Thimerosal: A Neurotoxin In Vaccines

1
Thimerosal A Neurotoxin In Vaccines
A-CHAMP   Advocates for Children's Health
Affected by Mercury Poisoning By Parents, For
Our Children
2
Mercury a Potent Toxin

• Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that causes immune
  system dysfunction and neurological damage.

3
Sources of mercury exposure

• Coal-fired power plant emissions
• Mercury settles on waterways, enters fish (methyl
  mercury)
• Pharmaceutical products including vaccines (ethyl
  mercury)
• Dental amalgam is 50 mercury (inorganic mercury)

4
Our Bodies Contain Mercury

• The EPA reported in January, 2004 that 1 in 6
  U.S. women of childbearing age have mercury in
  their bodies at levels that may adversely affect
  their unborn child.

5
Studies of Children and Mercury

• ADHD and Mercury Chinese children with ADHD had
  significantly higher blood mercury levels than
  controls.
• August 2006 Neuropediatrics
• http//www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/n
  europediatrics/doi/10.1055/s-2006-924577
• Autism and Mercury Through active chelation with
  DMSA (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid), autistic
  children excrete nearly 6 times as much mercury
  as their neurotypical peers. (RI5.94 P Autistic children bear a much higher load of
  mercury in their bodies and chelation may be an
  effective treatment for removing the mercury.
• Journal of American Physicians and Surgeon,
  2003.James Adams, PhD Arizona State
  University.
• http//www.generationrescue.org/pdf/bradstreet.pdf

6
Children with autism have elevated urinary
precoproporphyrin levels

• Precoproporphyrin levels are a specific biomarker
  for mercury body burden
• Altered porphyrin metabolism as a biomarker of
  mercury exposure and toxicity. Author Woods JS
  Department of Environmental Health, University of
  Washington, Seattle, USA. Source Can J Physiol
  Pharmacol, 74(2)210-5 1996 Feb
• 15.3 March 2006
• Porphyrinuria in Childhood Autistic Disorder
  Implications for
• Environmental Toxicity.
• Robert Nataf et al, aLaboratoire Philippe
  Auguste, Paris, France bAssociation ARIANE,
  Clichy, France cDept. Statistics, Roslin
  Institute, Roslin, UK, and dPieta Research,
  Edinburgh, UK

7
Studies of Children and Mercury

• Autism Improvement with Testosterone Suppression
  and Mercury Chelation A clinical trial used
  Lupron to reduce testosterone levels and using
  chelation to remove mercury from test subjects
  diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
  Participants levels of androgens and heavy
  metals were reduced, and they showed significant
  improvements in sociability, cognitive awareness
  and behavior.
• December 2006
• Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier
• http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?dbp
  ubmedcmdRetrievedoptAbstractPluslist_uids171
  87010query_hl1itoolpubmed_docsum

8
Minnesota has Already Removed Mercury

• Thermometers
• Paint
• Batteries
• 2006 legislation to reduce power plant emissions
• ________________________________________
• 2007 proposed bill Blood pressure cuffs,
  switches, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals
• HF 1917, SF 1780 (Madore, Torres Ray)
  Preference for Mercury-Free Vaccines

9
What is Thimerosal?

• Vaccine preservative
• Organic mercury compound
• 50 mercury (57 ethyl mercury)

Thimerosal has NEVER undergone FDA safety
testing to show it is safe
10
Thimerosal Warning Statements

• Eli Lilly Material Safety Data Sheet
• Exposure to mercury in utero and in children may
  cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild
  to severe motor coordination impairment.
• Effects of exposure may include fetal changes,
  and decreased offspring survival.
• http//www.909shot.com/HgNo/msds.pdf

11
How Much Mercury is in a Vaccine?

• Parts Per Billion ppb
• 2 ppb Drinking water standard
• 200 ppb Liquid hazardous waste
• 2,000 ppb Trace thimerosal vaccine
• 50,000 ppb Preservative thimerosal vaccine
• If a vial of a mercury-containing vaccine is
  broken on the floor, by law, building evacuation
  and hazmat team clean-up are required.

12
Thimerosal Warning Statements

• American Academy of Pediatrics Statement
• July 1999
• "The AAP urges government agencies to work
  rapidly toward reducing children's exposure to
  mercury from all sources. Because any potential
  risk is of concern, the AAP and the USPHS agree
  that the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines
  should be reduced or eliminated.
• American Academy of Pediatrics publication
  Pediatrics Vol. 104 No. 3 September 1999
• American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice
  guidelines., pp. 570-574
• http//aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/f
  ull/pediatrics104/3/570

13
Thimerosal Warning Statements

• American Academy of Pediatrics Statement
• July 2001
• Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the
  fetus and children, and efforts should be made to
  reduce exposure to the extent possible to
  pregnant women and children as well as the
  general population.
• American Academy of Pediatrics Technical Report
  Mercury in the Environment Implications for
  Pediatricians (RE109907). Lynn R. Goldman, MD,
  MPH Michael W. Shannon, MD, MPH and the
  Committee on Environmental Health. Pediatrics,
  Volume 108, Number 1, July 2001, pp 197-205
  http//www.aap.org/policy/t109907.html

14
The Toxic Tipping Point

• Childhood vaccines Around 1989, the CDC added
  two new vaccines (Hib and Hepatitis B) to the
  recommended pediatric schedule nearly tripling
  the amount of mercury children were exposed to
  before the age of two
• Prenatal vaccines mercury exposure dramatically
  increased via routine prenatal Rhogam in the late
  1980s and 3rd trimester Influenza vaccine
  beginning 1995

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The Toxic Tipping Point

• 1999 FDA Review of Thimerosal in Vaccines
• Infants were being exposed to up to 237.5
  micrograms of mercury
• 2 month old infant receiving regular vaccines
  would receive 62.5 mcg or 125 times the EPAs
  guideline for methyl mercury
• EPA safety guidelines for the oral ingestion of
  methyl mercury 0.1 micrograms/Kg body weight/day

16
An Epidemic of Autism Recognized

• 1990, 1 child in 10,000 was diagnosed as having
  an autism spectrum disorder
• 1999, the rate increased to 1 child in 500
• In January, 2004, the CDC issued an Autism
  A.L.A.R.M. stating that now 1 child in 166 is
  affected by autism
• In 2005 in Minnesota, 1 child in 106 is on the
  autism spectrum

17
Scientific Studies Thimerosal Is Harmful

• Scientific Studies Supporting the
  mercury-autism link and the link to
  neuro-developmental disorders continue to be
  released. Studies published since the 2004 IOM
  report include
• Cell Studies
• Animal Models
• Studies of Mercury in Children
• Epidemiological Studies

18
Major Researchers Publishing Evidence
SupportingThimerosal-Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Relationship

• Dr. James Adams
• Mercury Retention in Autistic Children Analyses
• Chairman, Department of Materials and
  Engineering,
• Arizona State University
• Dr. Ruma Banerjee
• Thimerosal Neuro-Tissue Culture Analyses
• University of Nebraska
• Dr. David Baskin
• Thimerosal Neuro-Tissue Culture Analyses
• Department of Neurosurgery and Anesthesiology,
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Dr. John Bernard
• Mercury Retention in Autistic Children Analyses
• Director, Nuclear Reactor Laboratory,
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Dr. Sudhir Gupta
• Thimerosal Immune-Cell Tissue Culture Analyses
• Chief, Basic and Clinical Immunology,
• Department of Medicine, University of California,
  Irvine
• Dr. Boyd Haley
• Thimerosal Neuro-Tissue Culture Mercury
  Retention in Autistic Children Analyses
• Chairman, Department of Chemistry,
• University of Kentucky
• Dr. Mady Hornig
• Thimerosal Mouse Model of Autism
• Columbia University
• Dr. Joel Mason
• Thimerosal Neuro-Tissue Culture Analyses
• Tufts University
• Dr. Jill James

19
Animal Studies

• Thimerosal and Genetically Sensitive Infant
  Animal Models Using thimerosal dosages and
  timing that approximated the childhood
  immunization schedule on autoimmune prone infant
  mice
• Growth Delay, reduced movement, exaggerated
  responses, and brain alterations such as
  increased neuron density and changes in receptors
  and transporters.
• Neurotoxic Effects of Postnatal Thimerosal are
  Mouse Strain DependentMolecular Psychiatry, Sep
  2004Mady Hornig, MD Columbia University

20
Animal Studies

• Mercury Levels Following Thimerosal Exposure in
  Infant Nonhuman Primates Researchers gave infant
  primates either ethyl mercury in vaccines or
  methyl mercury in fish
• Total ethyl mercury in the blood is cleared much
  more quickly following thimerosal exposure (6.9
  vs. 19.1 days).
• However, ethyl mercury binds to brain tissue 2-4
  times more readily than methyl mercury and is not
  easily released (half-life one year)
• NIEHS primate study Comparison of Blood and
  Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to
  Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
  by Thomas M. Burbacher, Danny D. Shen, Noelle
  Liberato, Kimberly S. Grant, Elsa Cernichiari,
  and Thomas Clarkson. Environmental Health
  Perspectives Vol. 113, Number 8, August 2005.
• http//www.ehponline.org/docs/2005/7712/abstract.h
  tml  (August 2005)
• http//www.ehponline.org/docs/2005/7712/abstract.p
  df (April 2005 abstract)

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Cell Studies

• Thimerosal Linked to Immune System Dysfunction
  Immune system cells (dendrites) exposed to
  thimerosal were destroyed
• Within minutes
• Cell damage at 20 ppb thimerosal - dendritic
  cells initiated cytokine-inflammatory responses
• Cell death at 200 ppb thimerosal - dendritic
  cells were prevented from maturing and activating
  T-cells
• Trace level vaccines are up to 4,000 ppb
  thimerosal and
• Preservative level vaccines are up to 100,000 ppb
  thimerosal
• National Institute of Environmental Health
  Sciences
• March 21, 2006 Environmental Health Perspectives
• Uncoupling of ATP-mediated Calcium Signaling and
  Dysregulated IL-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by
  Nanomolar Thimerosal by Samuel R. Goth, Ruth A.
  Chu, Jeffrey P. Gregg, Gennady Cherednichenko,
  and Isaac N. Pessah. Environmental Health
  Perspectives, March 21, 2006.
• http//www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/8881/abstract.h
  tml

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Thimerosol Decreases Mercury Detoxification

• Children with autism have unusually low levels of
  glutathione, an antioxidant and the body's
  primary cellular-level defense against mercury
• Neurotoxicology, Jan 2005
• Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated with
  Glutathione Depletion
• Protection with Glutathione Precursors
• S. Jill James, PhD University of Arkansas
• Thimerosal inhibits bodys ability to detoxifiy
  heavy metals
• Dr. Richard Deth
• Thimerosal Neuro-Tissue Culture Analyses
• Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
• School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University

23
Institute of Medicine, 2001

• The hypothesis of a link between Thimerosal and
  neurodevelopmental disorders was biologically
  plausible
• The evidence was inadequate to accept or reject a
  causal relationship
• Recommended full consideration be given to
  removal of TCVs for infants and pregnant women.

24
February 2004 Institute of Medicine Safety Review
Committee Report

• IOM concluded that the evidence favored rejection
  of a causal relationship between
  thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, and
  called for an end to vaccine-associated autism
  research.
• The report contained the important caveat The
  committee cannot rule out, based on the
  epidemiological evidence, the possibility that
  vaccines contribute to autism in some small
  subset...

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Only One IOM Study Looked at American Children
(Verstraeten et al)

• CDC studied the Vaccine Safety Datalink which
  holds medical immunization histories of 7.5
  million people.
• Verstraetens raw data found those children with
  the highest exposures of Thimerosal compared to
  those that did not receive Thimerosal had 7 - 11
  times the rate of autism.
• Nov Relative Risk Dec Relative Risk
• Autism 7.62 11.35
• ADD 3.76 3.96
• Sleep Disorders 4.98 4.64

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From Verstraeten, Thomas
Sent Friday, December 17, 1999 440 PM
To 'Robert Davis'
Cc 'Destefano, Frank'
Subject It just won't go away
Hi,
Attached please find four tables with RRs
relative risks and three SAS programs...
As you'll see, some of the RRs increase over the
categories and I haven't yet found an alternative
explanation...Please let me know if you can think
of one. Frank proposes we discuss this on a call
after the New Year
Happy Holidays!
Thomas Verstraeten, M.D.
27

• Further note in It just wont go away

• I added another exposure variable that looks at
  the increase of mercury each monthI would
  conclude that, except for epilepsy, all of the
  harm is done in the first month.

28
Simpsonwood Meeting

• In June 2000, Verstraeten disclosed his analysis
  (Relative Risk for autism now 2.48) to 52 vaccine
  advisory committee members at a meeting at the
  Simpsonwood Resort in Georgia. Minutes of the
  nonpublic meeting were obtained through the
  Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) by the
  Coalition for SafeMinds (Sensible Action For
  Ending Mercury Induced Neurological Disorders).
• The number of dose-related relationships are
  linear and statistically significant. You can
  play with this all you want. They are linear.
  They are statistically significant.
• -- Dr. Bill Weil, pediatricianCommittee on
  Environmental Health of the Academy
• The medical legal findings in this study, causal
  or not, are horrendous.
• -- Dr. Robert BrentThomas Jefferson University,
  Dupont Hospital for Children

29
After Simpsonwood

• Verstraeten never published the very first set of
  statistics
• Instead, between February 2000 and November 2003
  Thomas Verstraeten and supervisors at the
  National Immunization Project produced 4 VERSIONS
  of statistical analysis.
• With each version, elevated and statistically
  significant risks were reduced and/or eliminated.

30
NIEHS Panel Identifies Serious Problems with VSD
Study in 2004 IOM Report

• The National Institute of Environmental Health
  Sciences (NIEHS) report identified several
  serious problems with the CDC Verstraeten study.
• There were many concerns including deletion of
  a large proportion, around 25 of births,
  excluded from the analysis, the same children
  who might be most affected by thimerosal.
• The study also excluded prenatal exposure to
  thimerosal via Rhogam and vaccines.
• August 2006
• "Thimerosal Exposure in Pediatric Vaccines
• Feasibility of Studies Using the Vaccine Safety
  Datalink." http//www.safeminds.org/pressroom/pres
  _releases/Thimerosal_Pediatric_Vaccines.pdf

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Is Mercury Safe for Pregnant Women?

• Fluzone, sanofi-Pasteur, package insert states
• Animal reproduction studies have not been
  conducted with Influenza Virus Vaccine. It is not
  known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can cause
  fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman
  or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza
  Virus Vaccines should be given to a pregnant
  woman only if clearly needed.
• Fact sheet for Influenza Virus Vaccine Fluzone(R)
  2005-2006 Formula
• http//www.vaccineshoppe.com/US_PDF/Fluzone_2005.2
  006_5097.5098.pdf
• Scientific evidence that thimerosal causes
  reproductive toxicity is clear and voluminous
• February 2004 Response to the Petition of Bayer
  Corporation for
• Clarification of the Proposition 65 Listing of
• Mercury and Mercury Compounds as Chemicals
  Known to Cause Reproductive Toxicity
• California Environmental Protection Agency,
  Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
• http//www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/hgbay
  er.html

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Is Mercury Safe for Pregnant Women?

• Mercury levels in a fetus's umbilical cord blood
  are 70 percent higher than those in the mother's
  blood.
• Update on Recent Epidemiologic Mercury Studies,
  Kate Mahaffey, U.S. Environmental Protection
  Agency, Proceedings of the 2004 National Forum on
  Contamination in Fish
• http//www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/forum/2004/p
  roceedings.pdf

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Which Vaccines Contain Thimerosal?

• As a Preservative
• 8.3 35 micrograms mercury
• Tetanus-Diphtheria (some)
• Tetanus-Toxoid
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Meningococcal (some)
• Influenza (some)

• As a Trace, Considered Preservative-Free
• DTaP (some)
• DTaPHib
• DTaPHepB-IPV
• Hepatitis B (some)
• HepA/HepB
• Influenza (some)

34
2006-2007 Influenza Season

• About 90 of the Influenza Vaccine Supply
  contains Thimerosal as a Preservative.
• Ages 3 years Adult
• 25 micrograms mercury
• Ages 6 months 3 years
• 12.5 micrograms mercury
• 2nd shot one month later for 1st time infants
  children
• The CDC refuses to recommend a mercury-free
  preference for infants, children or pregnant women

35
Pharmaceutical Companies Have Capacity to Make
More Mercury-Free Vaccines

• Sanofi-Pasteur Spokesman Len Lavenda
• We were prepared to more than double the
  quantity this year, but demand for the product
  didnt warrant producing that much,
• While we have on several occasions sold out all
  of our preservative-containing (mercury) vaccine
  in the last several years, we have never sold out
  all of our preservative-free vaccine.
• Lavenda said he had no idea why health officials
  were not ordering more mercury-free vaccine.

36
Autism in Minnesota 2005 Based on Department
of Education Reports

• Minnesota ranks 2 in the Nation
• 1 in 106 school age children are autistic
• 20 year increase in the number of children with
  autism 5,617.8
• In the 6 to 11 year age range 1 in 60 boys have
  autism
• 1 in 7.9 Minnesota school age children receive
• special education services
• (Oregon ranks 1 with a rate of 1 in 98 children
  having autism )

37
What Do Citizens Want?

• In a November, 2006 poll by Zogby International
  of over 9,000 people
• 76 were unaware the flu shot contained mercury
• After learning mercury is an ingredient, 74 were
  less likely to get a flu shot and 86 of parents
  were less likely to get their child a flu shot
• 77 believe that mercury should not be an
  ingredient in flu shots given to pregnant women
  and children
• 73 believe the government should warn pregnant
  women not ot get a flu shot if it contains
  mercury
• More than 70 agree that Congress, doctors and
  medical groups should take responsibility for
  ensuring that vaccines do not contain mercury
  and
• 80 of respondents and 84 of parents are willing
  to pay the 2.50 additional for a mercury free
  flu shot.

38
Mercury-Free Vaccines for Other States

• Legislation to limit mercury in vaccines has been
  signed into law in 7 States
• California
• New York
• Delaware
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Illinois
• Washington
• Many other states have legislation pending

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American Nurses AssociationPosition Statement on
Thimerosal

• In 2004, a second review was done that included
  studies done in the interim. This time the IOM
  concluded "...that the evidence favors rejection
  of a causal relationship between thimerosal
  containing vaccines and autism." The review on
  the same topic by the AAP drew a similar
  conclusion.
• However, substantial biological plausibility
  still exists regarding the possible neurotoxic
  effect of thimerosal, and research on the
  association between TCV and the increasing
  incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder continues.
  Some individuals remain skeptical and concerned
  about this form of mercury in vaccine.

40
American Nurses Association

• The Precautionary Approach, adopted by the ANA
  Board of Directors in 2003 as association policy,
  states that
• when an activity raises threats of harm to human
  health or the environment, precautionary measures
  should be taken even if some cause and effect
  relationships are not fully established
  scientifically. The principle includes taking
  action in the face of uncertainty shifting
  burdens of proof to those who create risks
  analysis of alternatives to potentially harmful
  activities and participatory decision-making
  methods.
• The continued gaps in knowledge regarding the
  safety of TCV present a situation of uncertainty
  for which the Precautionary Approach can help
  guide decision making.

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• The American Nurses Association
• insists that pharmaceutical companies develop
  technology to produce seasonal influenza vaccine
  without using thimerosal as a preservative and
  cease using thimerosal as a preservative in
  vaccines immediately,
• insists that pharmaceutical companies increase
  the availability of single dose vials and
  pre-filled syringes to meet the subsequent
  increased demand with discontinuation of the use
  of thimerosal as a preservative in multi-dose
  vials of seasonal influenza vaccine,
• in recognition of a public health emergency,
  urges the use of the available vaccine in the
  event that a pandemic influenza and/or avian
  influenza pandemic occurs to help protect
  registered nurses, their families, their patients
  and communities from extending the outbreak, and
• recognizes the World Health Organizations
  leadership role in promoting efforts to develop
  alternatives to using multidose vials of any
  thimerosal containing vaccine in the developing
  world.

42
Precautionary Principle

• We need a strong immunization program.
• But we must not let our zeal for high
  immunization rates keep us from recognizing
  potential risks and taking action to eliminate
  them.
• Otherwise people may continue to be harmed. 

43
Precautionary Principle

• Until scientific certainty has been reached and
  thimerosal has been proven safe or harmful, it is
  better to err on the side of caution. 
• Why take the risk?