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Thimerosal
Information
Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound, or an
organomercurial. Since the 1930s, it has been used as a preservative
in a number of biological and drug products, including many
vaccines, to help prevent potentially life threatening contamination
with harmful microbes. First introduced by Eli Lilly Company,
thimerosal is 49.6% mercury by weight and is metabolized or
degraded into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Concentrations
found in vaccines meets the requirements that were set by
the U.S. Pharmacopeia by killing the specified challenge organisms
and is able to prevent the growth of the challenge fungi.
Data
had shown evidence, prior to its introduction in the 1930s,
of the safety and effectiveness thimerosal had as preservative.
But, over the
past several years there has been growing concern over the
safety of thimerosal due to the potential for neurotoxicity
in not just high levels of organomercurials, but also in low
levels. There have been an increased number of vaccines added
to the infant immunization schedule that contains
thimerosal, as well. The FDA has been trying to reduce
or eliminate thimerosal from vaccines. It is believed that
riding vaccines of thimerosal is not easy due to the long
use of the compound to defend against vaccine contamination
disasters.
In
1982 the FDA issued proposed regulations calling for the removal
of thimerosal from over the counter products. The regulations
were not finalized until 1998 despite the 16 years earlier
when the FDA expert panel concluded thimerosal was unsafe,
ineffective as a bacteriostatic agent, and caused cell damage.
Thimerosal was continued in use regardless of the known fact
that it is a neurotoxin.
July
of 1999 the FDA requested that manufacturers remove thimerosal
from pediatric vaccines because the immunization schedule
had resulted in some children receiving a higher amount of
mercury than the established amount deemed safe. When researchers
looked at the affects of mercury poison, they found that if
the vaccine schedule is followed American children had been
exposed to 30 times the minimum acceptable level of mercury
from vaccines.
The
number of children that have been affected by autism had made
a drastic jump from 1 in 2,000 in 1970 to 1 in 250 in 2000,
and the number of children diagnosed with learning disabilities
is now 1 in 5. Vaccines with mercury have been considered
to contribute to autism, learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s
disease, and other neurological conditions, yet many clinics
still use thimerosal because of the gradual phasing out of
mercury products. Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) has been very
involved with trying to recall all childhood immunizations
containing thimerosal, renewing his request in October. This
has followed an April hearing from a number of physicians
and scientists about the risks of using mercury in childhood
vaccines and a July 2000 hearing on the risks of mercury in
medicine. A Canadian study also showed dramatic toxic effects
on brain cells exposed to mercury.
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