115
    @tessfabled4115 Рік тому +11

    Technically my finger reconstruction after tumor removal was 'cosmetic surgery' haha. I had a tumor on the main tendon which meant I couldn't move it at all - no idea what would have happened if I hadn't 'opted for cosmetic surgey' :P

  • @laurabaker8832
    @laurabaker8832 Рік тому +1

    Nothing like a little greed with a side of misery . Thank you for this video.

  • @MichBelgik
    @MichBelgik Рік тому +3

    I chuckled out loud at 6:14 -6:15. May i suggest you put 'butchered' foreign names, locations etc in writing on the screen in edit? It would help if we want to research further. Great job otherwise. New sub, with love from Belgium.

  • @KarrierBag
    @KarrierBag Рік тому +5

    Yey just what I needed, thank you, I really enjoy your work.

  • @retr0robbin
    @retr0robbin Рік тому +9

    One interesting thing about breast implants is that they can develop a calcium layer on the outside making them like rocks. This of course is a big issue as they can become painful and may need extra surgery to remove.

  • @dozaarchives2225
    @dozaarchives2225 Рік тому +2

    Good job with the silicone tools. Don't think I've forgotten your use of metal on non stick!

  • @thejudgmentalcat
    @thejudgmentalcat Рік тому +9

    The French can make "YOLO" sound so sophisticated 🤔 Thanks John for another "uplifting" video

  • @leejohnson1810
    @leejohnson1810 Рік тому +2

    Great videos! One of my favourite channels! 👌🏽

  • @jraxreviewsxcosplayxmore6934
    @jraxreviewsxcosplayxmore6934 Рік тому +9

    It's sad companies STILL need reminding to this day: *CHEAPER DOES NOT MEAN SAFER*

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому

      In fact it often means LESS safe. All companies know this and many simply do not care about anything but profits. That people might DIE isn't even a consideration.

  • @cryptilli
    @cryptilli Рік тому

    john, thank you for making this series on scandals. i love learning about scandals as a concept, but i dont see a lot of channels covering them. i love these :)

  • @olkangol
    @olkangol Рік тому +18

    His sentence should have included getting pip implants himself. When he said they're safe, government should have gone- bet, and installed several in him.

    • @markshort9098
      @markshort9098 Рік тому +9

      That would also be the benefit of insuring he had an interesting time in jail

    • @suchabadkitty1293
      @suchabadkitty1293 Рік тому +1

      ​@@markshort9098 😆😆😆 Nice

  • @Tez_Thorn1405
    @Tez_Thorn1405 Рік тому +2

    I always look forward to your videos on a Saturday

  • @hueginvieny7959
    @hueginvieny7959 Рік тому +5

    I love Saturday mornings because of plainly difficult I get a new video to watch while I'm heading to pick up chipped beef and waffles

  • @loglad5394
    @loglad5394 Рік тому +3

    Both my mother and grandma had breast cancer, my grandma getting it about 10 years after my mother. My grandmother was only able to be cured simply with chemotherapy, however my mother was luckily able to be cured with a double mastectomy. During this controversy I was always fearful of the dangers these implants may have presented to my mother, especially when she had a rupture and had to get them replaced, and she is definitely not the only person who struggled with this same issue. I am very grateful to have my mother and grandmother well now, and I am very grateful no further severe health problems came from a rupture, but still very worrisome. Funny enough one of my fondest childhood memories is being probably only about 4 and I remember picking up and playing with an implant like a stress ball and my mom and the doctor laughing (obviously I had no idea exactly what they were at the time!) lol.

  • @ShayForShort
    @ShayForShort Рік тому +3

    This was so interesting ! Thanks for your hard work

  • @evicol2117
    @evicol2117 Рік тому +2

    Ive been refreshing your page since the post like yesterday. Finally

  • @Failure_Is_An_Option
    @Failure_Is_An_Option Рік тому +5

    The FDA has saved many lives more than once. There was a morning sickness medication that a lady in the FDA refused to approve in the US, despite being approved almost everywhere else on the planet.

    • @Failure_Is_An_Option
      @Failure_Is_An_Option Рік тому +1

      @Lawofimprobability That sounds right. Back in the 50's?

    • @SianaGearz
      @SianaGearz Рік тому +1

      I see a lot of Contergan damaged people out on the streets in Germany.

    • @rachelhansbro7802
      @rachelhansbro7802 Рік тому

      ……Killed many more than they’ve ever saved! Cmon!

  • @shadodragonette
    @shadodragonette Рік тому +19

    I want to point out that I prefer you "jibbering" over them lying and killing people. You might get a few words wrong, they ruined lives. Please keep "jibbering" and saving future lives. You might sound silly for a minute, but you are pointing out flaws that can save lives. Please please never stop being you. Even if you quit the channel for any reason, keep being you, keep knowing you saved people from future horrible events. One of the lives you saved might someday be mine, or my son's, or my grandson's...

  • @Sevenigma777
    @Sevenigma777 Рік тому +44

    For any girls contemplating getting breast augmentation if you're doing it for yourself is one thing but if you are doing it for guys' sake then it is not worth it because if your breast size is what determines whether a guy likes you or not then he doesnt deserve you at all.

    • @blunderingfool
      @blunderingfool Рік тому

      Girls don't need breast surgery, they're not adults.

    • @HailAnts
      @HailAnts Рік тому +12

      Doing it for themselves and doing it to be noticed more by guys is kinda the same thing..

    • @stheil
      @stheil Рік тому +9

      As it should be with any cosmetic surgery. Do it because it makes *you* feel better in your body, not because it makes other people feel better about it. Note, however, that it can also be both: I for example recently underwent GRS, and a part of the motivation was definitely that women with a bulge in their pants tend to be looked at weirdly.

    • @xponen
      @xponen Рік тому +3

      @@stheil cosmetic surgery for looks is a waste of money, since it is cheaper to achieve same thing with accessories/outfit. Not only that, there's risk it doesn't end up looking good, I've seen multiple videos showing that even Hollywood artist with lots of money had cosmetic surgery that end up looking weird.

    • @curiousbystander9193
      @curiousbystander9193 Рік тому +3

      it seems odd to suggest that a person lives in a vacuum!

  • @hullinstruments
    @hullinstruments Рік тому +3

    Thanks for keeping us abreast of the situation. Too bad they couldn't NIP it in the bud before everything went tits up.
    Such a sticky situation that affected as so many lives. But sometimes things just go a little pear-shaped
    I'm sorry... I should be ashamed of myself.
    I'll leave now.

  • @rajrigby8385
    @rajrigby8385 Рік тому +2

    300,000 people effected...
    Works out as 3.5mins in gaol per implant
    And a fine of £0.25 per person

  • @megabromure
    @megabromure Рік тому +4

    I can give some keys to understand the light sentence. Jean-Claude Mas was (and still is) old. If he had died during the trial, there would have been no conviction and the victims would not have been considered victims in the eye of the law. Going for a lighter and easily provable offense, here fraud, was an easy win. Going for a criminal offence would have been a battle between experts arguing of the real danger of industrial silicone that could have lasted decades and Mas may have died an innocent man, preventing the victim to be legally recognised as victims.
    Sexism also played an important role. Victims were seen as frivolous woman who wanted big breast and it was a kind of "divine punishment", as if they had paid for their hubris. That's a real shame because had the public supported the victims, the prosecutor may have tried to go for an harsher sentence.

  • @twistedsaltypretzel7727
    @twistedsaltypretzel7727 Рік тому +1

    I just don't understand how an engineer would claim "these wont leak or puncture or slowly be eaten away by body."

  • @mkjirak
    @mkjirak Рік тому +5

    I think TUV was probably snookered by PIP. Since PIP was knowingly doing this, I'll bet they cooked their incoming receiving records so that the good medical grade silicone covered the entirety of what they needed to build a lot. I was wondering before why PIP still included 25% medical grade and this answers my question: to pass inspections.

    • @SianaGearz
      @SianaGearz Рік тому +1

      I wonder if they used a medical outer shell and industrial filling and thus reasoned that it's "safe". Even the bad guys don't always want to think they're the bad guys.

  • @PeterShipley1
    @PeterShipley1 Рік тому

    thank you, your videos are well-researched and unassuming

  • @deltalimabravo6727
    @deltalimabravo6727 Рік тому +3

    No radioactive breast implants? I appreciate how you break it all down and the type of, or source of, the incident is all good. 👍🏼

  • @janmcguire5268
    @janmcguire5268 Рік тому

    Thanks for covering this.

  • @sharkgamer7797
    @sharkgamer7797 Рік тому +3

    A possible future disaster for you might be the mining disaster of Lassing, Austria in 1998.
    There was a mud slump into the talc mine of Lassing, where one miner was locked in about 60 meters below the surface. His colleagues then tried to rescue him when a second, much larger, mud slump entered the mine. This time taking all the other miners with it. After nearly 10 days the first miner could be rescued alive, being "famous" as the wonder of Lassing. The other miners however, were never to be found despite all recue efforts.
    Sadly, this whole disaster was caused by negligence and illegal mining activities by the company, but also by not that deep inspections by government officials prior to the disaster.
    On the surface the whole thing caused a massive crater to be formed, pulling even houses into the deep.

  • @Zargon2854
    @Zargon2854 Рік тому +1

    Excellent video as always sir

  • @riverd8205
    @riverd8205 Рік тому +6

    The weather was so bad he didn't even have to pause to take a look

    • @PlainlyDifficult
      @PlainlyDifficult  Рік тому +4

      It has been pretty rubbish here of late!

    • @mommachupacabra
      @mommachupacabra Рік тому

      @@PlainlyDifficult I always include your weather report if I do a Twitter review (yes, that's me that always mentions it.)

  • @matthewfinkel2727
    @matthewfinkel2727 Рік тому +2

    Outro has some cool shots of Detroit!

  • @spinalobifida
    @spinalobifida Рік тому +36

    I'm surprised that silicone is able to fall under FDA jurisdiction since it's not food nor drugs. Good video.

  • @anhedonianepiphany5588
    @anhedonianepiphany5588 Рік тому +2

    Despite your wish that the specific desires for such implants be kept out of the video, it should be stated that those seeking these to “enhance” perfectly normal breasts are suffering from body dysmorphia and thus ought to be be precluded from cosmetic surgery. This overall despicable industry predominantly preys upon the vulnerable, with few exceptions.

  • @carpemkarzi
    @carpemkarzi Рік тому +3

    Hold on, TUV tested and verified the implants process but then denied they knew what was in them? Oookkaaayyyy…..

  • @FreyasArts
    @FreyasArts Рік тому +1

    "Dear Mas, your implants suck 😘" - the FDA
    😂😂😂 Love your humor

  • @arthur8559
    @arthur8559 Рік тому +5

    I do not know because I am not a French lawyer but surely the charge should have been maansnaalter

  • @sbcinema
    @sbcinema Рік тому

    TÜV is an organization that deserves its own video

  • @chris9012
    @chris9012 Рік тому +5

    Any chance you'll do an episode about the Fipronil-eggs scandal?