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Dow Corning is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, USA. Dow Corning specializes in silicon and silicone-based technology, offering more than 7,000 products and services. Dow Corning is owned by The Dow Chemical Company (52%) and Corning, Inc., (48%, formerly Corning Glass Works).

Contents

* 1 Products
* 2 History
* 3 Controversies
* 4 References
* 5 External links

Products

Products developed over the years include silicone sealants, adhesives, silicone mold-making rubbers, lubricants, release agents for cookware, sound-absorbing silicone, leather treatment, skin care lotion, preceramic polymers for high temperature applications, and silicone waxes.

History

In 1942 moisture in aircraft engines and corona formation made high-altitude flight all but impossible. Dr. Shailer Bass developed Dow Corning's first product, a simple silicone grease (Dow Corning #4 Compound) that solved the problem. Dow Corning was formally established in 1943 specifically to explore the potential of silicones. Dr. E.C. Sulllivan was named president and Dr. William R. Collings was named general manager in 1943. Dr. Collings latter became president from 1954 until 1962.

A large, majority-owned subsidiary of Dow Corning Corporation is the Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation. Founded in the 1960's before the computer revolution, it is still one of the world's leading manufaturers of high-purity polycrystalline silicon which is sold in varying purity grades for use in both semiconductor silicon wafer manufacture and photovoltaics applications as solar cells.

Controversies

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, class-action lawsuits claimed that Dow Corning's silicone breast implants caused systemic health problems. The claims first centered around breast cancer, and then migrated to a range of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and various neurological problems. This led to numerous lawsuits beginning in 1984 and culminating in a 1998 multi-billion dollar class action settlement. As a result, Dow Corning was in bankruptcy protection for nine years, ending in June 2004.

Several panels of independent experts, including the Institute of Medicine, have since found that silicone breast implants do not cause any major diseases. [1] [2] And some newer studies suggested that breast implants can reduce the risk of breast cancer.[3]

References

1. "Panel Confirms No Major Illness Tied to Implants" (June 21, 1999), The New York Times

2. Chronology of silicone breast implants. Frontline

3. Colas, André; Curtis, Jim (2004). Biomaterials Science, Second Edition: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine. Elsevier, Academic Press. ISBN 978-0125824637.