mercury in vaccines - abstract from PubMed

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1770890 & dopt=Abstract

 

Predicted mercury concentrations in hair from infant immunizations:

cause for concern.

 

Redwood L, Bernard S, Brown D.

 

Coalition for Safe Minds, Cranford, NJ 07016, USA.

tlredwood

 

Mercury (Hg) is considered one of the worlds most toxic metals. Current

thinking suggests that exposure to mercury occurs primarily from seafood

contamination and rare catastrophic events. Recently, another common

source of exposure has been identified. Thimerosal (TMS), a preservative

found in many infant vaccines, contains 49.6% ethyl mercury (EtHg) by

weight and typically contributes 25 microg of EtHg per dose of infant

vaccine. As part of an ongoing review, the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) announced in 1999 that infants who received multiple TMS-preserved

vaccines may have been exposed to cumulative Hg in excess of Federal

safety guidelines. According to the centers for disease control (CDC)

recommended immunization schedule, infants may have been exposed to 12.5

microg Hg at birth, 62.5 microg EtHg at 2 months, 50 microg EtHg at 4

months, 62.5 microg EtHg at 6 months, and 50 microg EtHg at

approximately 18 months, for a total of 237.5 microg EtHg during the

first 18 months of life, if all TMS-containing vaccines were

administered. Neurobehavioral alterations, especially to the more

susceptible fetus and infant, are known to occur after relatively low

dose exposures to organic mercury compounds. In effort, to further

elucidate the levels of ethyl mercury resulting from exposure to

vaccinal TMS, we estimated hair Hg concentrations expected to result

from the recommended CDC schedule utilizing a one compartment

pharmacokinetic model. This model was developed to predict hair

concentrations from acute exposure to methymercury (MeHg) in fish.

Modeled hair Hg concentrations in infants exposed to vaccinal TMS are in

excess of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety guidelines of

1 ppm for up to 365 days, with several peak concentrations within this

period. More sensitive individuals and those with additional sources of

exposure would have higher Hg concentrations. Given that exposure to low

levels of mercury during critical stages of development has been

associated with neurological disorders in children, including ADD,

learning difficulties, and speech delays, the predicted hair Hg

concentration resulting from childhood immunizations is cause for

concern. Based on these findings, the impact which vaccinal mercury has

had on the health of American children warrants further investigation.

 

PMID: 11770890 [PubMed - in process]