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At this point, Dr Bernier makes an incredible statement (page to stop adding it to future vaccines once they use up existing 12). "In the United States there was a growing recognition that stocks, which entails millions of doses. And incredibly, the gov- cumulative exposure may exceed some of the guidelines." By ernment allows them to do it. Even more incredibly, the "guidelines", he is referring to guidelines for mercury exposure American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of safety levels set by several regulatory agencies. The three guide- Family Practice similarly endorse this insane policy. In fact, they lines were set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease specifically state that children should continue to receive the Registry (ATSDR), the FDA and the Environmental Protection thimerosal-containing vaccines until a new thimerosal-free vac- Agency (EPA). The most consistently violated safety guideline cine can be manufactured at the will of the manufacturers. Are was that set by the EPA. He further explained that he was refer- they afraid that there will be a sudden diphtheria or tetanus epi- ring to children being exposed to thimerosal in vaccines. demic in America? Based on this realisation that they were violating safety guide- The most obvious solution is to use only single-dose vials, lines, he says that this then "resulted in a joint statement of the which require no preservative. So, why don't they use them? Oh, Public Health Service [PHS] and the American Academy of they exclaim, it would add to the cost of the vaccine. Of course, Pediatrics [AAP] in July of last year [1999], which stated thatas a —_ we are only talking about a few dollars per vaccine at most, cer- long-term goal it was desirable to remove mercury from vaccines tainly worth the health of your child's brain and future. They because it was a potentially preventable source of exposure" (page could use some of the hundreds of millions of dollars they waste 12). on vaccine promotion every year to cover these costs for the poor. As an aside, one has to wonder where the Public Health Service But then that would cut into some fat-cat's budget, and we can't and American Academy of Pediatrics were during all the years of _ have that! mercury use in vaccines and why they didn't know that, firstly, It was disclosed that thimerosal was in all influenza vaccines, they were exceeding regulatory safety levels and, secondly, why DPT (and most DtaP) vaccines and all hepatitis B vaccines. they weren't aware of the extensive literature showing deleterious effects on the developing nervous system of babies. As we shall IGNORANCE OF THE EXPERTS see, even these "experts" seem to be cloudy on the mercury As they begin to concentrate on the problem at hand, we first literature. begin to learn that the greatest prob- Dr Bernier notes that, in August lem with the meeting is that the scien- 1999, a public workshop was held at tists and physicians know virtually Bethesda in the Lister Auditorium . . nothing about what they are doing. by the National Vaccine Advisory It was disclosed that thimerosal On page 15, for example, they Group and the Interagency Working [an ethylmercury sodium salt] admit that there is very little pharma- Group on Vaccines to consider cokinetic data on ethylmercury, the thimerosal risk in vaccine use. And was in all influenza vaccines, form of mercury in thimerosal. In based on what was discussed in that DPT (and most DtaP) vaccines fact, they said that there is no data on conference, thimerosal was removed _ . excretion and the data on toxicity are from the hepatitis B vaccine (HepB). and all hepatitis B vaccines. sparse—yet thimerosal is recognised It is interesting to note that the to cause hypersensitivity, neurological media have taken very little interest problems and even death, and is in what was learned at that meeting, known to pass the blood-brain barrier and it may have been a secret meet- and the placental barrier easily. ing as well. As we shall see, there is a reason why they struggle Therefore, what they are admitting is that we have a form of to keep the contents of all these meetings secret from the public. mercury that has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and no Dr Bernier then notes (page 13) that in October 1999 the one has bothered to study the effects on biological systems, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) "looked especially the brain of infants. Their defence throughout this this situation over again and did not express a preference for any conference is "We just don't know the effects of ethylmercury". of the vaccines that were thimerosal free". In this discussion, he As a solution, they resort to studies on methylmercury because further notes that the ACIP concluded that thimero: ontaining there are thousands of studies on this form of mercury. The major vaccines could be used, but the "long-term goal" is to try to source of this form is seafood consumption. remove thimerosal as soon as possible. It takes them a while to get the two forms of mercury straight, Now, we need to stop and think about what has transpired here. since for several pages of the report they say that methylmercury, We have an important group, the ACIP, which essentially plays a _rather than ethylmercury, is in thimerosal. They can be forgiven role in vaccine policy that affects tens of millions of children for this. On page 16, Dr Johnson, an immunologist and paediatri- every year. And we have evidence from the thimerosal meeting cian at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the in 1999 that the potential for serious injury to the infant's brain is National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory so serious that a recommendation for thimerosal removal becomes Medicine, notes that he would like to see the incorporation of policy. In addition, they are all fully aware that tiny babies are wide margins of safety; that is, threefold to tenfold margins of receiving mercury doses that exceed even EPA safety limits, yet safety to "account for data uncertainties". What he means is that all they can say is that we must "try to remove thimerosal as soon there are so many things we do not know about this toxin that we as possible". Do they not worry about the tens of millions of had better use very wide margins of safety. For most substances, babies who will continue to receive thimerosal-containing the FDA uses a 100-fold margin of safety. The reason for this, vaccines until they can get around to stopping the use of which they do not mention, is that in a society of hundreds of mil- thimerosal? lions of people there are groups who are much more sensitive to It should also be noted that it is a misnomer to say "removal of __ the toxin than others; for instance, the elderly, the chronically ill, thimerosal", since they are not removing anything. They just plan the nutritionally deficient, small babies, premature babies, those to stop adding it to future vaccines once they use up existing stocks, which entails millions of doses. And incredibly, the gov- ernment allows them to do it. Even more incredibly, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice similarly endorse this insane policy. In fact, they specifically state that children should continue to receive the thimerosal-containing vaccines until a new thimerosal-free vac- cine can be manufactured at the will of the manufacturers. Are they afraid that there will be a sudden diphtheria or tetanus epi- demic in America? The most obvious solution is to use only single-dose vials, which require no preservative. So, why don't they use them? Oh, they exclaim, it would add to the cost of the vaccine. Of course, we are only talking about a few dollars per vaccine at most, cer- tainly worth the health of your child's brain and future. They could use some of the hundreds of millions of dollars they waste on vaccine promotion every year to cover these costs for the poor. But then that would cut into some fat-cat's budget, and we can't have that! It was disclosed that thimerosal was in all influenza vaccines, DPT (and most DtaP) vaccines and all hepatitis B vaccines. [an ethylmercury sodium salt] was in all influenza vaccines, =e DPT (and most DtaP) vaccines and all hepatitis B vaccines. 18 = NEXUS It was disclosed that thimerosal www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2004 — JANUARY 2005