POST 00829E : THIMEROSAL AND AUTISM

POST 00829E : THIMEROSAL AND AUTISM Follow-up on Posts 00809E, 00812E, 00817E and 00820E 30 August 2005 _____________________________________ Anthony Battersby (mailto:[email protected]) from the UK has the following comments on Thiomersal in vaccines. He also sends three e-mails he has received from Nancy Hokkanen (non-member) who opposes its use. _____________________________________ One element that is conspicuously absent from the WHO policy "mercury in health care" is mercury in vaccines. Why is this? The issue is not whether Thiomersal does or does not cause autism. It is that rich countries have now decided to stop putting Thiomersal in the vaccines they use. Seen from the perspective of the poor countries this shows that there are two standards. It may be argued that the cost of omitting Thiomersal from vaccines used in developing countries is too high, but have there been any studies to indicate what the additional cost would be? Such analysis should also include societal costs and benefits. If GAVI is able to fund expensive new vaccines and if there is plenty of money as it seems, shouldn't some of that money go to making our existing vaccines consistent worldwide. In the age of the internet everybody can see that there are two standards one for the Haves and another for the Have-nots. This leads to questioning of motives and resentment, which in turn can lead to refusal to use the service. Remember Nigeria and polio. I have also just received the following e-mails which I think merits consideration in the on-going debate about Thiomersal. Anthony Anthony Battersby FBA Health Systems Analysts --------------------------------- From: "Nancy Hokkanen", (mailto:[email protected]) Date: 07/08/2005 04:00 PM RE: Toxicity of ethylmercury in Thimerosal re: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/arc ... g00067.php My Google alert turned up your posts regarding Thimerosal. Here are some other aspects. In February 2005 a U.S. primate study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that ethylmercury is actually more toxic to the brain than methylmercury (MeHg). The study was conducted by Dr. Thomas Burbacher, a University of Washington researcher, and funded by the National Institutes of Health. Burbacher stated: "There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg [mercury] in the brain of Thimerosal infants than MeHg infants (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the Thimerosal-exposed infants were approximately twice that of the MeHg infants." http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7712/abstract.html Press releases from NIEHS reported that ethylmercury left the bloodstream rapidly. However those press releases failed to add that ethylmercury left quickly because it subsequently became bound to brain tissue two to four times more than methylmercury, rather than simply being excreted. Moreover, a genetic subset of the population is less equipped to excrete mercury. "Overloaded? New science, new insights about mercury and autism in susceptible children" Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/reports/autism This subject is important to me because my son is recovering from mercury-induced autism -- after medical tests showed toxicity. Nancy Hokkanen Minneapolis, Minneapolis ------------------------------ From: "Nancy Hokkanen", (mailto:[email protected]) To: "Anthony Battersby", FBA Date: 07/08/2005 21:53 PM Re: Toxicity of ethylmercury in Thimerosal Here is an overview of studies on Thimerosal toxicity compiled by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier, submitted to the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in January 2004. http://www.nomercury.org/science/documents/Geier_IOM%202-9-04.pdf One study mentioned: "Kravchenko AT, Dzagurov SG, Chervonskaia GP. Evaluation of the toxic action of prophylactic and therapeutic preparations on cells cultures. Communication III". Revealing the toxic properties of medical biological preparations from the degree of cell damage in continuous cell line L132. Zh. Mikrobiol. Epidemiol. Immunobiol. 3:87-92, 1983 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=6845931&dopt=Abstract "Thus thimerosal, commonly used as a preservative, has been found not only to render its primary toxic effect, but also capable of changing the properties of cells. This fact suggests that the use of thimerosal for the preservation of medical biological preparations, especially those intended for children, is inadmissible." Nancy Hokkanen Minneapolis ------------------------- You've probably read about the mercury research of Boyd Haley, PhD, chemistry department chair at the University of Kentucky. Here is a list of 140 Thimerosal studies. http://www.altcorp.com/DentalInformation/thimstudys.htm For years the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has repeated the mantra thatethylmercury is less toxic than methylmercury. However I have yet to read a valid study proving that ethylmercury is safe to inject into infants and pregnant women. Instead I read studies such as one by Baylor's David Baskin stating that ethylmercury in Thimerosal is neurotoxic even at nanomolar levels. http://www.nomercury.org/science/documents/Baskin_Thimerosal_Toxicity.pdf Here are more studies, media investigations and Congressional reports: http://www.safeminds.org/research/current.html http://www.safeminds.org/research/past.html http://www.safeminds.org/research/library.html In response to Dr. Haley's efforts to warn the public about mercury's toxicity, he has been vilified by some critics. I'm discouraged by the ad hominem attacks launched against researchers delivering unpopular messages -- such as Dr. David Graham of the Food and Drug Administration who was spotlighted during the Vioxx probe. No one wants to believe that a vaccine can cause harm, but regarding the excipient mercury this appears to be the case. Mercury in vaccines is unnecessary. No child should be written off as collateral damage in the war on disease. Nancy Hokkanen Minneapolis ______________________________________________________________________________ Visit the TECHNET21 Website at http://www.technet21.org You will find instructions to subscribe, a direct access to archives, links to reference documents and other features. ______________________________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message to : mailto:[email protected] Leave the subject area BLANK In the message body, write unsubscribe TECHNET21E ______________________________________________________________________________ The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. 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