Guest guest Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Stolen body parts shipped Gerard Ryle - June 22, 2006http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/stolen-body-parts-used-on-australian-patients/2006/06/21/1150845247843.html?page=fullpage The bones, ligaments and skin - many of them aged and, due to the potential for infection, unsuitable for transplant - were traded to legitimate firms, which transformed them into products used to cure back pain, incontinence and other medical conditions. When the stolen body parts scandal first broke, the TGA said it had begun an investigation "immediately on receipt of US advice in October 2005" to see if any of the material had been imported. In March, the agency stated it had conducted a thorough, nationwide check and found that none of the products had been imported into Australia. The alleged desecration of bodies from funeral homes in Brooklyn, Rochester, New Jersey and Philadelphia is part of a continuing New York Police Department investigation that has scandalised America. The police claim a former dentist and three associates secretly removed bones, skin, tendons and veins from corpses bound for cremation or burial. They then sold them through a US company called Biomedical Tissue Services. In some cases, the bones were replaced with plastic pipes before the bodies were stitched up and returned to their families. LifeCell and four other companies caught up in the scandal have stated that it is unlikely that anyone who received the material was infected because of safety measures taken during the processing of the human tissue. In the US, recycling dead humans is a billion-dollar business, documents submitted to regulatory authorities show. There are hundreds of different products derived from dead humans. Gels made from human skin are injected to smooth wrinkles, to puff up lips, or to fatten penises. An ounce of bone putty, used in spinal surgery, can sell for more than an ounce of gold. Skin, tendons, heart valves and veins and corneas are listed at thousands of dollars. Add bone from the same body and, by some estimates, one cadaver can be worth more than $US200,000 ($270,000). Dr. Leo Rebello's comments : This report shows to what extent commercialisation of health has degenerated. Since recycling dead humans is a billion-dollar business in the US, now some enterprising Indian businessmen will start exporting half-burnt, half-decomposed bodies of poor Indians to these American firms and serve dual purpose (a) Under clean up Ganga and other rivers, claim Govt. grant and (b) By exporting them for medical use, claim no tax benefit in addition to export benefits. What is wrong.. It is better business than dealing in Arms of Destruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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