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jlf1961 -> More about vaccines.... Specifically MERCURY (10/12/2011 5:59:52 PM)
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I waited 2 weeks to post anything concerning this subject, primarily to find out if, as postulated by some members of this forum, I would suffer any ill effects from getting my flu and pneumonia shots. I am happy to announce that there have been no ill effects (I really didn't think there would be.)
I was curious about vaccines in general, mostly about those who don't or won't get them. I found out that the smallpox vaccine is still offered by physicians, which I thought was eradicated years ago.
My doctor recommended I do some research concerning vaccine preservatives. When you look at thimerosal, the most important fact seems to be what form of mercury it is derived from, and what the FDA looks at as toxicity guidelines.
quote:
The various mercury guidelines are based on epidemiological and laboratory studies of methyl mercury, whereas thimerosal is a derivative of ethyl mercury. Because they are different chemical entities - ethyl- versus methylmercury - different toxicological profiles are expected. There is, therefore, an uncertainty that arises in applying the methylmercury-based guidelines to thimerosal. Lacking definitive data on the comparative toxicities of ethyl- versus methylmercury, FDA considered ethyl- and methyl-mercury as equivalent in its risk evaluation.
Then the final note concerning children and mercury seemed to be significant.
quote:
One final piece of data regarding thimerosal is worth noting. At the initial National Vaccine Advisory Committee-sponsored meeting on thimerosal in 1999, concerns were expressed that infants may lack the ability to eliminate mercury. More recent NIAID-supported studies at the University of Rochester and National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD examined levels of mercury in blood and other samples from infants who had received routine immunizations with thimerosal-containing vaccines. [Pichichero ME, et al. Lancet 360:1737-1741 (2002)] Blood levels of mercury did not exceed safety guidelines for methyl mercury for all infants in these studies. Further, mercury was cleared from the blood in infants exposed to thimerosal faster than would be predicted for methyl mercury; infants excreted significant amounts of mercury in stool after thimerosal exposure, thus removing mercury from their bodies. These results suggest that there are differences in the way that thimerosal and methyl mercury are distributed, metabolized, and excreted. Thimerosal appears to be removed from the blood and body more rapidly than methyl mercury. NIAID is sponsoring a follow-up study with larger numbers of infants in Buenos Aires where thimerosal-containing vaccines are still administered to children. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228#tox
If you are afraid of the thermosal preservative, then do not get any vaccines at a free or low cost clinic where patients are seen en mass, since they are most likely using multi-dose vials. Go to your doctor, which is more likely to use single dose vials. It is a question of economics, large public clinics get a discount for buying the large quantities of vaccines, and thus get multi dose vials.
Furthermore, if you are afraid of mercury poisoning, or accumulated mercury toxicity, stay away from tuna fish, since it does contain mercury. In fact the FDA recommends pregnant women limit their amount of tuna and other fish and seafood in their diet since the mercury it contains could affect fetal brain development.
quote:
However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury. - Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
- Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
- Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
- Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115662.htm
If you want to know about the amount of preservatives in the various flu vaccines, see this source.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxsupply.htm
Now let the foil hat members of this forum present facts (other than those from conspiracy theory websites) that can dispute the information.
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