Parents to CDC: Get Mercury Out of Vaccines

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) co-signed a letter to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) along with other parent and health advocacy organizations supporting removal of mercury from vaccines. Mercury is toxic to the human brain and does not belong in any product humans use, especially a medical product which is injected into infants, children and pregnant women.

Although removal of mercury from vaccines will not eliminate vaccine injuries caused by other biological mechanisms involved in vaccine-induced brain and immune system dysfunction, it will prevent children and the unborn from being deliberately exposed to a known neurotoxin. The precautionary principle should prevail whenever there is a question of harm that could be done by a medical intervention.

The National Vaccine Information Center supports the human right to informed consent to any medical intervention which can cause injury or death. If parents choose to vaccinate their children, they should be fully informed about all risks and have the option of using vaccines which do not contain a known neurotoxin.

[Press Release] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News
Parent Community Demands Mercury-Free Vaccines; Needless Exposure is Unjustified and Dangerous, Groups Say
To: National Desk, Health Reporter

Contact: Alison Strock, 202-628-7772 or astrock@venturecommunications.com
WASHINGTON, June 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Several national organizations and parent advocacy groups are requesting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) state a preference for mercury-free flu vaccinations, according to a letter sent today to the ACIP committee and to members of Congress. ACIP is responsible for creating national immunization recommendations and parents are hoping that they will act on their concerns.

In 1999, the federal government vowed to remove mercury from all vaccinations routinely administered to infants and children. However, the flu vaccine still contains the mercury preservative thimerosal, and is now routinely administered to pregnant women, infants and children. The Institute of Medicine recommended in 2001 that thimerosal be removed from vaccines administered to these sensitive groups, but the recommendation fell on deaf ears at CDC.

According to the EPA, one in every six women of childbearing age already has blood levels of mercury high enough to cause neurological damage to their unborn children due to environmental exposures alone. Thimerosal-containing vaccines given to infants can result in mercury levels known to cause adverse neurological outcomes. "Injecting even more mercury into the bodies of pregnant women, infants and children when it is not a necessary component of vaccines is just bad medicine," states Lyn Redwood, president of SafeMinds and parent of a mercury-injured child.

According to an ad that ran in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) sponsored by Parents and Friends of Children Injured by Mercury in Vaccines, a person must weigh over 500 pounds in order to "safely" process the amount of mercury still present in these vaccinations. In addition, the flu vaccine contains so much mercury that it must be disposed of as a hazardous waste if it is not used.

"This situation is impossible to justify," states Dr. Vicky Debold "especially when the manufacturer of thimerosal-free flu vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur, was fully prepared to more than double the production of mercury-free flu vaccinations this year. However, demand for the product has been low because CDC did not express a preference for mercury- free flu shots and the manufacturer decreased production. Should CDC change its recommendation, demand would skyrocket resulting in additional production of mercury free vaccines."

For a copy of the ACIP letter, go to:
http://www.usnewswire.com/attach/MercuryFreeLetter.pdf. To view the AJC ad, see http://www.usnewswire.com/attach/ACIPad.jpg.