As a plastic surgeon in Sacramento California we hear all sorts of things. We were recently asked about implantable boob bombs by a client. She worked for the TSA and last year they underwent some training on implantable explosive devices. Recently a news story about implantable bombs caught our eyes as well. Would it be possible to implant a bomb into a breast implant? The answer is yes. And could it be placed safely and effectively – yes. However the why and who would be the real questions. Conceivably a sterile device could be manufactured that would detonate inside a breast implant. All it would need to contain is a propellant, an igniter, and a detonating receiver. With enough combustible energy (say more than 3 ounces – like 20 ounces) the device could also conceivably disrupt a crowded place or an airplane. A standard breast implant being around 300 cc or 10 ounces it seems plausible and possible, and again why and who would do this. And really why not put the device into the abdomen instead of the breast?
We certainly have no knowledge of any doctor who would do this. It goes against the Hippocratic oath – First Do No Harm. What Doctor who has gone through such extensive training would even consider doing this? Perhaps he or she wouldn’t know what they are doing? That is really unlikely as the implants when placed are transparent and need to be inspected prior to placement. Not only would they have to look different but they most likely would feel different too. Maybe they could be coerced into such an act? This doesn’t seem likely but possible – perhaps. However, who would even consider having this done?
These are the real questions – who and how. The other issue is avoidance of detection. Could this go undetected? With the advanced imaging devices probably not however with a pat down search – probably. Certainly a question the TSA must have an answer for. Say a bomb was placed into a breast implant – would they be able to detect it? However it would still be fair to say that the limiting factor would be the motivation of the human sacrifice and the doctor implementing this diabolical plan that would be the crux of the matter. The other insights are just little details.
For now Boob Bombs is perhaps just another interesting news story.
