14m./old-Autistic " injected with nine different vaccines on the same day"

[bloom]

Congressman Dan Burton, (R-IN)
Congressman Dan Burton is serving his eleventh term as a Republican U.S. Congressman from Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District. Immediate past chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, he currently is chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness of that committee as well as a member of the House International Relations Committee, where he serves on the subcommittees on the Western Hemisphere and International Operations and Human Rights. He has a career voting percentage record that is one of the highest in Congress.

As Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, he was the architect of the 1997 FDA Modernization Act. During the 105th and 106th Congress, he held a series of hearings on vaccine safety and informed consent issues ranging from anthrax vaccine and Gulf War syndrome to childhood vaccinations and autism; problems with implementation of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act; conflicts of interest in vaccine licensing and policymaking; and mercury in vaccines. The father of three children, he has two grandchildren. Both of his grandchildren suffered severe vaccine reactions. His granddaughter almost died as an infant following a hepatitis B vaccination and his healthy, bright grandson suddenly became autistic at age 14 months after being injected with nine different vaccines on the same day.

http://www.evidenceofharm.com/resources.htm
-----------------------

It sounds like this Republican Congressman "gets its" because it has affected his grandchildren. We need all the help we can get.

I have read people on this board who have dissed the notion and minimized the impact of vaccines on children. So I've been reading up on it - and women need to know what is going on. This page has a lot of good articles:

http://www.independent-media.tv/gtheme.cfm?ftheme_id=94

Here are some more sites:

• COALITION FOR SAFE MINDS - www.safeminds.org
• NATIONAL AUTISM ASSOCIATION - www.nationalautismassociation.org
• AUTISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE/DAN! - www.autismresearchinstitute.com
• AUTISM TODAY - www.autismtoday.com 
• AUTISM ONE - www.autismone.org
• NO MERCURY - www.nomercury.org
• GENERATION RESCUE - www.generationrescue.org
• UNLOCKING AUTISM - www.unlockingautism.org


There should be vaccines available without mercury - but you should see the container - because some batches might still have it. That ANY child ever received 9 vaccines in ONE day is insane. I would recommend that mother's not get any more vaccines than absolutely necessary and it's probably a good idea to put it off and wait until the child is a little older when possible.

Flu vaccines are not necessary and still contain mercury. Not all of these vaccines are necessary:

Under the CDC immunization schedule, here are the vaccines recommended for children before two years of age.

Birth-6 months: Hepatitis B: 2 doses; Diphtheria, Pertussis (DPT), Tetanus: 3 doses; Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib): 3 doses; Inactivated poliovirus: 2 doses; Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR): not recommended; Varicella: not recommended; Pneumococcal conjugate: 3 doses. Total 13 doses

12-24 months: Hepatitis B: 1 dose; Diphtheria, Pertussis (DPT), Tetanus: 1 dose; Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib): 1 dose; Inactivated poliovirus: 1 dose; Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR): 1 dose; Varicella: 1 dose; Pneumococcal conjugate: 1 dose; Pneumococcal polysaccharide*: 1 dose; and Influenza: 1 dose

Hepatitis A*: 1 dose; Total 10 doses

* Vaccines recommended in selected states and regions and for certain high-risk groups.

http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=10502&fcategory_desc=Mercury,%20Health,%20Pollution%20and%20Autism

There is also the problem about Rh negative Rho-gam injections that apparently have a lot of mercury in them. So mothers need to be aware about that, as well.

-----------------

On Edit: Men are welcome to be involved in the issue of their children's vaccinations, as well and I hope any of you men reading this are. It seemed appropriate for a mother's forum, esp. with the Rho-gam thing, and this is the closest forum available.

[glitch]

1. Actually useful information, nominated for greatest. Thanks for posting nt

[bloom]

2. thanks

:)

[FSogol]

3. Burton takes his own silverware..

Burton takes his own silverware to restaurants since he believes he can get HIV from soup. What kind of dumb-ass doctor must this fool visit?

[bloom]

6. I don't know about that.

He seems to be going against what most Republicans are working toward in regards to this. Most would rather people NOT be able to be compensated.

Continued Congressman Burton, "Specifically, my legislation seeks to amend the current VICP rules by extending the statute of limitations, increasing the base amount of funding available to those injured, and providing a critical two-year look back provision for families who previously missed the filing deadlines."

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2005 is tri-partisan legislation - currently with a dozen co-sponsors - that builds upon recommendations to improve the VICP as outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines. The bill seeks to:


§ Extend the statute of limitations for seeking compensation to six years from the date of injury. Under current law, families must file within two years of a child's death or three years of a child's injury.


§ Provide a one-time, two-year period for families with post-1988 injuries to file a petition if they were previously excluded from doing so because they missed the statute of limitations.


§ Allow for the payment of interim attorney's fees and legal costs while a petition is being adjudicated. The costs of assembling the necessary medical records and obtaining expert witnesses are substantial. Under current law, these costs, as well as attorney's fees, are not reimbursed until a case is fully resolved, which oftentimes takes three to seven years. Some cases have taken ten years to resolve and for reimbursements to be made.


§ Increase compensation for future lost earnings for injured children. Under current law, compensation is based on the average weekly earnings of full and part-time workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This bill would specify that only full-time workers should be used in the calculation.


§ Increase the level of compensation to a family after a vaccine-related death from $250,000 to $300,000. The death benefit has remained unchanged since the program's inception fifteen years ago.


§ Allow for families of vaccine-injured children to be compensated for the costs of family counseling.


§ Create and maintain a guardianship to administer the funds.


During his tenure as Chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform (1997-2002) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights & Wellness (2003-2004), Congressman Burton held no fewer than 20 hearings to examine the possible correlation between mercury-containing vaccines and the increasing incidents of autism. Despite the growing body of evidence suggesting such an association is real, many in our Federal health agencies continue to dispute this conclusion. Scientific evidence aside, the numbers simply do not lie. Although autism used to be a rare disease affecting only 1 out of every 10,000 individuals, it now afflicts 1.5 million Americans nationwide. Furthermore, autism is not a fatal disease. Therefore, the families of autistic individuals are facing high-priced medical care for years to come with little to no assistance.

http://www.nvic.org/ActionAlerts/PRHR1349.htm

It seems to me that he is someone that the Democrats would be able to work with.

[faithnotgreed]

4. i believe this 100%. thimerosal (and other mercury preservatives) were

and are used in vaccines

i have mercury based health problems
they really manifested when i was approx 4 yrs old so i dont know if they were because of the vaccines (i still have my vaccine card - incl dates - from my childhood) or if it was passed along from my mother in birth

there are way too many incidents of child and animal health issues that show up post vaccine for it not to be related
there is some crazy stuff in our food water soil medication etc

[Democracy White]

5. Asperger's Disorder

Ok.. I suffer from Asperger's Disorder, which is a form of autism. At least it is a the highest functioning end of the Autistic Spectrum Disorders. I have no idea if it is genetic or caused by other factors.

Dee

[bloom]

7. My daughter has it, also.

Evidence seems to indicate that there is genetic componant where the person who gets Asperger's (or Austism) cannot get rid of mercury as efficiently as other people.


There has also been stories to come out linking mercury in the environment to Austism Spectrum Disorders:

Mercury Pollution, Autism Link Found - U.S. Study

Mar 16, 8:02 PM ET
Health - Reuters
By Jim Forsyth

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said on Wednesday.

A study to be published on Thursday in the journal "Health and Place" found that autism, a developmental disorder marked by communication and social interaction problems, increased in Texas counties as mercury emissions rose, said Claudia Miller, a family and community medicine professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

"The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates," she said in an interview.

About 48 tons of mercury are released into the air annually in the United States from hundreds of coal-burning plants.
...
 
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
 

[bloom]

8. Recommedations from another source - Rhogam:

"Mercury has quietly been taken out of Rhogam by the manufacturer, but prior stocks of this mercury containing vaccine have NOT been recalled. Thus, even today it is possible for an Rh negative pregnant woman to receive heavy dosing of mercury through Rhogam injections if she doesn’t inquire about the issue. "


Also said:

"Fully 50% of autistic children have mothers who are Rh negative, and who received the heavily mercury laden Rhogam shots during pregnancy."


http://www.caringmedical.com/media/article.asp?article_id=68


-----

Also:

http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/articles/pregnancy/rhogam_newsletter.htm

[bloom]

9. "Toxic Tipping Point"

"If the thimerosal theory starts to gain traction in court, the cost to the $8 billion-a-year industry could be gigantic. Approximately 40 million American children were immunized in the 1990s. If current rates hold true, roughly 160,000 will be diagnosed with classic autism, another 270,000 with autistic spectrum disorders, and as many as 2 million with pervasive developmental disorders.

<snip>

... "To cling to a purely genetic explanation for autism is a desperate attempt to maintain the illusion that one lives in a comfortable and rational world where new chemicals and technologies always mean progress; experts are always objective and thorough; corporations are honest; and authorities can be trusted," says Harvard's Martha Herbert. "That human actions, rather than genes, might be responsible for compromising the health of a significant proportion of a whole generation is so painful as to be, for many, unthinkable."

http://www.mojones.com/news/feature/2004/03/02_354.html

-------

This is a great Mother Jones article from a year ago (before this issue was on my radar screen). Goes into a lot of the arguments/history of thimerosal in vaccines. It's also the only source I've seen estimate the number of people that could be affected.

Since the article was written - confirmation has come about in regards to the link between mercury and autism. It seems to me that the gov't would RATHER have the reason be mercury in the environment than mercury in vaccines - possibly because 1. It would be difficult to sue specific companies if it was from coal-burning and 2. They really would like for people to keep being vaccinated.

I think it's probably both. It would actually be a more optimistic proposition to have autism more linked to vaccines than the general environment - because that is a more fixable problem.

[bloom]

10. About Merck's 1991 Memo of concern

A memo from Merck & Co. shows that, nearly a decade before the first public disclosure, senior executives were concerned that infants were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing a widely used sterilizing agent.

The March 1991 memo, obtained by The Times, said that 6-month-old children who received their shots on schedule would get a mercury dose up to 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum daily consumption of mercury from fish. "When viewed in this way, the mercury load appears rather large," said the memo from Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, an internationally renowned vaccinologist.

It was written to the president of Merck's vaccine division. The memo was prepared at a time when U.S. health authorities were aggressively expanding their immunization schedule by adding five new shots for children in their first six months. Many of these shots, as well as some previously included on the vaccine schedule, contained thimerosal, an antibacterial compound that is nearly 50% ethyl mercury, a neurotoxin.

Federal health officials disclosed for the first time in 1999 that many infants were being exposed to mercury above health guidelines through routine vaccinations. The announcement followed a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that was described at the time as a first effort to assess the cumulative mercury dose. But the Merck memo shows that at least one major manufacturer was aware of the concern much earlier. "The key issue is whether thimerosal, in the amount given with the vaccine, does or does not constitute a safety hazard," the memo said. "However, perception of hazard may be equally important."

http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/press_releases.html


Can get memo pdf - look under press release of February 8, 2005

[bloom]

11. The memo was due to concerns by Sweden, Japan, UK, etc. NOT the US FDA

And they want us to think how we should feel protected by OUR FDA when it comes to pharmaceuticals, etc. :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:


It's really sad to think about it. That our gov't and companies that we should be able to trust would do this.

I wept when listening to the interview on Imus available here:

http://www.independent-media.tv/gtheme.cfm?ftheme_id=94

[bloom]

12. Safe Minds statement - a good summary

Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative developed by Eli Lilly back in the 1930 and has been used in as many as 50 vaccines. In the Federal Register 1982, an expert panel at FDA reviewed Thimerosal and found it toxic, caused cell death and called for its removal in over the counter products.

In 1999, the FDA stated that mercury exposure from vaccines exceeded Federal Safety Guidelines. Government officials admitted they were "asleep at the switch" when they failed to add up the cumulative exposure levels when new vaccines were added to the early infant vaccination schedule in the early1990’s.

The rate of autism a decade ago was 1 in 10,000. CDC research indicates that 1 in 150 children are autistic today

The dramatic rise in autism rates correlates with the increase in mercury doses. Thimerosal was first marketed in the mid 1930's and autism was first described as a new never before seen disorder in 1943, in children born in the 1930's.

Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism have similar symptoms to those of mercury poisoning.

Thousands of families have reported their normally-developing children changed after receiving mercury containing vaccines and began displaying symptoms that lead to a diagnosis of autism. The symptoms of autism not only mimic those of mercury poisoning, but children with autism have been found to have 500% the amount of mercury in their bodies compared to typically-developing children.

In March, 2001, the FDA issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury for fear of causing neurological problems in children. Yet, the CDC's National Immunization Program has continued to allow these same sensitive populations to be exposed to mercury from routinely administered flu shots which contain more mercury than seafood.

EPA recently closed down schools when it was discovered that air mercury levels were at 30mcg/m. (EPA's action level in the air is 1mcg/m) Yet infants injected with multiple mercury containing vaccines in the 1990s received up to 187 mcg the first 6 months of life. A typical dose received by a 2 month old who received 3 mercury vaccines was 125 times EPA's daily allowable exposure levels.

In 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) stated it is "biologically plausible" that ethyl mercury Thimerosal in vaccines caused neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.


http://www.safeminds.org/mercury/

[bloom]

13. "Mercury on the Mind" - good article about vaccines and autism history

http://www.mercuryexposure.org/index.php?article_id=175

Although they afflict widely different age groups, autism and Alzheimer’s disease share a common cause: mercury. Dr. Boyd Haley, professor and chair of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky, and Dr. Bernard Rimland, founder of the Autism Research Institute, presented evidence at this year’s Doctors for Disaster Preparedness meeting that connects mercury with these diseases.

This heavy metal is highly poisonous. A Dartmouth professor studying the chemical characteristics of an organic form of mercury – dimethyl mercury – spilled two drops of it on her gloved hand. The first sign of mercury poisoning occurred four months later when her speech began to be slurred. This was followed by difficulty walking and loss of vision. She then fell into a coma and died. Another person, attempting to smelt the silver in dental amalgams he obtained (they are 35 percent silver, 50 percent mercury, and 15 percent tin, zinc, and other metals), heated them in a frying pan. The mercury vapor thus generated killed him quickly. The two other family members in the house at the time also died.

Mercury is one proton (neutron and electron) heavier than gold – the atomic number of gold is 79; mercury, 80. It is distributed throughout the earth’s crust. Unlike other metals, mercury, in its elemental state, is liquid (molten) at room temperature. And it releases a steady stream of gaseous mercury atoms that linger in the atmosphere for months (eventually falling back to earth and its oceans in an inorganic form in rain drops). Even when in a solid state, combined with other metals as an alloy, mercury atoms continually escape into the atmosphere. Once added to latex paint, put in teething powder, used in making hats, as a fungicide on seeds, as an antiseptic (Merthiolate), and as a treatment for syphilis (the cure was worse than the disease), human exposure to mercury today comes principally from three sources: dental amalgams, vaccines, and fish. <snip>

Autism was discovered in 1943, in American children, twelve years after ethyl mercury (thimerosal) was added to the pertussis vaccine. (The disease was not seen in Europe until the 1950s, after thimerosal was added to vaccines used there.) In a typical case, shortly before his 2nd birthday a normally developing, healthy boy stops communicating with others and withdraws into himself. He avoids eye contact and becomes strange and aloof. His vision becomes blurred; and he develops various motor disturbances, such as involuntary jerking of the arms and legs and walking on his toes. In addition to these manifestations, Dr. Sallie Bernard and her colleagues, in a study titled, "Autism: A Unique Type of Mercury Poisoning," describe the speech difficulties, unusual behavior (such as unprovoked crying spells and head banging), various degrees of cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal difficulties, and immune difficulties that these autistic children can have. Mercury is most likely a causative factor in other developmental disorders as well, such as delayed speech and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.<more>

[tigereye]

14. all the resarch I have read ( particularly by NIMH)

found no evidence that vaccinations are causatory for Autism. There are multiple factors and many of them are genetic.

[bloom]

15. I think there can be genetic as well as environmental (mercury) causes

Like people have suggested those with a weaker immune system, a tendancy toward allergies (for mothers and/or children) might be more likely to have it. There can be reasons why some people excrete mercury more than others, etc. Reasons why (testosterone related) males get it more than females.


Time will tell ( I don't think it has yet) whether the huge increase of vaccines into the 80's and 90's which seems to correlate with the rise in autism will go down significantly. There are plenty of other sources of mercury and probably more all the time as well.


I think the link in symptoms between mercury poisoning and autism is significant.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3387542&mesg_id=3387542

-----

I agree with the M.I.N.D. statement:


The M.I.N.D. Institute supports the removal of thimerosal from all vaccines, and encourages parents to specifically request that the vaccines given to their children be thimerosal free. There are alternative methods for preservation and all of the standard pediatric vaccines are currently available without thimerosal. Given the uncertainty about the toxicity of mercury, it is only prudent to eliminate the exposure of infant children to this toxicant. There are, however, other sources of mercury, for example, from thimerosal in consumer products (http://www.fda.gov/cder/fdama/mercury300.htm ) and from organic mercury in fish. Again, it becomes critical to determine what, if any, level of mercury exposure is safe to the developing infant. Ongoing studies at the Center for Children’s Environmental Health at UC Davis and the M.I.N.D. Institute are addressing this issue.



http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/html/news/cu...

[Djinn]

19. I havn't read a lot about this

so while the jury's still out I'm happy to accept there is some link but as a society we need to look at what's best as a whole.

my aunt is currently fuming because her kids will not be allowed to enrol in playgroup until she has their vaccination certificates - she has concerns about the health risks of vaccinations and believes it's her right as a parent to make that decision - I agree with her but think it's the right of all the other parents that their kids aren't put at risk by my cousins

as it stands there are far greater risks inherent in NOT vaccinating your child

[bloom]

16. And then there's Aluminum

I've read that aluminum mixed with mercury makes mercury worse. It also occurred to me that those Aluminum pans started to become popular in the early 80's and probably more so in the 90's (coinciding with the rise in autism).

I realize there is no end to the speculation and there are so many toxins in our environment these days that we will never know about everything. But it seems like if there were such a simple thing as not using aluminum pans (and not putting mercury and aluminum in the vaccines) - well - why not? :shrug:


From one site:

Aluminum: Restrict dietary intake. Don’t cook in aluminum pans, or drink sodas from aluminum cans. Certain baking powders, antacids and antiperspirants contain aluminum, so be sure to check labels.


Also - petition online:

WHEREAS: Thimerosal also known as Mercury was removed from vaccines because of side effects in vaccines, increase of autism due to vaccine injury, thimerosal toxicity, and safety factors; and

WHEREAS: One of the foremost Leading toxicologist Boyd Haley states that any good biochemist knows that Thimerosal and aluminum react dangerously when combined together. In light of my research study into the Summary Comparison of Characteristics
of Autism, Aluminum, & Mercury Poisoning© showing that aluminum and mercury in autism has almost all similar effects, symptoms, causes and may mimic other disorders such as but not limited to Alzheimer’s; and

WHEREAS: Studies throughout the years show that Aluminum by itself has the same effect as Thimerosal once injected into the human body as illustrated in the attached summary chart; and

WHEREAS: An Aluminum compound also found in many of the vaccines. Aluminum at doses of 10 micromolar will kill all these same necessary enzymes as Thimerosal, plus do neurological damage. How much aluminum is in a vaccine? 17,500 micromolar and some more. How can we expect our bodies, and those of babies, to survive a blast of 17,500 when 10 has already done more than enough damage. The combination of mercury plus aluminum is far worse than the sum of the two toxicities added together. The synergist toxicity could be increased to unknown levels; and

WHEREAS: Safety testing of many vaccines is limited and the data are unavailable for independent scrutiny, so that mass vaccination is equivalent to human experimentation and subject to the Nuremberg Code, which requires voluntary informed consent; and

WHEREAS: Aluminum has been used in vaccines since around 1926-1930. In the past 5-10 years there has been an upsurge increasing growth of autism, mental disorders, and other illnesses; and

WHEREAS: There are increasing numbers of mandatory childhood vaccines, to which children are often subjected without meaningful informed consent, including information about potential adverse side effects; and

WHEREAS: Parents who exercise their freedom to refuse one or more vaccines may be subjected to penalties ranging from deprivation of the right to enroll their child in school, to threats of removing the child from parental custody and forcible vaccination; and

WHEREAS: The process of approving and "recommending" vaccines is tainted with conflicts of interest;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: That LD Wedewer, US Autism Ambassador,
Joyce Minor, US Autism CO-Ambassador, Autism Awakening, Autism Help For you, Child Screen Team, VOSI, and many parents, and professionals has called for a moratorium on removal of Aluminum in all vaccines and request resolution sponsorship from Congressman Dan Burton.

http://www.petitiononline.com/NoMadVac/petition.html

[bloom]

17. Study shows link - glutathione (and mercury, etc.) with autism

Lower levels of glutathione linked to autism

A new study suggested that excessive cellular oxidative stress may be a factor causing autism.

In the study, researchers measured plasma glutathione and its metabolic precursors in 95 autistic children and 75 children without autism. It was found that levels of glutathione are significantly lower in autistic children than in the children without autism.

Glutathione is a key detoxifying compound in cells. The researchers believed that deficiency of glutathione cause excessive oxidative stress because the cells cannot deal with the damaging free radials adequately. The excessive free radials can damage the sensitive cells in the brain, the gastrointestinal tract, and the immune system, which eventually contribute to the development of autism.

Further studies suggested that three genes, namely, the catecho-O-methyltransferase gene, the transcobalamin II gene, and the glutathione-S-transferase M1 gene, may be affected somehow in the autistic children. It's not clear how these genes are involved in the autistic metabolic disorder. <more>


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x1047

http://www.foodconsumer.org/777/8/glutathione_autism.shtml
--------

Also:


LAT: Study Links Free Radicals to the Spectrum of Autism

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1364511&mesg_id=1364511

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-autism3apr03...

[bloom]

18. ...mercury content of the atmosphere to rise by 1.5 percent a year...

This is probably nothing new - but it is interesting to see a prediction.

"But human activities have caused the mercury content of the atmosphere to rise by 1.5 percent a year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and the problem is global. Roughly half of the mercury deposited on U.S. soils and streams comes across the Pacific from Asia. Last year a United Nations report found that the toxin can travel thousands of miles in the atmosphere to contaminate pristine and uninhabited areas, such as the Arctic. Still, the United States has so far balked at attempts by the United Nations Environment Programme to draw up a binding protocol to reduce mercury pollution worldwide."


This is from a good overview article on Mercury - in the March Discover 2005

Our Preferred Poison

A little mercury is all that humans need to do away with themselves quietly, slowly, and surely

http://www.discover.com/issues/mar-05/features/our-preferred-poison/?page=1

[bloom]

20. One in Six Women

"We know that one out of every six American women of childbearing years now has so much mercury in her womb that her children are at risk for a grim inventory of diseases: cognitive impairment; mental retardation; autism; blindness; kidney, liver or heart disease. I have so much mercury in my body, I was told by Dr. David Carpenter, who is the national authority on mercury contamination, that if I were a woman of childbearing years and produced a child, that the child would have cognitive impairment, and, he estimated, a permanent IQ loss of five to seven points. There are 630,000 children born in this country every year who have been exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in the womb."

from For the Sake of Our Children

by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0223-25.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Someone was arguing in a DU group that this subject does not belong in the Women's section.

I take issue with the notion that "Women's Rights & Issues" should only entail lesbian issues or only involve rights to not have children, or workplace issues... :shrug:. I think in it's own way that the mercury poisoning issue - whether one is talking about coal-fired plants that are not regulated or vaccines with unnecessary ingredients that are not regulated reflects a patriarchal system where women (and children) are not valued (at least when their well-being affects the "bottom line" :eyes: ). Do some people (i.e. some feminists) cringe to have women and children linked? Well - I've got news for you. They are linked.

A man posted on a GD discussion that he was surprised that more women weren't screaming about this. It is everyone's business when the human race is being poisoned. Robert Kennedy Jr. is screaming about it - FSTV ran a program of his giving the aforementioned speech at Berkeley. He was so hoarse it was difficult to understand him at times.

But I also don't think it's too much of a stretch to suggest that Women stand up for their "actual right " to be healthy for themselves (and for those who decide to have children), their children, grandchildren, as well as for the health of everyones nieces, nephews, friends, neighbors, community - world.

If the Women who intend to remain childless want to join the fight for the "actual right " for women to be healthy (or at least the "actual right " to not be poisoned) - fine - if they don't want to - fine. Whatever - everybody has their own deal and their own issues. And yes - this is mine - at least for now.

:rant:

[bloom]

21. "skeptics" - my response (also a thread in GD)

So there are people off in a (DU) group calling me names because I think women should be cautious about the mercury that they and their offspring ingest due to studies that link mercury to autism.

They would have me shut up rather than speak out about a health menace that our gov’t has been complicit in covering up. They can go suck eggs :) .


Skeptic. They seem to wear the mantle proudly - but who is the skeptic here? The ones who believe whatever the FDA and EPA tell them or the ones who question it?

Let’s pretend for a moment that they are right and I am wrong. I don’t presume to know everything on this subject - but some of them do. But let’s just say that Thimerosal is totally safe (this has never been proven) and that there is a big conspiracy on the part of the right-wing fundies for people to rally around and insist there be no Thimerosal in vaccines ( I have never advocated children not take vaccines and the people who insist that are throwing up a strawman).

There are a lot of people on the right who have taken up the issue - and with their track record that in itself is a reason to wonder. Ok - so what could their reason for this be? It works against Pharmaceutical companies and it discredits the FDA and CDC credibility. What would their gain be in that? If there is a gain - I would suggest that it is that they would sound like people who are concerned about their children and those who are calling them nuts end up sounding like cold-hearted nutcases themselves. It costs $4. a vaccine to remove the Thimerosal from one vaccine - so those who oppose this sound like they are saying that a child is not worth $40. - the cost of taking Thimerosal out of all of their vaccines.

Another issue - the “skeptics” say that those of us who are concerned about this issue are not interested in science and in studies. There are different aspects to this - there is anecdotal evidence, absence of studies showing that Thimerosal is safe, studies that link mercury to autism and other studies that show there is not a direct link. Let’s look at those.

Anecdotal evidence. If children are being given a vaccine and there are cases and cases being reported that within days of receiving said vaccines (actually in some cases it was 9 vaccines in one day) the children lose their ability to communicate and to learn - just how many cases of this should happen before people say - whoa - this is a bad thing. One or two could be a fluke - but there were people screaming about 100’s or 1000’s of cases. What is the advantage of ignoring that?

At the time - if there were not ideas about a cause and people stopped taking vaccines altogether (maybe some did) - I could see how someone could be worried about the spread of disease around the general population. With people saying they thought that Thimerosal was the cause and now that it is removed (mostly) from vaccines - people should feel free to get vaccines now - their credibility is restored - so WHAT is the problem? I don’t see a problem. (And even if you think that there never was a problem - there is not a problem in removing thimerosal).

Burden of Proof. I think the burden of proof is on the Thimerosal manufacturer (Lilly) to show that the product is safe for consumption if it is going to be in flu shots (which it still is) and nasal spray - or any products that people ingest (It has also been removed from the market in the form of merthiolate years ago over health and safety concerns). Our country does not have that great of a track record on these things - I think it is reasonable to expect more. And in fact - the fact sheet on the product lists numerable severe and even fatal side effects.

Mercury & Autism. For a long time, some “skeptics” didn’t want to accept the mercury and autism connection at all. And it isn’t just autism. It is the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), as well as other learning disorders and possibly ADD & ADHD. Mercury has also been linked to Alzheimers, heart and kidney problems and other things. But autism has been central to the debate because of the extreme rise in autism through the 80’s and 90’s. There are differing reports of what is going since - with some people saying it has started to decline since Thimerosal was removed and some not.

The argument - for those not familiar - is that children were given an increasing number of vaccines containing Thimerosal through the 80’s and 90’s including Hepatitis B at birth (even though it covers a disease affecting intravenous drug users and sexually promiscuous people). Also women were given injections of RhoGam (with Rh negative blood issues) with Thimerosal during as well as after pregnancy.

Autism is said to have gone from affecting about 1 in 50000 in 1950 to affecting 1 in 150 now. So it’s a big deal and people need answers.

You can watch a video of “How Mercury Causes Brain Neuron Degeneration” from the University of Calgary, Faulty of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics (quacks, I’m sure :eyes: )

http://commons.ucalgary.ca/mercury/

Mercury has been linked to autism through coal-fired plants. Autism rates are rising nationwide - not just in a few hotspots - although the Texas study also shows an increased level of autism in the vicinity of coal-fired plants.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0317-05.htm

This will show you where mercury is released near you:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/states.asp

Mercury exposure - shows the range of products with mercury:

http://www.mercuryexposure.org/index.php?page_id=29

What I get out of the mercury/autism connection - and this is what I’ve been saying - is that people should try to limit their mercury exposure. I don’t think it’s coming from just one source - Thimerosal. Some people focus on the mercury in amalgams (mercury fillings in teeth), some have focused more on vaccines, some on air and fish.

There have been arguments, and I think they are valid - that amalgams by themselves were not a problem, Thimerosal has been used since 1930 (although some point to that being followed by the beginning of autism) but may not be a problem by itself, people are supposed to be able to eat a certain amount of tuna a week, etc. But like what many point out and I agree with - it is the accumulation of all of the sources together that has not been taken account of. The mother who lives in the Ohio Valley who gets the mercury vapors from the air, eats tuna occasionally, has 10 mercury fillings, has a Rhogam shot with Thimerosal, the kids get vaccines with Thimerosal.... it’s all of it.

So why doesn’t everybody have autism? This is another so called argument of the “skeptics”. Some people have done studies that purportedly show that there is not a DIRECT link from (methyl) mercury to autism (or Thimerosal - ethyl mercury- to autism). But as I understand it - many of those studies did not take into account the genetic element. The glutathione study is one study that shows why mercury would affect just part of the population genetically - through lack of glutathione - a key detoxifying compound in cells.

http://www.foodconsumer.org/777/8/glutathione_autism.shtml

People who have Asperger’s (high-functioning autism - often associated with engineers and computer scientists because “Aspies” tend to gravitate toward those fields) - should consider that they may have low glutathione and may be more likely to have autistic children if their children are super-loaded up with mercury.



So - for the so-called “skeptics” (who aren’t skeptical enough IMO - insulting me over in one of those groups) you can see there is nothing to be sad (or pretentious) about. People are still getting vaccines. People may be more cautious about what their government is telling them is safe - more “skeptical” - not less. Plus maybe a few people will get involved in the coal-fired scrubber/EPA regulation issue - due to being more aware of the problems of mercury.

And when you have a child who gets suicidal about her inability to communicate - you get back to me about your sadness. M’kay?

And one more thing - the right of Women to have a relatively mercury-free body to live in as well as bear children with (mercury affects the fetus the most) is an “actual right” and to say otherwise is beyond the boundaries of respectability.

:rant:



Some Previous threads:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1318974

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3387542

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3371733

[bloom]

22. From www.immunizationinfo.org - a pro-vaccine group

A concentration of 1:10,000

= 0.01% concentration
= 50 micrograms per 0.5 mL


1 microgram

= 1mg
= one millionth of a gram


Most pediatric vaccines come in doses of 0.5 mL (one-half milliliters) so most concentrations are reported "per 0.5 mL."

Because thimerosal is half mercury, a vaccine with 0.01% concentration of thimerosal

= 0.005% concentration of mercury
= 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 mL of vaccine.


(For comparison, most commercial fish contain an average of 23 micrograms of mercury per 8 ounces of fish (i.e., 0.1 micrograms of mercury per gram of fish)).


-----

Guidelines for Safe Exposure to Methylmercury



Guidelines for safe exposure to methylmercury are based on the analysis of unintended environmental exposures resulting in overt toxicity. Such guidelines have been developed by three federal agencies and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Organization recommends a limit of 3.3 micrograms of methylmercury/ kilogram of body weight/ week (0.47 micrograms/ kg/ day).

Three U.S. federal agencies have set lower guidelines for methylmercury exposure:

Environmental Protection Agency: 0.1 micrograms/ kg/ day

Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry: 0.3 micrograms/ kg/ day

Food and Drug Administration: 0.4 micrograms/ kg/ day (2)


Although these guidelines are each slightly different, but each leaves a large margin for safety, and exposure to amounts that exceed these guidelines does not mean that the developing infant is exposed to toxic levels of mercury. (6)

-------

Additionally, it should be noted that, some studies (3, 5) show that ethylmercury (the kind to which thimerosal is metabolized) may be less toxic than methylmercury (the kind that was used in establishing the safety guidelines).  However, because little information about ethylmercury has been available until recently, guidelines for thimerosal safety have been based on methylmercury guidelines.

As part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act of 1997, the FDA began compiling a list of the amount and type of mercury in drugs and foods.

Notably, since the last formal FDA review of thimerosal use in biologics in 1976, two important things have changed regarding vaccines: there have been advances in the understanding of the human health effects of low-level exposure to mercury, and there has been an increase in the number of vaccines recommended for routine use in children (2).

In their recent review, the FDA found that, depending on which formulation an infant received for each of his or her recommended vaccines, the infant could potentially be exposed on an immunization day to total levels of mercury that would exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guideline of 0.1 micrograms of methylmercury per kilogram of infant body weight per day.


http://www.immunizationinfo.org/thimerosal_mercury_detail.cfv?id=3

[bloom]

23. Another Pro-vaccine POV:

Infant Immune System Is Stronger Than
Many Parents Think 

“Current research shows that young infants are fully capable of generating protective immune responses to multiple vaccines given simultaneously. “Our analysis shows that infants have the theoretical capacity to respond to about 10,000 vaccines at once. Currently, the most vaccines that children receive at one time is five,” says Dr. Offit. “Using this estimate, we could predict that even if all 11 of the routinely recommended vaccinations were given to infants at one time, only about .01 percent of the immune system would be used.” ”

Paul A. Offit, M.D., chief of Infectious Diseases and director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and colleagues, Jessica Quarles, Michael A. Gerber, M.D., Charles J. Hackett, Ph.D., and Sarah Landry from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Edgar K. Marcuse, M.D., and Tobias R. Kollman, M.D., from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Bruce Gellin, M.D. from Vanderbilt Medical College.


http://www.altcorp.com/DentalInformation/infantimmunity.htm


Source:
Childrens Hospital Of Philadelphia (http://www.chop.edu)
Date:
Posted 1/10/2002



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020109073542.htm




You can believe them if you want. I think they sound :crazy: myself.


P.S. Re: Michael A. Gerber, MD - one of the authors of said study "license to practice medicine in California was revoked in June 1984 after the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance concluded that he had improperly administered to patients. "

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/gerber.html

[bloom]

24. "environmental chemicals that cause oxidative stress"

Environmental chemicals that provoke oxidative stress could contribute to autism or other health problems

During a typical day children and pregnant women are exposed to many different types of environmental chemicals that cause oxidative stress. These exposures add up, creating special concerns for infants and small children due to age-related sensitivity that derives from naturally low glutathione levels. This natural age-related vulnerability is exacerbated in individuals with impaired glutathione ratios. If these children were exposed to a high dose of any compound that produced significant oxidative stress, they would be less able to detoxify and excrete the compound.

Pervasive environmental contaminants like air pollutants from power plants and auto exhaust, pesticides, heavy metals and food additives all produce some degree of oxidative stress. Fine particulate matter and diesel exhaust both provoke tremendous oxidative stress and deplete glutathione (Li 2002). Oxygen radicals wreak havoc in the lungs of asthmatic children. The pain reliever acetaminophen and alcohol both provoke oxidative stress, but their combined effects are much more potent than either chemical alone.

Exposure to the pesticides maneb and paraquat can push neuron cells already under oxidative stress over a threshold of toxicity and "act as an additional insult to the system and prevent the normal recovery of defenses" (Barlow 2005). Researchers have concluded that maneb disruptions to cells might cause neurodegeneration "especially with concurrent exposures to other environmentally relevant oxidative stressors, such as paraquat" (Barlow 2005). When they dosed pregnant mice with these pesticides the male offspring showed permanent alterations to neurological systems and enhanced susceptibility as an adult to paraquat (Barlow 2004).

PCBs induce a concentration-dependent increase in oxygen radicals. Cells with low levels of available glutathione are more sensitive to PCBs while cells pre-treated with antioxidants had reduced radical production and less cell death (Lee 2004).

Heavy metals—mercury, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, antimony, nickel and others—are a major source of oxidative stress that are commonly detected in air, soil, water and food. Arsenic and chromium in pressure-treated wood, mercury in fish and vaccines, lead in paint, and metals in soil or drinking water are chronic if not daily sources of oxidative stress in the child's environment. <more>

http://www.drgreene.com/21_1894.html

[bloom]

25. Environmental Working Group headlines about Mercury in Seafood

The stories are also interesting - but the headlines sum up the situation pretty well.

--------------------------------------------
Legal Challenge Filed to Tuna and Seafood Advisory

FDA takes half step with tuna warning, scientist resigns over concerns of weak consumer advice

EPA doubles estimate of children born with unsafe mercury levels

EWG Files Legal Challenge to FDA Mercury Health Advisory

New Government Fish Tests Raise Mercury Concerns

New UN findings Leave U.S. Mercury Standards Among Worst in World

Follow Up to Utility Industry-Funded Study Leads to Finding that Mercury in Fish No Problem, Scores of Independent Studies Suggest Otherwise

Long-delayed EPA study links mercury pollution to coal burning power plants

Expert Panel Advises FDA to Issue Canned Tuna Warning for Pregnant Women

FDA to Convene Expert Advisory Panel In Direct Response to EWG Report

-------------------------------------

http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/index.php

[bloom]

26. Swollen lymph nodes

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C186579.html

Mercury Toxicity

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C586629.html

[SarahB]

27. I agree with much of this.

I delayed the Hep B vaccine for my youngest child because of this stuff. I do believe in immunizations. I don't believe in unnecessarily loading the bodies of infants with levels of mercury that is beyond what their bodies can handle for diseases they are at little to no risk of contracting.

Dan Burton has been working for years with this stuff. Has he realized yet just how tied his party is with the pharmaceutical industry? Duh!