California Suspends Ban on Mercury in Vaccines
By Estee Lee
The California Aggie
(U-WIRE) DAVIS, Calif. — In light of a possible shortage of mercury-free vaccines in California, Secretary of California Health and Human Services Kimberly Belshe decided on Nov. 2 to suspend the law requiring the manufacturing of vaccines without mercury for the next six weeks.
“The health threat that seasonal influenza presents is severe and all too often deadly,” Belshe stated in a press release. “Given the real constraints on availability of mercury-free seasonal flu vaccine, we feel it is important to offer this short-term alternative ... to ensure young children are protected from the potentially severe effects of the flu.”
The law, which was ratified by Gov. Schwarzenegger in September 2004, took effect in July of this year, prohibiting the administration of vaccines containing mercury to women who know they are pregnant and to children younger than three years of age.
The law was prompted by the suspicion of the connection between mercury and autism. Although studies conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not find conclusive evidence linking the mercury-based preservative thimerosal to autism in children, several public health organizations still recommended reducing unnecessary exposure to mercury.
According to Rick Rollens, co-founder of the UC Davis Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Ddisorders Institute, thimerosal is an antibacterial agent used to prevent the contamination of vaccine vials used for more than one needle. The compound is about 50 percent mercury.
As the father of an autistic child and an active leader in the battle against autism, Rollens feels that mercury should be avoided for the neurotoxin that it is. He explained that the substance, once injected into the body, bypasses the immune system; he further stated that it could be a contributing factor to autism and other neurological disorders.
At this time, only one manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, makes vaccines that comply with California's new regulations. It was reported that the company was experiencing shipment delays and therefore causing the shortage in California.
In a letter to chairman, president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur, Dave Williams, Gov. Schwarzenegger stated, “Due to production and/or shipment delays by your company, California is experiencing a shortfall ... Given the severe health threat that seasonal influenza presents, this delay could have deadly consequences.”
According to the California Health and Human Services Agency, approximately 36,000 people in the United States die from influenza and its complications each year. During the 2004 flu season, more than 150 children in the U.S. died from the disease.
“No other vaccine-preventable disease kills more people in this country,” Belshe stated.
Despite the temporary suspension of the ban, Belshe said the state is still committed to the full implementation of this law and urges the building of new production plants to process mercury-free vaccines.
November 10, 2006
Cali Slides Back Into Mercury Vaccines for Children
Parents now assume their kids are getting Hg free shots. It is not the case. ALWAYS check the label.
Barton Can't Hold Up Autism Research Any More
This week has brought something that I never thought I would experience in all my days. Happiness that the Republicans lost the House.
God said, "what you do to the least of these, you do unto Me". Apparently He didn't like what Joe Barton was doing to Him.
God said, "what you do to the least of these, you do unto Me". Apparently He didn't like what Joe Barton was doing to Him.
Research bill expected to pass under probable new head of committee
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, November 9, 2006
By RANDY LEE LOFTIS / The Dallas Morning News
Democratic control of the House changes the nation's environmental agenda and affects a related topic that has stirred strong feelings: research on autism.
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, won his race, but with his party out of power, he will lose the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
That has raised hopes for those advocating House approval of a bill that Mr. Barton blocked this fall. His decision to prevent a vote on the nearly $1 billion autism package, which includes $45 million for research on possible environmental causes, infuriated parents of autistic children nationwide.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., who will probably be the new committee chairman when the Democrats take control of the House next year, wants a House vote on the autism legislation. But Mike Bernoski of Arlington, father of a 3-year-old with autism, said advocates want action during the lame-duck congressional session before the year's end.
"We feel very positive that next year we can get this done," Mr. Bernoski said. "But this legislation's not going to be any different 12 months from now. The difference is by then we'll have another 36,000 kids with autism who won't have the benefit of the bill."
The old and new chairmen have nearly opposite environmental voting records.
In 2005, the League of Conservation Voters, the environmental movement's political arm, gave Mr. Barton a zero rating and Mr. Dingell 89 out of a possible 100.
The American Land Rights Association, which opposes restrictions on mining and other commercial activities on federal land, gave Mr. Barton a 100 in 2005 and Mr. Dingell a zero.
Mr. Barton's record includes:
• Pressing the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003 and 2004 to leave Ellis County out of a regional smog plan that required pollution cuts from North Texas' biggest industries. Mike Leavitt, then head of the EPA, rebuffed Mr. Barton and put Ellis County in the plan.
• Holding hearings this year challenging the scientific basis of global warming.
• Seeking exemptions from environmental rules for refineries, limits on pollution lawsuits involving the gasoline additive MTBE, and extensions of federal deadlines for fighting urban smog. Each attempt failed.
Mr. Dingell's record includes:
• Pushing tougher clean-water laws and protection for endangered species and their habitats.
• Calling for an investigation of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force – the kind of probe that, as chairman, he could order.
E-mail rloftis@dallasnews.com
November 6, 2006
November 1, 2006
Watch for Falling Children
I have a herniated disk in my neck that is pinching off the nerves in my right arm.
Here is why:
My boy enjoys launching his body 45 lb. at people, but just assumees they know that he is coming and will catch him. Even if you are looking the other way. Or have your hands full of stuff, like a camera.
Has anyone done a study of ASD parents to see just how many serious physical assults they have suffered or to see if wearing some sort of protective hockey gear or body armor might help?
Here is why:
My boy enjoys launching his body 45 lb. at people, but just assumees they know that he is coming and will catch him. Even if you are looking the other way. Or have your hands full of stuff, like a camera.
Has anyone done a study of ASD parents to see just how many serious physical assults they have suffered or to see if wearing some sort of protective hockey gear or body armor might help?
NAA Cites Serious Shortcoming in CDC Flu Shot Safety Study
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
October 31, 2006
Contact:
Wendy Fournier, NAA (Portsmouth, RI) 401-632-7523
Lori McIlwain (Cary, NC) 919-468-6455
National Autism Association Cites Serious Shortcoming in CDC Flu Shot Safety Study
Six-week follow-up called “ridiculously inadequate” by autism advocacy group
Nixa, MO – A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicating that the influenza vaccine is safe for infants and toddlers is being criticized for the brief six-week follow-up of subjects involved in the study. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nine of the 19 authors admit ties with vaccine makers including Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, and others.
“Following-up with these children for a mere six weeks is ridiculously inadequate,” according to National Autism Association (NAA) executive director Rita Shreffler. “The neurological injuries that result in diagnoses such as autism do not typically occur immediately after getting shots. Exposures to vaccine toxins such as mercury are cumulative and symptoms of injury may not be apparent for months or even years. Apparently, this is yet another CDC-drug company collaboration to whitewash thimerosal and ensure that flu shots are as profitable as possible, regardless of their long term adverse effects.”
Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used in most flu shots, including those often received by pregnant women and young children. While some mercury-free flu shots are manufactured each year, the majority contain 25 micrograms of mercury, an amount considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency for an adult weighing 550 pounds. A growing number of scientific studies link mercury exposure in susceptible individuals to the development of neurological injuries such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The CDC now recommends the flu vaccine for pregnant women, and annually for children six months through five years of age.
At a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) last week, thimerosal was not placed on the agenda despite a request from 15 national organizations that the ACIP follow the 2001 Institute of Medicine recommendations that pregnant women, infants, and children receive thimerosal-free vaccines. CDC officials also refused to vote on stating a preference for thimerosal-free vaccines for pregnant women and children.
“Pregnant women and young children shouldn’t be exposed to mercury in any form because of the potential for serious neurological injury,” commented Laura Bono, NAA board member and mother of a vaccine-injured son. “In my opinion, failure to follow-up appropriately with the kids in this study, then based on the incomplete data, promote flu vaccines as ‘safe,’ is irresponsible, giving parents a false sense of security. Predictably, this latest from the CDC does nothing to address the long-term dangers of injecting children with mercury.”
For more information on autism, visit www.nationalautism.org
Rep. Weldon's Vaccine Safety Statement from July
Statement of Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D. (Fl-15)
July 26, 2006
Federal agencies charged with overseeing vaccine safety research have failed. They have failed to provide sufficient resources for vaccine safety research. They have failed to fund extramural research. And, they have failed to free themselves from conflicts of interest that serve to undermine public confidence in the safety of vaccines.
The American public deserves better and increasingly parents and the public at large are demanding better.
I'm a physician. I understand the importance of immunizations in protection children and the public at large from infectious disease. As a society we benefit from vaccines and as such it is important that we guard carefully vaccine safety research to ensure its objectivity.
When I first began working on this issue about seven years ago, I was shocked at the dearth of resources dedicated to vaccine safety research. The federal government dedicates far more resources to promoting the immunizations than in safety evaluations. Most vaccine safety resources are dedicated to considering short-term, or acute adverse reactions, while very few resources are dedicated to considering potential longer-term or chronic adverse reactions.
When I first tasked my staff with investigating this issue we got a lot of confused responses from federal agencies. The FDA told us to check in with the CDC, saying CDC did most of the vaccine safety research. The CDC referred us over to the NIH. Then, the NIH referred us back to the CDC. It was apparent to me that there is little coordination and very few resources dedicated to vaccine safety research.
Ironically, 20 years ago Congress established The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and charged NVPO with coordinating vaccine safety research. Along with safety, however, NVPO was charged with coordinating vaccine development, vaccine promotion and vaccine supply - the very conflicts that plague the CDC, and to some extent the NIH. It is no wonder that vaccine safety has been on the back burner at
NVPO for all of these years - NVPO has conflicting missions and higher priorities. NVPO is now swamped with Avian Flu preparedness and is not an appropriate place for this.
I agree with the prestigious journal Nature when in January of this year stated: "there is a strong case for a well-resourced independent agency that commends the trust of both the government and the public." That is why we are here today.
Several issues relating to vaccine safety have persisted for years. The response from public health agencies has been largely defensive from the outset and the studies plagued by conflicts of interest. Legitimate questions persist regarding the possible association between the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, and the childhood epidemic of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism. There are unresolved questions about the MMR vaccine that arose in 1998 that should be fully investigated. Gardasil, the HPV vaccine was just recommended by the CDC. Vaccine manufactures have dozens of new vaccines in the pipeline. The failure of public health officials to make this a priority and to free this research from conflicts of interest will only serve to further erode public confidence at a time
when we should be working to build public confidence. It is incumbent upon us to fully investigate these issues in an independent manner.
The Senate is turning its attention to FDA reform. Unfortunately, the legislation moving through the Senate HELP Committee is deafeningly silent when it comes to improving vaccine safety research. This is particularly ironic given that federal and state governments do not mandate drugs in order to enter schools or obtain employment, yet, as a society we do impose such mandates with regard to vaccination. This is all the more reason to be particularly mindful of issues related to vaccine safety.
In his book on the subject of immunizations, Dr. Graham Wilson, the former Director of the Public Health and Laboratory Service for England and Wales, warned the public health community of the need to remain ever vigilant when it comes to vaccine safety. In 1967 he warned:
"Over confidence must at all costs be avoided… It is for us, and for those who come after us, to see that the sword which vaccines and antisera have put into our hands is never allowed to tarnish through over-confidence, negligence, carelessness, or want of foresight on our part."
Federal agencies in the U.S. charged with carrying out vaccine safety have failed to adequately heed this warning. If we continue down the current path, confidence in vaccines will continue to erode and this "sword" against disease will be tarnished.
Today, we rarely come face to face with vaccine preventable disease, but we are at risk of seeing vaccine preventable diseases rear their ugly head. Why? Because, we are confronted with the side effects of vaccines, adverse reactions and perceived adverse reactions - many of them mild, but some of them severe. This is the new and increasing challenge that we face in fighting disease.
There are two approaches we can take in the face of this new challenge.
First we can downplay the existence of adverse reactions or otherwise pretend they do not exist all-the-while such questions persists unanswered and continue to fester. Such approaches have failed to work in the past and over the long-run they can do irreparable harm to public confidence in vaccines, breaking the trust with the public and leading to the rise of infectious disease.
Conversely, we can take such hypotheses and evaluate them in an independent and objective manner. That is what we are proposing here today. Our bill corrects past mistakes. Presently, vaccine safety research is an in-house function conducted predominantly by the CDC - the very agency that makes vaccine recommendations and promotes their uptake. This should not be.
We have seen fit to eliminate such conflicts across federal agencies.
o At the National Institutes of Health we recognized the inherent conflicts of interest and created the Office of Human Subjects Protection as a separate office within HHS.
o When we established the Superfund program, Congress established the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) - Superfund's science evaluation office - as a separate agency in another department. Safety evaluation is independent of all other decisions.
o After the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, the Gehman Commission recommended that decisions about shuttle safety and launching the shuttle should be completely separate - we adopted this recommendation.
What does our bill do? It:
o Creates a new agency of vaccine safety that reports directly to the Secretary of HHS.
o Vaccine safety research is conducted in a manner that is
completely independent of any and all other vaccine-related decisions.
o Establishes a scientific review panel, similar to NIH's study sections, to evaluate the scientific merits of investigator-initiated research as the Institute of Medicine has recommended.
o Establishes a balanced 18 Member Advisory Committee to formulate a safety research agenda and to prioritize research approve by the scientific study group. Committee Includes:
o 2 vaccine industry reps
o A pediatrician
o An immunologist
o A toxicologist
o An infectious disease expert
o A geneticist
o Not less than 1/3rd of the members of the Committee have a vaccine-related injury or injured child.
Finally, as you may know the CDC has acknowledged this internal conflict. Last year, Dr. Gerberding moved the CDC's Immunization Safety Office out from under the National Immunization Program (NIP), however vaccines safety remains within the CDC. While I appreciate this initiative, and I understand her limitations in not being able to move vaccine safety outside of her agency, vaccine safety research remains woefully short of the degree of independence and funding commitment that is needed to garner wide public support and acceptance.
If government-funded vaccine safety research is to be broadly accepted, we must eliminate all real and perceived conflicts of interest. Otherwise, we will fail to achieve the level of acceptance that is necessary to restore, build, and secure public confidence over the long-run. A vaccine safety program housed anywhere within the CDC fails to achieve this independence.
We will create a separate and wholly independent office for vaccine safety research. The question that we face at present is:
'Will we create this office now in a proactive manner before public confidence further erodes, or will we do it later in reaction to growing loss of public confidence in the hope of restoring lost trust.
October 31, 2006
Mercury Triggers Premature Birth
Both my boys came into the world early.
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
Mercury Triggers Premature Birth
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The more mercury pregnant women are exposed to, the greater chance they have of giving premature birth to babies, according to a study.
Research on 85 pregnant women conducted by Ha Eun-hee, a professor of Ewha Womans University's preventive medicine department, showed that women with high levels of mercury in cord blood are three to five times more likely to give premature birth, which is to deliver a child in less than 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Ha announced the study results on Friday during a meeting of the Korean Society for
Preventive Medicine.
According to the study, the 50 percent of the 85 people with the highest levels of mercury had a 3.1 times greater chance of having a premature delivery than the lower 50 percent. The upper 25 percent had a 5.3 times more of a chance than the lower 75 percent.
"Mercury in cord blood, which connects the mother and the fetus, is critical to the child, as it directly flows to the fetus," Ha said.
The study disclosed two main reasons for the mercury concentration _ dental treatment
with amalgam and fish consumption.
Pregnant women who had treatments with amalgam during the pregnancy had an average of 5.15 micrograms of mercury per 1 liter of blood, 1.3 times more than the 3.98 micrograms in women who hadn't had the treatment.
The mercury level increased in proportion to the frequency of treatment. Women undergoing the amalgam treatment fewer than three times had an average 4.8 micrograms of mercury in their blood, while those having undergone the treatment hree to six times had 5.04 micrograms, and seven times or more 5.2 micrograms.
Also, a woman who never had fish during pregnancy had 4.6 micrograms of mercury per 1 liter of blood, while the mercury level of women who consumed fish more than four times per week had an average mercury level of 8.3 micrograms.
"The nation should prepare education programs for pregnant women, advising them not to undergo dental treatments with amalgam," Ha said.
Professor Yi Seung-muk at Seoul National University's graduate school of public health said a great deal of mercury in the air above the Korean Peninsula is from China's industrial areas.
Yi's team measured mercury levels in the air and followed the path of wind to China. "We obtained Chinese institutes' data about the industrial locations emitting mercury and compared them with our data, which correlated with the Chinese data," Yi said.
It was the first South Korean research about mercury pollution from China, although international academic circles have presented studies about the issue. It is said hat half of the world's mercury pollutants in the air come from the country with the largest populace.
"Mercury is contained not only in the air, but also in fish. Korea and Japan, which are near China and consume large amounts of fish, have a greater chance of being exposed to mercury than other countries," Yi said.
The research was announced at a meeting of the Korean Society for Atmospheric
Environment on Friday. Yi will soon present the amount and ratio of pollutants carried to Korea.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
__._,_.___
Hg in Flu Vaccines - Print This Helpful Guide Out And Take To The Doc
List of flu shots that contain mercury:
Autism, mercury poisoning, thimerosal and the flu vaccine
public_health@8:22 am PST email to the editor
by Michael Dorausch, DC
planetc1.com news staff
About two weeks ago, news reports began showing up online suggesting that the flu vaccine was found safe to be used in children under the age of two.
The study looked at immunization records for more than 45,000 children and researchers determined that the intramuscular flu vaccine was safe to be used in children under the age of two.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "the single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year" and the CDC now recommends children under the age of two receive the flu vaccine.
Hundreds of news articles began appearing on major web sites such as Google News, MSN, and Yahoo, touting the recently reported study and suggesting the vaccine was now safe for babies. The message was clear... get the shot, get the shot, get the shot. However, there was something missing that was not appearing in any of the news articles... flu shots contain thimerosal.
That may come as no big deal to some, but to a parent that has been fighting with vaccine manufacturers and/or government officials to get mercury compounds out of vaccines, it's a very big deal.
Thimerosal
After increased pressure from consumers, parents of autistic children groups, and government elected officials, vaccine manufacturers and the FDA have collectively agreed to begin removing thimerosal from childhood vaccines. Problem is, up until these recent recommendations, the flu vaccine was not considered a childhood vaccine.
Here is a list of FDA links with PDF document information on various intramuscular flu vaccines being used in 2006. Fluzone "No Preservative" pediatric dose by Aventis Pasteur, reports not to use thimerosal in the manufacturing process. Below that are some links to get more information about Thimerosal.
Fluvirin™ (Chiron Vaccines Ltd.)
Thimerosal (mercury derivative, =0.98 mcg mercury per 0.5 mL dose) is used in manufacture of the unit dose preservative free presentation but is reduced by the purification process to trace amounts.
http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/inflchi091405LB2.pdf
Fluarix™ (Influenza Virus Vaccine for intramuscular use)
Thimerosal is used at the early stages of manufacture and is removed by subsequent purification steps to <1.25 mcg mercury per dose.
http://www.fda.gov/CbER/label/inflgla083105LB.pdf
FLULAVAL™ (Influenza Virus Vaccine) ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec (IDB)
FLULAVAL is an influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older. Thimerosal, a mercury derivative, is added as a preservative. Each 0.5 mL dose contains 25 mcg mercury.
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/label/inflidb100506LB.pdf
Fluzone (Aventis Pasteur, Inc.)
Fluzone vaccine is supplied in four different presentations: a 5 mL vial of vaccine which contains the preservative thimerosal [(mercury derivative), (25 µg mercury/dose)]; a 0.25 mL prefilled syringe (No Preservative: Pediatric Dose, for 6 – 35 months of age) distinguished by a pink syringe plunger rod; a 0.5 mL prefilled syringe (No Preservative, for 36 months of age and older); and a 0.5 mL vial (No Preservative, for 36 months of age and older). There is no thimerosal used in the manufacturing process of the No Preservative unit dose presentations of Fluzone vaccine.
http://www.fda.gov/CbER/products/inflave071405.htm
Thimerosal in Vaccines (from the FDA)
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm
Thimerosal (from Wikipedia) -- Thiomersal is a very toxic compound which is harmful by inhalation and ingestion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimerosal
National Vaccine Information Center - Mercury Calculator
http://www.nvic.org/Issues/HgCalculator.htm
A-CHAMP: Vaccine makers and Pediatricians to Evade Anti-Mercury Vaccine Law
Vaccine makers and Pediatricians Team Up to Evade Anti-Mercury Vaccine Law
Vaccine makers and Pediatricians have employed crass manipulation of vaccine supply and demand to force California infants and toddlers into taking mercury-containing flu shots. On October 26 the California District of the American Academy of Pediatricians, the California Academy of Family Physicians, the California Medical Association and Kaiser Permanente requested an exemption from the California law banning mercury in vaccines, that went into effect on July 1, 2006. To see the request for an exemption click HERE.
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/AAP_Cal_exemptionLtr_FINAL.pdf
Write Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger and Bill Lockyer the California Attorney General and demand an investigation of this blatant disregard for the law and the welfare of children.
To easily send an email to Governor Schwarzenegger click Take Action! if you are reading this message in an email or use the email form right on this page if you are reading this on our web site.
Or write, fax and call Governor Schwarzenegger or Attorney General Bill Lockyer to urge them to enforce the California law banning mercury in vaccines.
Contact information and a suggested letter appear at the bottom of this page.
Despite assurances by vaccine manufacturers that there was plenty of mercury free flu vaccines to go around Sanofi-Pasteur announced that they are unable to produce enough due to production problems. At the same time, only two weeks ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics decided that children need twice as much of the flu vaccine as last year – doubling the demand.
Presto-Chango: instant public health crises served up to subvert California's new no-mercury vaccine law.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the vaccine manufacturers who still use Thimerosal preservatives have had active campaigns across the US to opposed state legislative efforts like the one that passed in California to remove mercury from vaccines. Although their stated concern is that such laws could create shortages for the vaccine programs, their true interest is to avoid legal liability for the production and distribution of poorly tested, unsafe vaccines. Such vaccines are at the heart of a number of public health epidemics like diabetes, asthma, immune disorders and expecially the explosion in autism.
This is not the first effort to subvert the will of the people and state laws. Last year, Pharma lobbyists and the Pediatrician partners sucessfully engineered a shortage of Thimerosal-free vaccine shortage to circumvent a similar law in Illinois.
The Pediatricians and vaccine manufacturers think they can say what ever they want, whenever they want to manipulate public health policy that favors their enterprises. This cynical manipulation is performed at the expense of vulnerable children. Their action is immoral and cannot be allowed to continue.
Write, call or fax California Governor Arnold Schwartzenneger now and demand an investigation into the real reasons there is surprise vaccine shortage.
Mercury is a known neurotoxin and has no business being in medicine. "I think it's absolutely criminal to give mercury to an infant," said Boyd Haley, an expert on mercury toxicity and a vocal critic of the CDC. We do, too. Call California Swartzeneggar today and demand that vaccine makers and pediatricians stop using children for self-serving political stunts. Legal exemptions to mercury-free vaccines are for real, not made-up emergencies.
Click here to contact the Governor and demand that he investigate this fraud.
Links to pertinent documents:
CALIFORNIA PEDIATRICIANS REQUEST EXEMPTION FROM LAW BANNING MERCURY IN VACCINES
"Children under three in California are being denied access to influenza vaccination because of inadequate supplies of thimerosal-free vaccine."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/AAP_Cal_exemptionLtr_FINAL.pdf
SANOFI-PASTURE ASSURES NO SHORTAGES OF MERCURY-FREE VACCINES FEB. 2006
"Our no preservative formulation will be available until it is fully committed."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/LaVenda_Email_Sanofi_tfree_supply_2-06.pdf
Kansas City Star: SANOFI SAYS PLENTY OF MERCURY-FREE VACCINES
"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."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Health_agencies_want mercury_vaccines_KC Star_10_06.pdf
California Dept. of Health Statement to Pediatricians Directing Compliance with Law Requiring Mercury-free vaccines for infants and pregnant women
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Cal_health_dept_directive_on_thimerosal_law.pdf
Sacramento Bee Article Reporting that Mercury-free Vaccine law Took Effect 7/1/06
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Cal_Bans_T_Vaccines_SacBee_7_06.pdf
ILLINOIS VACCINE EXEMPTION OUTRAGES MERCURY FOES
Illinois Department of Public Health to delay state lawmakers'
attempts to reduce mercury exposure for those receiving flu shots.
http://tinyurl.com/v9wyn
Contact Information for Gov. Schwarzenegger and A.G. Lockyer:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Telephone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 445-4633
Address:State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: governor@governor.ca.gov
Attorney General Bill Lockyer:
Telephone: (916) 322-3360 or toll-free in California - 1-800-952-5225
Fax: (916) 323-5341
Email: Go to web form at http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=PL
Address: Attorney General's OfficeCalifornia Department of JusticeAttn: Public Inquiry UnitP.O. Box 944255Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Suggested Letter (to Gov. or AG - click Take Action! to use our automated system to send an email to the Governor.
I respectfully request that you act to enforce California's Safety Code Section 12472 that prohibits the use of mercury-containing vaccines in children younger than three and pregnant women. Despite having more than two years notice a group of medical trade associations and Kaiser Permanente recently petitioned California for a temporary exemption from this law that took effect on July 1, 2006.
I urge you to refuse the exemption request. I further urge that your office conduct an investigation to determine the reasons why the petitioners cannot comply with the law. The State of California must determine the actual availability of mercury-free vaccines by developing information from sources other than the medical authorities that have requested the exemption. The State should also determine whether petitioners have taken good faith measures to comply with the law.
Why can’t United States vaccine makers supply mercury-free vaccine when the same vaccine producers have no problem supplying Britain, the Scandinavian nations and other countries with mercury-free formulations of their vaccines? Why has the California affiliate of the American Academy of Pediatrics requested an exemption when its national organization in 1999 adopted a policy favoring removal of mercury from vaccines?
Scientific studies have shown that there is little evidence that the flu shot provides consistent protective value for young children. Studies have also shown that the flu vaccine has no protective effect at all for children under two. A highly significant study just published in the British Medical Journal seriously questions the benefits and efficacy of a policy to implement mass flu vaccination.
The health risks of influenza to the young are exaggerated. The risk to the health of California’s children from exposure to mercury, a highly toxic neurotoxin, is far greater than from influenza.
I urge you to reject the petitioners’ request for an exemption and hold hearings into petitioners’ complete disregard for the laws of the State of California.
Message Brought To You By A-CHAMP
Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning
Rep. Barton's Money
From a Mom who is paying attention:
UPDATE: Anne Dachel has been digging too:
Dear Ginger,
Have been following the Rep. Barton story closely. Did a quick scan of the campaign contributions to his Congressman Joe Barton Committee via the FEC filings.
Thought you'd be interested in the following:
Alcon PAC (contact lens solution/used to have thimerosal): $16,000
Allergan PAC (ditto): $30,000
Merck: $26,000
Novartis: $8000
Pfizer: $24,000
GlaxoSmithKline PAC: $19,000
That's just a quick scan and doesn't include many other medical sounding contributors, including health insurance companies, etc. It doesn't include individual contributions, either.
So, that goes a long way toward explaining who controls Joe Barton's opinion of Autism legislation.
Best,
Angelique
UPDATE: Anne Dachel has been digging too:
Texas Congressionman Joe Barton's motives for holding up the Combating Autism Act are understandable by examining his list of campaign contributers. Rep. Barton is pharma's friend and money is not given out like this without expecting something in return.
That return seems to be to stall the CAA, a bill which would provide for research into the possible environmental causes of autism. That would of course include the unchecked use of thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines.
Does Joe Barton represent the people of his district or the drug industry? What do his actions say?
Anne
Donations to Re-election committee Joseph Barton R-Tx 6
http://query. nictusa.com/ cgi-bin/can_ give/H4TX06117
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/H4TX06117
Combating Autism Act of 2005
5/18/2005:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Donations to Re-election committee Joseph Barton R-Tx 6
http://query. nictusa.com/ cgi-bin/can_ give/H4TX06117
ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/26/2006
4000.00
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BIOANALYSTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/05/2006 4000.00
AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL PAC
09/26/2006 2000.00
AMERICAN DENTAL POLITICAL ACTION CMTE.
06/21/2006 5000.00
AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PAC
08/08/2006 2000.00
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/14/2006
2500.00
AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC INFORMATION ASSOCIATION - OSTEOPATHIC PAC
06/23/2006 5000.00
AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
09/07/2006 2000.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
06/13/2006 3000.00
ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY INC
09/12/2006 2000.00
BAYER CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/19/2006 1000.00
BAYER CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/31/2006 2000.00
CONSUMER HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS ASSOC PAC 09/19/2006
3000.00
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 08/24/2006
1500.00
GENESIS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/01/2006 3500.00
GENTIVA HEALTH SERVICES INC PAC GENTIVAPAC
08/25/2006 2000.00
GENZYME CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GENZ-PAC)
07/16/2006 1000.00
KINDRED HEALTHCARE INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/31/2006 5000.00
MEDIMMUNE INC. EMPLOYEE POLITICAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE 05/16/2006
1500.00
MERCK & CO. INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/17/2006
5000.00
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHAIN DRUG STORES, INC. PAC
09/07/2006 2000.00
PFIZER INC. PAC 06/07/2006
1000.00
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/13/2006
2000.00
SANOFI PASTEUR POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/02/2006 1000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
09/20/2006 1000.00
Donations to the Texas Freedom Fund (Joe Barton's Political Action
committee
http://herndon1. sdrdc.com/ cgi-bin/com_ rcvd/C00340661
AMERICAN SPEECH-LANGUAGE- HEARING ASSOCIATION PAC 09/27/2006
1500.00
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA 09/22/2006
2500.00
BLUEPAC - BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION PAC 08/31/2006
5000.00
GENESIS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/26/2006 4000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/17/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/3/2006 2000.00
SUN HEALTHCARE GROUP INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/24/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/19/2006 2000.00
MEDCO HEALTH SOLUTIONS INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/17/2006 1500.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/13/2006 2500.00
ALLERGAN INC POLITICAL ACTION COMM FOR EMPLOYEES (APACE) 05/22/2006
2500.00
COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY ALLIANCE PAC 05/22/2006
3000.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
05/22/2006 -1500.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
05/22/2006 4000.00
SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/4/2006 2500.00
NOVARTIS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/28/2006
2500.00
ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/27/2006
5000.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
03/23/2006 1500.00
PFIZER INC. PAC 03/23/2006
2500.00
JOHNSON & JOHNSON POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/22/2006 2500.00
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/17/2006
2500.00
MERCK & CO. INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/17/2006 5000.00
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA
03/16/2006 2500.00
WYETH GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
03/13/2006 2500.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/7/2006 2500.00
SCHERING-PLOUGH CORPORATION BETTER GOVERNMENT FUND
03/2/2006 5000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
02/20/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
02/10/2006 1000.00
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INCORPORATED PAC (UNITED FOR HEALTH) 02/9/2006
5000.00
October 30, 2006
CoMeD Sues FDA to Force Mercury Out of Medicine
CoMeD Sues FDA to Force Mercury Out of Medicine
For Immediate Release
October 30, 2006
CoMeD Attorney [Cliff Shoemaker, Esq. (Vienna, VA) 703-281-6395]
CoMeD Head [Rev. Lisa K. Sykes (Richmond, VA) 804-364-8426]
CoMeD Sci. Advisor [Dr. King (Lake Hiawatha, NJ) 973-997-1321]
A-CHAMP [Robert Krakow, Esq. (New York, NY) 516-354-3300]
Washington, DC - On Friday, October 27, 2006, the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) filed an amended complaint in U.S. Federal Court, disputing the FDA response it received on September 26, 2006, defending the use of mercury in medicine.
CoMeD is asking the court to compel the FDA to: comply with the law, follow existing regulations, and provide proof of the safety and efficacy of mercury in drugs.
This lawsuit was originally filed in August 2006 because the FDA had failed to answer the issues raised in a CoMeD citizen petition (FDA Docket: 2004P-0349), filed on Wednesday, August 4, 2004, by representatives from CoMeD.
Of concern is that mercury, which is second only to plutonium in toxicity, remains in at least 45 different prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (according to the FDA), including various eye ointments, ear solutions, nasal sprays, vaccines, biologics, and perhaps most importantly, in flu vaccines currently being administered to millions of pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
Mercury is toxic to all human systems. Infants and children are especially susceptible to mercury poisoning. Mercury has been implicated in a long list of human chronic disorders including Alzheimer's disease, asthma, attention-deficit disorder, autism, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, among many others.
In a letter sent to the CoMeD and made public on September 27th, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy, denied the CoMeD petition, but his admission that the FDA had no substantive evidence confirming the safety of mercury in medicine was stunning.
FDA also acknowledged that mercury in drugs could easily be eliminated.
Plaintiffs lead attorney, Clifford Shoemaker stated, "In its response, the FDA refused to address the merits of the complaint. It is not the responsibility of consumers to prove drugs 'unsafe'; it is the FDA's duty to prove drugs are safe. The FDA has ignored a mountain of scientific evidence and its responsibility to the public, specifically to protect our children. It has failed to follow its own statutes and regulations. Just as we witnessed with Vioxx, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the danger of mercury in medicine. To the detriment of multiple generations, industry influence over the FDA has again compromised drug safety.â€
In a 1999 internal email, obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, an FDA official admitted that the agency's failure to evaluate the cumulative amount of mercury in medicine, "...will raise questions about FDA being 'asleep at the switch' for decades by allowing a potentially hazardous compound to remain and not forcing manufacturers to exclude it from new products"
(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.6.pdf.)
In a second email, the same FDA official wrote, the greatest point of vulnerability on this issue is that the systematic review by the FDA could have been done years ago and on an ongoing basis.
(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.7.pdf.)
In May of 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives, Government Reform Committee released a report, "Mercury in Medicine - Taking Unnecessary Risks" following a three-year investigation into mercury. The report found, "Mercury is hazardous to humans. Its use in medicinal products is undesirable, unnecessary and should be minimized or eliminated entirely...The FDA has never required manufacturers to conduct adequate safety testing on thimerosal and ethylmercury compounds". Studies and papers documenting the hyperallergenicity and toxicity of thimerosal (ethylmercury) have existed for decades. Furthermore, it concluded, "the Committee did find evidence that thimerosal did pose a risk". Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines in [sic; is] likely related to the autism epidemic...Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry." (For the published Congressional report, See: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/multidb.cgi?WAIStemplate=multidb_results.html&WAISqueryRule=%24WAISqueryString&WAISdbName=2003_record+Congressional+Record%2C+Volume+149+%282003%29&WAISqueryString=%22Mercury+In+Medicine+Report%22&Submit.=Submit&WAISmaxHits=200&WrapperTemplate=crecord_wrapper.html
In February, 2004 the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found "the scientific evidence that PMA (phenylmercuric acetate) and thimerosal cause reproductive toxicity is clear and voluminous". The evidence for its reproductive toxicity includes severe mental retardation or malformations in human offspring who were poisoned when their mothers were exposed to ethyl mercury or thimerosal while pregnant, studies in animals demonstrating developmental toxicity after exposure to either ethyl mercury or thimerosal, and data showing interconversion to other forms of mercury that also clearly cause reproductive toxicity".
(See page 3 of: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/pdf_zip/hgbayer1.pdf.)
To view CoMeD's petition to remove mercury from medicine, and all the subsequent documents, including the FDA responses: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04p0349/04p0349.htm
To view CBS News Report on CoMeD's delivery of the petition to the FDA:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/videoplayer/newVid/small_player/cbsnews_videoplayer.shtml?clip=/media/2004/08/21/video637597.wmv&sec=undefined&vidId=undefined&hitboxMLC=undefined&CMP=ILC-SearchVideos
For Immediate Release
October 30, 2006
CoMeD Attorney [Cliff Shoemaker, Esq. (Vienna, VA) 703-281-6395]
CoMeD Head [Rev. Lisa K. Sykes (Richmond, VA) 804-364-8426]
CoMeD Sci. Advisor [Dr. King (Lake Hiawatha, NJ) 973-997-1321]
A-CHAMP [Robert Krakow, Esq. (New York, NY) 516-354-3300]
Washington, DC - On Friday, October 27, 2006, the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) filed an amended complaint in U.S. Federal Court, disputing the FDA response it received on September 26, 2006, defending the use of mercury in medicine.
CoMeD is asking the court to compel the FDA to: comply with the law, follow existing regulations, and provide proof of the safety and efficacy of mercury in drugs.
This lawsuit was originally filed in August 2006 because the FDA had failed to answer the issues raised in a CoMeD citizen petition (FDA Docket: 2004P-0349), filed on Wednesday, August 4, 2004, by representatives from CoMeD.
Of concern is that mercury, which is second only to plutonium in toxicity, remains in at least 45 different prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (according to the FDA), including various eye ointments, ear solutions, nasal sprays, vaccines, biologics, and perhaps most importantly, in flu vaccines currently being administered to millions of pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
Mercury is toxic to all human systems. Infants and children are especially susceptible to mercury poisoning. Mercury has been implicated in a long list of human chronic disorders including Alzheimer's disease, asthma, attention-deficit disorder, autism, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, among many others.
In a letter sent to the CoMeD and made public on September 27th, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy, denied the CoMeD petition, but his admission that the FDA had no substantive evidence confirming the safety of mercury in medicine was stunning.
FDA also acknowledged that mercury in drugs could easily be eliminated.
Plaintiffs lead attorney, Clifford Shoemaker stated, "In its response, the FDA refused to address the merits of the complaint. It is not the responsibility of consumers to prove drugs 'unsafe'; it is the FDA's duty to prove drugs are safe. The FDA has ignored a mountain of scientific evidence and its responsibility to the public, specifically to protect our children. It has failed to follow its own statutes and regulations. Just as we witnessed with Vioxx, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the danger of mercury in medicine. To the detriment of multiple generations, industry influence over the FDA has again compromised drug safety.â€
In a 1999 internal email, obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, an FDA official admitted that the agency's failure to evaluate the cumulative amount of mercury in medicine, "...will raise questions about FDA being 'asleep at the switch' for decades by allowing a potentially hazardous compound to remain and not forcing manufacturers to exclude it from new products"
(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.6.pdf.)
In a second email, the same FDA official wrote, the greatest point of vulnerability on this issue is that the systematic review by the FDA could have been done years ago and on an ongoing basis.
(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.7.pdf.)
In May of 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives, Government Reform Committee released a report, "Mercury in Medicine - Taking Unnecessary Risks" following a three-year investigation into mercury. The report found, "Mercury is hazardous to humans. Its use in medicinal products is undesirable, unnecessary and should be minimized or eliminated entirely...The FDA has never required manufacturers to conduct adequate safety testing on thimerosal and ethylmercury compounds". Studies and papers documenting the hyperallergenicity and toxicity of thimerosal (ethylmercury) have existed for decades. Furthermore, it concluded, "the Committee did find evidence that thimerosal did pose a risk". Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines in [sic; is] likely related to the autism epidemic...Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry." (For the published Congressional report, See: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/multidb.cgi?WAIStemplate=multidb_results.html&WAISqueryRule=%24WAISqueryString&WAISdbName=2003_record+Congressional+Record%2C+Volume+149+%282003%29&WAISqueryString=%22Mercury+In+Medicine+Report%22&Submit.=Submit&WAISmaxHits=200&WrapperTemplate=crecord_wrapper.html
In February, 2004 the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found "the scientific evidence that PMA (phenylmercuric acetate) and thimerosal cause reproductive toxicity is clear and voluminous". The evidence for its reproductive toxicity includes severe mental retardation or malformations in human offspring who were poisoned when their mothers were exposed to ethyl mercury or thimerosal while pregnant, studies in animals demonstrating developmental toxicity after exposure to either ethyl mercury or thimerosal, and data showing interconversion to other forms of mercury that also clearly cause reproductive toxicity".
(See page 3 of: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/pdf_zip/hgbayer1.pdf.)
To view CoMeD's petition to remove mercury from medicine, and all the subsequent documents, including the FDA responses: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04p0349/04p0349.htm
To view CBS News Report on CoMeD's delivery of the petition to the FDA:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/videoplayer/newVid/small_player/cbsnews_videoplayer.shtml?clip=/media/2004/08/21/video637597.wmv&sec=undefined&vidId=undefined&hitboxMLC=undefined&CMP=ILC-SearchVideos
iAbida Individual Communication Management
I found this site about a week ago and it looks REALLY helpful. We may end up using it for Chandler's care.
Press Release:
iAbida Individual Communication Management™ Proves Valuable to the VP of the Autism Society of Iowa
Sonya Wills, the mother of three autistic children, and the Vice President of the Autism Society of Iowa, has found success with an online application for centralizing communication with her team of professionals.
HARPSWELL, ME (PRWEB via PRWeb) October 30, 2006 -- iAbida Inc. today announced that Sonya Wills has cut communication time in half by using iAbida with educators that work with her three autistic children. iAbida's Individual Communication Management™ system enables schools and parents to drive communication through a password protected web application.
Sonya says "we use this website to REPLACE daily communication journals between home and school. We also have our HHA, SCL, and Respite providers post their experiences here. Speech Therapists and Occupational Therapists can post here also. Instead of keeping a spiral notebook with only correspondence between the teacher/associate and home, you have everybody's input all in one place and you can create reports and print off everything from one specified date to another (we currently do this monthly). Since my kids see a psychiatrist, he is able to review what has happened with the children both at home and at school BEFORE we arrive at our regularly scheduled appointments and advise us based on this information."
"The needs of schools, therapists and parents to communicate about special needs individuals is intense," said Steve Johnson, founder of iAbida and also the father of an 11 year old son with autism. "Parents and professionals see the need for improved communication and have been turning to iAbida as a centralized location for communication. We are really happy to see users such as Sonya and the Iowa autism community benefit from the use of iAbida. It is provided at no charge for individual users and at nominal rates for organizational accounts."
About iAbida, Inc.
iAbida, Inc. provides an online solution to help schools, parents and others communicate about special needs children - including daily journals, behavior tracking, medication, calendar, diet, photo albums, questions and answers, photo, emergency contact information, etc... The person who opens the account has control over who gets to participate in which areas and each person that posts can make their posting available to everybody or individuals only.
Hundreds of users are now getting the benefit from iAbida's communication platform from public schools, parents to private ABA schools.
For more information about iAbida's software and services, visit www.iabida.com
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