Sunday, March 9, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The Nevada Silicone Education Conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Airport Plaza Hotel in Reno.
"The (conference) will educate and empower women who have suffered as a result of silicone breast implants," said Rochelle Catlett of the Silicone Implant Support Group in Reno.
The conference, open to the public, is sponsored by the Reno group and the Broomfield, Colo.-based Coalition of Silicone Survivors.
The conference will feature talks by experts from across the country, including John Swanson, a former Dow Corning Corp. executive whose wife became ill after having breast implants.
Swanson will discuss his personal struggles and his perceptions of Dow Corning's role in the controversy over breast implants.
Dow Corning, once the largest maker of silicone breast implants, filed for bankruptcy in 1995 while faced with 19,000 lawsuits. The suits claimed that leaked and ruptured implants caused pain, disfigurement and immune-system diseases, claims disputed by manufacturers.
"My wife and I continue to live with the terrible damage silicone breast implants have caused," Swanson said. "And we're not alone. Over 100,000 women have lost their health as a result of this faulty, untested product."
Five medical experts also will speak at the conference.
"It is crucial that women stay on top of the new studies and treatments that may affect them," said Lynda Roth of the Colorado-based coalition.
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