Senate Report on Mercury in Vaccines says CDC and FDA are Guilty of Misconduct

The decades old firestorm debate over whether or not thimerosal in vaccines causes Autism got heated up last week when Jenny McCarthy made her accusation on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The U.S. Senate has just released a report after an 18-month long investigation of the FDA and CDC concerning thimerosal levels in pediatric vaccines and the rising rates of neurological disorders in U.S. children. Their verdict: the FDA is guilty of forcing parents to inoculate their children with hazardous amounts of poisonous mercury in the name of disease control.

Senator Enzi (R-Wyoming), Ranking Member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, concluded,

“Two allegations were sustained [and] one allegation was partially substantiated…[the] FDA inappropriately utilized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines regarding the dangers of mercury in vaccines containing thimerosal.”

In short: the FDA underestimated the toxicity of thimerosal [mercury] in vaccines required by law to be administered to countless infants and children.

The Senate report also indicated that:

• The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences screened “potential committee members for possible conflicts of interest,” then reviewed the evidence and found no link between mercury exposure from vaccines and autism.
• Government data was inaccessible to researchers seeking to prove thimerosal in vaccines is damaging to certain populations.
• Despite the decrease in mercury-laden vaccines for American children, vaccines manufactured and distributed to developing countries still contain thimerosal.

Parents with children suffering from neurological disorders such as autism, ADHD, and tourette syndrome (or other transient/chronic tic disorders) can find out if their child has been over exposed to thimerosal by getting a copy of their child’s immunization record. A good article to read on the subject is “CDC: Mercury in Vaccines Damaged Your Child. Or Not.” by David Kirby.

Kirby sums it up appropriately in his opening question:

“If you were informed that mercury in vaccines might double the risk of your son developing motor tics, increase his risk of “phonic tics” by nearly two-and-a-half times, and possibly cause speech, attention or behavioral problems in school, would you still allow him to be injected with the heavy metal — which, by the way, is 100 times more neurotoxic than that lead coating on his Chinese toys?”

Recommended books:

“Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy”
“Why did autism grow from a relatively rare incidence of 1 in every 10,000 births in the 1980s to one in 500 in the late 1990s? Why did it continue to increase to 1 in 250 in 2000 and then 1 in 166 today?” Why are rates of ADHD, ADD, speech delay, and other childhood disorders also rising, and why does 1 in every 6 American children have a developmental disorder or behavioral problem?” [Kirby].

“The Truth About Vaccines: How We Are Used as Guinea Pigs Without Knowing It”

“Richard Halversen [U.K.] spent five years researching and writing this alarming study of vaccines: do they work, do we know enough about them, are they safe, what are the risks, are there ways of making vaccines safer? He investigates what patients and doctors alike are not being told. This book is written “to inform parents, honestly, and without bias, so that they can form their own decisions.” [review]

“What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Vaccinations”

“We may be overvaccinating our children today. Once considered a godsend, vaccines are now felt by some to be associated with dramatic increases in brain and autoimmune diseases such as autism, asthma, diabetes, learning disabilities, and ADHD”. Here is a vital, down-to-earth guide that will tell you which vaccines may be risky and what to consider to help safely vaccinate your children” [Cave].

The debate is raging, but for those parents with children suffering ill effects of vaccinations, this news is far from comforting. For those seeking to fully understand the role thimerosal or other anticellular ingredients may have had on their child’s disability, their first task is to determine what kind of exposure there has been. The shot records from your pediatrician’s office should include the manufacturer and lot number. Those with healthy children seeking to avoid thimerosal should check out Safe Minds. They have a compiled list of current U.S. vaccines (as of 2004) with and without thimerosal for informed parents to use when visiting the pediatrician.

For those that cannot obtain complete records from their pediatrician, the AIRA (American Immunization Record Association) has a database that holds records of individuals immunized nationwide and is accessible to members only. It is also connected to state operated Vaccine registries such as Wisconsin’s Immunization Registry (WIR), or city-wide registries like the New York Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR), accessible to school personnel seeking to obtain individual records of students enrolled or other qualified people.

Above all else, parents need to be informed consumers when entering the doctor’s office on vaccination day. Never allow a doctor to vaccinate when your child is sick, and always conduct research about the particular vaccines prior to each visit. It is a good practice to vaccinate on a delayed schedule to assure that your child’s immune system has ample time to recover between doses. Keep diligent records and ask ahead of time which shots are used by your particular physician. If you do not like your options, shop around. Many municipalities have public health centers that offer shots as well. Be wary, too, if you already have a child that you suspect has been injured by vaccine toxicity when you make decisions about vaccinating siblings.

For more informative view this convenient and concise PDF brochure about toxic components in vaccines from the Vaccine Information Service.

For more information about autism news, views and opinions to empower parents with the truth to help their children suffering from autism heal visit Generation Rescue.

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Caryn Talty

The editor of this website has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

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