Throw Out the Thimerosal Theory
Once the MMR theory was disproven, thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative added to some vaccine vials to prevent bacterial growth) was suggested as a possible cause of autism. However, after thimerosal was removed from vaccines as a precaution, there was no decrease in the amount of neurologic problems found in children.
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Nor has the aluminum. It is still in 80 percent of flu vaccines, now approved for children and pregnant women by the Bush FDA.
The government is playing a shell game with the toxic metals, moving them around from one vaccine to another, and refusing to regulate mercury output from coal-fired power plants, to cover the drop in thimerosal-related autism.
You DO have it partly right. We should throw out the thimerosal. Preferably, in a toxic waste dump.
Thimerosal has been on the out for nearly a decade now... it is not used as a preservative in modern vaccines .
There has also been no demonstrated link between the presence of Thimerosal and the incidence of autism in the population.
This is simply untrue.
http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/MercuryExempt/Thimerosal_exemption_provider_announcement_July09.pdf
I could have phrased that better... Thimerosal is not used in the development of new vaccines , it does still exist in modern vaccines... but in the case of childhood vaccination that use is largely restricted to flu shots.
I will say again that there has been no demonstrated link between the presence of thimerosal and the incidence of autism in the population.
themerisol is still in six vaccines as of may of 2008-do a little research for gods sake. it is not only in the flu shot-that is a common misconception-they try to "remove the mercury or thimerosal post production" but they cant get it all out-and alot of children cant excrete this toxin-this is why many children with autism have extremely high levels of mercury in their bodies
Thimerosal was discontinued in some vaccines, which remained in stock and took years to exhaust. During this time, the Bush administration added mercury-laced flu shots to infants and pregnant women's vaccination schedules. Bush also deregulated mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants resulting in a steady supply of poison for American children.
The drug industry-funded studies you cite were designed to NOT find evidence of harm from thimerosal. Independent studies have found autism, ADHD, ADD, asthma, gastroenteritis and diabetes all increase with exposure to the powerful immunotoxin and neurotoxin, thimerosal.
Dr Shu, I recall taking my kids to the local clinic to have them vaccinated. I recall the clinic staff basically handling the whole procedure (as expected). However looking back, I realize that I never had the opportunity to choose ... or at least, I did not even know enough to realize there were choices to be made. And I'm not talking here about choosing to vaccinate or not, but rather, having made the choice to vaccinate, you then have choices about how, and with what medication.
So here is what needs to happen in my view: Parents or whomever brings the child to the clinic to be vaccinated ought to be informed that there is in fact debate about the safety of thimerosal, they should be given information about where they can find out more; they ought to be given the "insert" that describes the content of the vaccine; they ought to be allowed to choose between single-use and multi-use vials; they should be informed of the difference between "trace" and "0".
Do you agree?
Dr Shu - given all that is known -- and unknown -- about thimerosal, would you rather (a) choose to vaccinate with a vaccine containing thimerosal; (b) choose to vaccinate with a vaccine that does not contain thimerosal, or (c) you'd leave it up the the medical staff at the clinic to decide.
It would also be interesting to hear the advice you would give on this to your (hypothetical) children who are making this decision on behalf of your (hypothetical) grandchildren.