|
||||||
U.S. Public Health Service
American Academy of Pediatrics
July 10, 1999
This fact sheet contains information about the vaccine preservative thimerosol and childhood immunizations.
WHAT IS THIMEROSAL?
Thimerosol is a mercury-containing preservative used in vaccines since the 1930's to prevent bacterial contamination. Some but not all of the vaccines routinely used for child immunizations contain thimerosol. Based on recent information, on July 7, 1999 the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that mercury levels may exceed a federal limit of acceptability in some children who receive multiple thimerosol containing vaccines in the first six months of life.
WHAT DO THE ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF MERCURY MEAN?
Several federal agencies have set limits for the amount of mercury a person can safely be exposed to. These levels have a wide safety margin such that levels close to the limit are unlikely cause health problems. In the case of mercury exposure from thiomersal in vaccines, levels may be over the acceptable limit set by one federal agency but are below the limit set by two other agencies. Mercury is very common in our environment and there are similar levels for the amount of mercury people can safely consume from eating certain types of fish.
ARE THERE ANY HEALTH EFFECTS FROM THOMEROSAL IN VACCINES?
There are no reports of health problems related to vaccines containing thiomersal. However, we know from persons who have been exposed to high levels of mercury that abnormalities of the nervous system can result. Lower levels of mercury can result in problems with coordination, vision and learning. Because of this, public health officials have decided to eliminate any exposure to thiomersal in vaccines.
WHY ARE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS CONCERNED ABOUT THIMEROSAL?
The concern is because of the possibility that some infants who receive multiple vaccines containing thiomersal might exceed one of the acceptable limits for mercury. There is no evidence that the levels of mercury that an infant receiving multiple thiomersal-containing vaccines in the first six months of life might be exposed to would result in any symptoms, however there is a theoretical possibility of problems of the nervous system. Because of this, vaccine manufacturers have been asked to stop using thiomersal as a preservative.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MY CHILD'S IMMUNIZATIONS?
All the currently recommended childhood vaccines should still be given. The risk of any problem from thiomersal is only theoretical while the risk of serious illness including death from vaccine-preventable diseases is real. All children should continue with the recommended vaccines. The only exception to this is for infants born to mothers who are not hepatitis B carriers. These infants may have their hepatitis B immunizations delayed from birth until 2-6 months of age. Please discuss any questions regarding your child's immunization schedule with your pediatrician or health care provider.
MY CHILD IS OVER SIX MONTHS OLD – DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS PROBLEM?
No – the concern about mercury levels pertains to infants less than six months of age. Mercury exposure from thiomersal is not a problem for children over 6 months of age.
WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIMEROSAL AND VACCINES?
Contact your child's health care provider for more information on thimerosal and specific vaccines that your child received and with any questions about your child's health. Additional information is also available on the CDC's website or by calling the CDC's National Immunization Information Hotline at 1-800-232-2522.
All information is general in nature and is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate professional advice, contact your physician or healthcare provider for more information.
If you missed it, you can go to either a SHORT explanation of the whole story, or a detailed explanation on ONE PAGE. On this page you are getting more detail on one part of the story, but on either of those pages you can get the broad picture. Don't miss reading one of them. You can actually spend many hours on this web site, depending on the depth of research and reading you want to do. There are an amazing 4,000 pages here -- more information on these general subjects than almost all other web sites combined! At some point along the way you will probably say, "Karl's crazy," and leave never to return to this site, or you will say "I want to try some of that oral chelation formula he writes about!"
|
I promise to answer your message -- click here to send me a personal message
|
SUBSCRIBE: The Wednesday Letter is a free electronic monthly newsletter written and published by Karl Loren. You can view more than 50 back issues of this publication by clicking here. The Wednesday Letter subscription list is maintained on a secure server, no name is ever given or sold to anyone, and it is never used except for this Newsletter. It is automatically published on the Tuesday night just before the first Wednesday of every month. You can subscribe to this free monthly electronic letter by entering your eMail address and name below. You will then automatically receive a request for confirmation, sent to whatever address you have entered. If you do NOT receive this confirmation request, then you will not be subscribed. There may have been an error with your address and you should resubmit. The letter is never sent twice to the same address -- so you do not have to worry about a duplicate subscription. When you receive this confirmation request you must reply to it, or your subscription will not become active. No one can subscribe your name, and address, without you being notified, and if you get an unwanted notice of subscription you only need to DO NOTHING and the subscription will NOT be active.
REMOVAL: You can remove yourself from the subscription list in several different ways. Click here to read about this entire newsletter system. Every edition of The Wednesday Letter is delivered to your address with YOUR name and address in view on the letter, with a link that allows you to remove THAT name from the subscription list. If you try to send this removal message from an address different from the one you used to send in your original confirmation, then you will get a warning notice first, sent to the subscription address, asking you to confirm that you want to be removed from the list -- by replying to THAT request for confirmation, you will then be automatically removed. Thus, no one else can unsubscribe you, from some other computer, without your knowledge. But, if you send in the unsubscribe notice from the same machine used to receive the Letter, then the removal from the subscription list is automatic.
Personal Message: When you send a personal message to Karl Loren, you will receive a personal reply as per his instructions. Karl pledges that every personal message will get a personal answer. When you provide your mail address, we will send you free information including our free catalog and a cassette tape lecture by Karl Loren about heart disease, no charge, by mail, even if outside the US. You can select particular information you would like to receive, along with the free cassette tape and catalog.
You can reach Vibrant Life in many ways, including by mail to Vibrant Life, 2808 N. Naomi St., Burbank, CA 91504. Within the US and Canada, use the toll free number: (800) 523-4521, the local number: (818) 558-1799, the FAX: (818) 558-7299, eMail to kimberly@oralchelation.com or any one of the hundreds of message forms throughout the 50 web sites. Vibrant Life normally ships the same day we get an order. There are message forms on each of the 100,000+ pages on this and other sites where you can communicate with Vibrant Life. Check out our companion site, at: http://www.oralchelation.net where Karl's 2000 page book is published. Karl Loren is the author and webmaster for this BOOK, as well as for another web site about ORAL CHELATION. His personal philosophical articles are at PHILOSOPHY.
Copyright © May 20, 2008 6:25 AM by Karl Loren on behalf of Vibrant Life, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission is granted for non-commercial downloading, copying, distribution or redistribution on two conditions: One, that some form of copyright notice is included in every copy distributed or copied, showing the copyright belonging to Vibrant Life, Burbank, CA, at www.oralchelation.com . The second condition is that the material is not to be used for any purpose contrary to the purposes and objectives of this site. This permission does not extend to materials on this site which are copyrighted by others.
