Common myths-Thimerosal

Jan Drew

unread,

Apr 5, 2008, 4:09:44 PM4/5/08

to

"A common myth is that Thimerosal is added to vaccines in 'trace' amounts."
said Mike Wagnitz, a
Senior Chemist at the University of Wisconsin. "The concentration of mercury
in a multi-dose flu vaccine vial is 50,000 parts per billion. To put this in
perspective, drinking water cannot exceed 2 parts per billion of mercury,
and waste is considered hazardous if it has only 200 parts per billion. Is
it really safe then to inject pregnant women, newborns, and infants with
levels of mercury 250 times higher than what is legally classified as
hazardous waste?"

From the Material Safety Data Sheet on:

Common Name: Thimerosal
Chemical Name: Mercurate(1-),
ethyl[2-(mercapto-kappaS)benzoato(2-)-kappaO]-, sodium
Chemical Family: Organomercurial salt
Chemical Formula: C9 H9 Hg O S2 . Na
Molecular Weight: 404.800000
Synonym(s): Benzoic acid, 2-mercapto-, mercury complex
Trademarks(s): Merthiolate Plus; Merthiolate Plus Y; Mertilly; Merthiolate

Thimerosal contains 49.6% w/w organically-bound mercury.

Emergency Overview Effective Date: 08-Dec-1999
Lilly Laboratory Labeling Codes:
Health 2 Fire 1 Reactivity 0 Special R, A
Primary Physical and Health Hazards: Skin Permeable. Toxic. Mutagen.
Irritant (eyes).
Allergen. Nervous System and Reproductive Effects.

Caution Statement: Thimerosal may enter the body through the skin, is toxic,
alters genetic material, may be irritating to the eyes, and causes allergic
reactions. Effects of exposure may include numbness of extremities, fetal
changes, decreased offspring survival, and lung tissue changes.

Effects of Overexposure: Topical allergic dermatitis has been reported.
Thimerosal contains
mercury. Mercury poisoning may occur and topical hypersensitivity reactions
may be seen. Early signs of mercury poisoning in adults are nervous system
effects, including narrowing of the visual field and numbness in the
extremities. Exposure to mercury in utero and in children may cause mild to
severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment.
Based on animal data, may be irritating to the eyes.

Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure: Hypersensitivity to mercury.

Carcinogenicity: No carcinogenicity data found. Not listed by IARC, NTP,
ACGIH, or OSHA.

Chronic Exposure:
Thimerosol is a mercuric compound. Toxicity data for thimerosal and mercury
are presented.
Target Organ Effects: Thimerosal - Kidney effects (tubule necrosis), lung
effects (tissue changes).
Mercury - Nervous system effects (insomnia, tremor, anorexia, weakness,
headache), liver effects
(jaundice, digestive effects (hypermotility, diarrhea).
Other Effects: Thimerosal - Decreased weight gain.
Reproduction: Thimerosal - Decreased offspring survival.
Mercury - Changes in sperm production, decreased offspring survival, and
offspring nervous system effects including mild to severe mental retardation
and motor coordination impairment.
Sensitization: No applicable information found.
Mutagenicity: Thimerosal - Mutagenic in mammalian cells. Not mutagenic in
bacterial cells.

Approximately 115 million doses of flu vaccine were available during the
2006-2007 flu season from 4 different vaccine manufacturers.
It is very likely that more than 90% of the flu vaccine supply will contain
25 micrograms of mercury, which means there is not enough mercury-free flu
vaccine available for children under the age of 3 and pregnant women (8
million being made versus a 15-20 million estimated need) These statements
reflect estimates made in the year 2007.

Data taken from press releases and public domain sources provided by:

PutChildrenFirst.org
PutChildrenFirst.org is a parent-led initiative advocating vaccine safety
and a division of Generation
Rescue, a nonprofit organization providing parents with information on the
relationship between mercury
and its relationship to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Generation Rescue gives
parents information to make
informed decisions about treatment options and physicians. Generation Rescue
is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit
founded in 2005.

For Immediate Release: Vaccinated Children Two and a Half Times More Likely
to Have Neurological Disorders Like ADHD and Autism, New Survey in
California and Oregon Finds.
PORTLAND, OR, Sep 25 -- A new survey indicates a strong correlation between
rates of neurological disorders, such as ADHD and autism, and childhood
vaccinations.

For Immediate Release: Vaccinated Children Two and a Half Times More Likely
to Have Neurological Disorders Like ADHD and Autism, New Survey in
California and Oregon Finds.

PORTLAND, OR, Sep 25 -- A new survey indicates a strong correlation between
rates of neurological disorders, such as ADHD and autism, and childhood
vaccinations.

The survey, commissioned by Generation Rescue, compared vaccinated and
unvaccinated children in nine counties in Oregon and California. Among more
than 9,000 boys age 4-17, the survey found vaccinated boys were two and a
half times (155%) more likely to have neurological disorders compared to
their unvaccinated peers. Vaccinated boys were 224% more likely to have
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 61% more likely to have
autism.

For older vaccinated boys in the 11-17 age bracket, the results were even
more pronounced. Vaccinated boys were 158% more likely to have a
neurological disorder, 317% more likely to have ADHD, and 112% more likely
to have autism. Complete survey results are available at
www.GenerationRescue.org.

Generation Rescue commissioned the phone survey. Data was gathered by
SurveyUSA, a national market research firm, which surveyed parents by phone
on more than 17,000 children, ages 4-17, in five counties in California (San
Diego, Sonoma, Orange, Sacramento, and Marin) and four counties in Oregon
(Multnomah, Marion, Jackson, and Lane).

The survey asked parents whether their child had been vaccinated, and
whether that child had one or more of the following diagnoses: Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Development
Disorder -- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), or Autism. The phone survey
was chosen to mirror the methodology the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
uses to establish national prevalence for neurological disorders in their
national phone survey.

Generation Rescue also ran a full-page advertisement in USA Today. The ad
compares the 36 pediatric vaccines the CDC recommends today to the 10
recommended in 1983, and asks, "Are We Over- Vaccinating Our Kids?"

"No one has ever compared prevalence rates of these neurological disorders
between vaccinated and unvaccinated children," said J.B. Handley, co-founder
of Generation Rescue, whose son was diagnosed with autism. "The phone survey
isn't perfect, but these numbers point to the need for a comprehensive
national study to gather this critical information."

In Washington, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has been advocating for
such a survey. Co-sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Rep. Ron Paul
(R-TX), the "Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated
Population Act of 2006," or H.R. 2832, was introduced on June 22, and would
require the National Institutes of Health to complete this research.

"Generation Rescue's study is impressive and forcefully raises some serious
questions about the relationship between vaccines and autism. What is
ultimately needed to resolve this issue one way or the other is a
comprehensive national study of vaccinated and unvaccinated children," said
Congresswoman Maloney. "The parents behind Generation Rescue only want
information. These parents deserve more than road blocks, they deserve
answers. We can and should move forward in search of those answers. That's
why I've introduced a common sense bill that would require the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a comprehensive, comparative study on
the possible link between autism and thimerosal."

From 1983 to 2007, autism rates have climbed from 1 in 10,000 children to 1
in 150 children, a growth rate of 6,000% (boys are significantly more
affected by neurological disorders, accounting for approximately 80% of all
cases). ADHD currently affects 1 in 13 children. In the same period, the
CDC's recommended vaccine schedule more than tripled. The simmering debate
over the cause of childhood neurological disorders shows no sign of cooling,
but no study had ever been done to look at unvaccinated children.

Lisa Handley, co-founder of Generation Rescue, adds, "Everyone working with
autism wants to identify the cause so we can focus on treatment and
prevention. A national study like HR 5940 could help end this debate and
focus all of our resources on helping our kids. Its time has come, and we
hope Congress will choose to put our children first."