Leading plastics experts weigh in on the largest multi-district litigation since asbestos
MIDLAND, MI – (May 17, 2018) — More than 100,000 women are suing surgically implanted gynecological mesh manufacturers like Boston Scientific in what is believed to be the largest multi-district litigation since asbestos. CBS News recently covered the story in a 60 Minutes special.
The mesh in question is made of polypropylene, a common plastic material used in packaging. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley interviewed Dr. Duane Priddy, CEO of Plastic Expert Group and widely considered to be one of the leading experts on plastic technologies in the world, about the recommended use of polypropylene.
“I can’t, in my wildest imagination, imagine anybody that’s knowledgeable in the science of plastics ever deciding that it was appropriate to use polypropylene in the human body,” said Dr. Priddy. “It’s well known that it is oxidatively unstable.”
Boston Scientific had clearance from the FDA to use a brand of polypropylene called “Marlex” made in Texas by a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips. But when concerns about the medical use of polypropylene caused Boston Scientific’s supply of the plastic to run dry, court documents show that they circumvented this shortage by smuggling in counterfeit material from a Chinese supplier.
CBS News hired Dr. Priddy as an independent consultant to analyze Boston Scientific’s own internal test results of the Chinese plastic that was obtained in court documents.
“I would predict a significant difference in the antioxidant stability, or I should say the oxidation resistance of those products in the human body.”
When asked by Pelley how long the Chinese plastic could be expected to last inside the human body, Dr. Priddy replied “just a few months.”
So far, Boston Scientific alone has attracted 48,000 lawsuits that claim its gynecological mesh can inflict life-altering pain and injury.
Visit CBS News for the full story.
About Plastic Expert Group
Plastic Expert Group specializes in legal expertise, design, analysis, and consultation for polymeric materials, plastics, coatings, and adhesives. PEG is also an industry-leading forensics lab specializing in identifying the root cause of plastic parts and pipe failure. Dr. Duane Priddy, founder, and CEO is a leading plastics scientist and a Fellow of the Polymeric Materials Division of the American Chemical Society and the Society of Plastic Engineers.