Re: Mercury-free vaccines protested

[Guest guest]

Adage:

When the whole world starts to laugh at you because they believe you to be a fool, maybe the problem isn't the whole world.

Mercury-free vaccines protested

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.htm

Mercury-free vaccines protested

Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

By Myron Levin

LOS ANGELES TIMES

As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from influential health and medical organizations, including groups that get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California being one of the first.

California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar bills have been defeated in at least five states.

The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent, appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out of routine pediatric vaccines.

But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004 and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants and pregnant women.

Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

"We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment," said Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

"Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be smarter than that."

Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions. Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal Pediatrics, states in part:

"Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."

Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand on thimerosal "does appear to be a paradox."

But said he did not believe "the science justifies codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines."

He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to abandon it.

"If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the United States," said, "it would make it a lot harder to explain in other parts of the world" why they should accept them.

Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year, pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., according to tax filings and academy officials.

The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several health programs.

Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo immunization of their children.

said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not influenced the academy. "The bottom line has always been what would be best for the child," he said.

Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

"We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines," said Diane , the group's associate director.

The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about 42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not disclose total industry support.

Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002, the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the list of prescribed vaccines.

The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur, then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that "the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."

But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report -- contending, among other things, that the institute had given too much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development, physical coordination and IQ.

And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that risks to "the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant have insufficiently been studied."

Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal reflects a profession in denial.

, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could understand why people had come to see the academy as overly defensive. "But I hope we're big enough to be open to science," he said.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

This is Funny-

Everything they say would happen if you ban mercury in vaccines-

Seems to be something you would want.

Mercury-free vaccines protested

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.htm

Mercury-free vaccines protested

Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

By Myron Levin

LOS ANGELES TIMES

As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from influential health and medical organizations, including groups that get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California being one of the first.

California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar bills have been defeated in at least five states.

The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent, appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out of routine pediatric vaccines.

But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004 and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants and pregnant women.

Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

"We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment," said Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

"Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be smarter than that."

Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions. Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal Pediatrics, states in part:

"Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."

Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand on thimerosal "does appear to be a paradox."

But said he did not believe "the science justifies codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines."

He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to abandon it.

"If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the United States," said, "it would make it a lot harder to explain in other parts of the world" why they should accept them.

Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year, pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., according to tax filings and academy officials.

The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several health programs.

Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo immunization of their children.

said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not influenced the academy. "The bottom line has always been what would be best for the child," he said.

Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

"We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines," said Diane , the group's associate director.

The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about 42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not disclose total industry support.

Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002, the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the list of prescribed vaccines.

The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur, then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that "the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."

But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report -- contending, among other things, that the institute had given too much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development, physical coordination and IQ.

And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that risks to "the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant have insufficiently been studied."

Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal reflects a profession in denial.

, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could understand why people had come to see the academy as overly defensive. "But I hope we're big enough to be open to science," he said.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on their combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury in his vaccines!

Got any others?

Mercury-free vaccines protested

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.htm

Mercury-free vaccines protested

Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

By Myron Levin

LOS ANGELES TIMES

As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from influential health and medical organizations, including groups that get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California being one of the first.

California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar bills have been defeated in at least five states.

The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent, appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out of routine pediatric vaccines.

But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004 and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants and pregnant women.

Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

"We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment," said Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

"Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be smarter than that."

Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions. Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal Pediatrics, states in part:

"Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."

Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand on thimerosal "does appear to be a paradox."

But said he did not believe "the science justifies codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines."

He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to abandon it.

"If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the United States," said, "it would make it a lot harder to explain in other parts of the world" why they should accept them.

Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year, pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., according to tax filings and academy officials.

The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several health programs.

Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo immunization of their children.

said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not influenced the academy. "The bottom line has always been what would be best for the child," he said.

Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

"We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines," said Diane , the group's associate director.

The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about 42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not disclose total industry support.

Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002, the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the list of prescribed vaccines.

The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur, then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that "the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."

But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report -- contending, among other things, that the institute had given too much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development, physical coordination and IQ.

And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that risks to "the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant have insufficiently been studied."

Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal reflects a profession in denial.

, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could understand why people had come to see the academy as overly defensive. "But I hope we're big enough to be open to science," he said.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

I'd be absolutely petrified if they took thimerosal/mercury out of the vaccines.

Thank god it's still in the vaccines.

Now, where's that broken thermometer?

We call it mercury candy in my house!

Mercury-free vaccines protested

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.htm

Mercury-free vaccines protested

Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

By Myron Levin

LOS ANGELES TIMES

As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from influential health and medical organizations, including groups that get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California being one of the first.

California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar bills have been defeated in at least five states.

The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent, appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out of routine pediatric vaccines.

But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004 and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants and pregnant women.

Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

"We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment," said Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

"Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be smarter than that."

Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions. Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal Pediatrics, states in part:

"Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."

Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand on thimerosal "does appear to be a paradox."

But said he did not believe "the science justifies codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines."

He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to abandon it.

"If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the United States," said, "it would make it a lot harder to explain in other parts of the world" why they should accept them.

Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year, pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., according to tax filings and academy officials.

The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several health programs.

Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo immunization of their children.

said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not influenced the academy. "The bottom line has always been what would be best for the child," he said.

Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

"We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines," said Diane , the group's associate director.

The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about 42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not disclose total industry support.

Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002, the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the list of prescribed vaccines.

The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur, then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that "the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."

But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report -- contending, among other things, that the institute had given too much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development, physical coordination and IQ.

And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that risks to "the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant have insufficiently been studied."

Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal reflects a profession in denial.

, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could understand why people had come to see the academy as overly defensive. "But I hope we're big enough to be open to science," he said.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

Yeah good idea about the PR thing.

Merck et al can have a website for people trying to quit mercury

vaccines. Just like has one to help people quit

smoking. They can say mercury vaccines are bad and they want to hlep

you quit them w/ their " free " program. All the while they continue

to produce and market them, just like Philip does w/

cigarettes!

Genius. The Amrican " sheep " are duped again by big business as

our " government " stands by and allows them to screw us yet again.

Henry, I think we got something here!

Oh I forgot, They can list each other as a helpful links page, so

one can easily jump from one bullshit scam to another.

>

> Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on their

combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

>

> The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury in

his vaccines!

>

> Got any others?

>

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

>

>

>

>

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.h

tm

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

> Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally

against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

> By Myron Levin

> LOS ANGELES TIMES

> As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in

children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from

influential health and medical organizations, including groups that

get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

> Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California

being one of the first.

> California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect

July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for

pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar

bills have been defeated in at least five states.

> The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over

continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent,

appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out

of routine pediatric vaccines.

> But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing

thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004

and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants

and pregnant women.

> Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into

more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates

began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

> The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the

American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action

Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

> " We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment, " said

Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a

thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

> " Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be

smarter than that. "

> Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers

are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body

weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-

ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants

and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

> The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including

some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small

amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal

restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing

people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

> The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has

generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a

federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions.

Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal

Pediatrics, states in part:

> " Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children,

and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible

to pregnant women and children as well as the general population. "

> Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of

its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand

on thimerosal " does appear to be a paradox. "

> But said he did not believe " the science justifies

codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines. "

> He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs

in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies

heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor

nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to

abandon it.

> " If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the

United States, " said, " it would make it a lot harder to

explain in other parts of the world " why they should accept them.

> Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low

profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year,

pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the

academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were

vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.,

according to tax filings and academy officials.

> The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several

health programs.

> Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they

have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which

vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo

immunization of their children.

> said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not

influenced the academy. " The bottom line has always been what would

be best for the child, " he said.

> Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition

based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting

immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and

materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

> " We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines, "

said Diane , the group's associate director.

> The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about

42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on

the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi

Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to

contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not

disclose total industry support.

> Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois,

Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit

a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan

federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the

House of Representatives.

> The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that

U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the

cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation

showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to

mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

> As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics

called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002,

the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine

children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then

mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the

list of prescribed vaccines.

> The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur,

then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in

multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that

doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

> Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-

free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no

preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

> In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the

prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal

was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

> In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that " the body of

epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship

between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. "

> But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report --

contending, among other things, that the institute had given too

much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had

been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only

autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

> The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if

thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development,

physical coordination and IQ.

> And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in

November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that

risks to " the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant

have insufficiently been studied. "

> Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal

reflects a profession in denial.

> , of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could

understand why people had come to see the academy as overly

defensive. " But I hope we're big enough to be open to science, " he

said.

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

> Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US

(and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

>

>

[Guest guest]

" I'd rather fight, than switch. " (Remember that old ad for

Tareyton, I think?) Show a pediatrician wearing his white coat,

holding a hyperdermic needle with the black eye from the ad.)

>

> Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on their

combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

>

> The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury in

his vaccines!

>

> Got any others?

>

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

>

>

>

>

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.h

tm

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

> Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally

against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

> By Myron Levin

> LOS ANGELES TIMES

> As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in

children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from

influential health and medical organizations, including groups that

get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

> Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California

being one of the first.

> California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect

July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for

pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar

bills have been defeated in at least five states.

> The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over

continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent,

appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out

of routine pediatric vaccines.

> But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing

thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004

and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants

and pregnant women.

> Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into

more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates

began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

> The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the

American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action

Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

> " We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment, " said

Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a

thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

> " Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be

smarter than that. "

> Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers

are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body

weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-

ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants

and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

> The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including

some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small

amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal

restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing

people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

> The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has

generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a

federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions.

Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal

Pediatrics, states in part:

> " Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children,

and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible

to pregnant women and children as well as the general population. "

> Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of

its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand

on thimerosal " does appear to be a paradox. "

> But said he did not believe " the science justifies

codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines. "

> He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs

in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies

heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor

nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to

abandon it.

> " If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the

United States, " said, " it would make it a lot harder to

explain in other parts of the world " why they should accept them.

> Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low

profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year,

pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the

academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were

vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.,

according to tax filings and academy officials.

> The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several

health programs.

> Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they

have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which

vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo

immunization of their children.

> said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not

influenced the academy. " The bottom line has always been what would

be best for the child, " he said.

> Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition

based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting

immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and

materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

> " We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines, "

said Diane , the group's associate director.

> The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about

42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on

the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi

Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to

contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not

disclose total industry support.

> Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois,

Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit

a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan

federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the

House of Representatives.

> The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that

U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the

cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation

showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to

mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

> As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics

called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002,

the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine

children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then

mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the

list of prescribed vaccines.

> The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur,

then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in

multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that

doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

> Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-

free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no

preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

> In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the

prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal

was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

> In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that " the body of

epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship

between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. "

> But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report --

contending, among other things, that the institute had given too

much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had

been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only

autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

> The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if

thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development,

physical coordination and IQ.

> And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in

November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that

risks to " the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant

have insufficiently been studied. "

> Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal

reflects a profession in denial.

> , of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could

understand why people had come to see the academy as overly

defensive. " But I hope we're big enough to be open to science, " he

said.

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

> Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US

(and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

>

>

[Guest guest]

How about this one for the female pediatricians?

" A little jab will do ya " Holding a needle (from the old Dippity Do

commercials " A little dab will do ya.)

> The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury in

his vaccines!

>

> Got any others?

>

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

>

>

>

>

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/science/14332410.h

tm

> Mercury-free vaccines protested

> Groups that receive pharmaceutical industry funding rally

against state efforts to spare children from potential toxin

> By Myron Levin

> LOS ANGELES TIMES

> As lawmakers in about 20 states press for bans on mercury in

children's vaccines, they are meeting stiff resistance from

influential health and medical organizations, including groups that

get substantial funding from drug makers and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

> Seven states have adopted the anti-mercury bills -- California

being one of the first.

> California's law, passed in 2004 and scheduled to take effect

July 1, will prohibit shots with more than a trace of thimerosal for

pregnant women and children younger than 3. In recent weeks, similar

bills have been defeated in at least five states.

> The push for legislation comes long after the uproar over

continued use of thimerosal, a mercury-based antibacterial agent,

appeared to subside in 1999, when manufacturers began phasing it out

of routine pediatric vaccines.

> But the controversy flared anew when flu shots containing

thimerosal were added to the childhood immunization schedule in 2004

and the CDC refused to recommend thimerosal-free shots for infants

and pregnant women.

> Angered by the CDC's refusal -- and fearing a backslide into

more thimerosal use -- state lawmakers and anti-mercury advocates

began pushing for outright thimerosal bans.

> The legislation faces opposition from groups such as the

American Academy of Pediatrics and the Immunization Action

Coalition -- a stance that anti-mercury advocates say defies logic.

> " We're trying to get (mercury) out of the environment, " said

Marilyn Rasmussen, a Washington state senator and sponsor of a

thimerosal bill that was signed into law last month.

> " Why would we be injecting it into babies? We've got to be

smarter than that. "

> Mercury can damage the nervous system, and infants and toddlers

are thought to be particularly at risk because of their low body

weights and rapidly developing brains. That concern is behind wide-

ranging initiatives to cut mercury pollution from industrial plants

and warn pregnant women to limit intake of some types of fish.

> The American Academy of Pediatrics and its allies, including

some state health departments, say there is no proof that the small

amount of mercury in vaccines is harmful. They argue that legal

restrictions could undermine confidence in vaccines -- causing

people to skip their shots -- and lead to shortages.

> The academy, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians, has

generally taken a zero tolerance stance on mercury, even joining a

federal lawsuit seeking stricter controls on power plant emissions.

Its official policy, published in July 2001 in its journal

Pediatrics, states in part:

> " Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children,

and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible

to pregnant women and children as well as the general population. "

> Dr. Louis , the academy's former president and chairman of

its Center for Child Health Research, acknowledged the group's stand

on thimerosal " does appear to be a paradox. "

> But said he did not believe " the science justifies

codifying in state law that we ban all mercury-containing vaccines. "

> He also voiced concern about the effect on immunization programs

in the developing world. The World Health Organization relies

heavily on thimerosal to immunize millions of children in poor

nations and could face cost and logistical problems if forced to

abandon it.

> " If we banned mercury-containing vaccines by statute in the

United States, " said, " it would make it a lot harder to

explain in other parts of the world " why they should accept them.

> Vaccine producers generally oppose the bills but have kept a low

profile, leaving health groups to lead the charge. Last year,

pharmaceutical companies contributed about $1.54 million to the

academy out of a budget of $68.2 million. Among the donors were

vaccine giants Merck & Co., GlaxoKline and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.,

according to tax filings and academy officials.

> The group also got about $1.55 million from the CDC for several

health programs.

> Although CDC officials are not permitted to lobby states, they

have warned that thimerosal bans could create confusion about which

vaccines are acceptable and lead some parents to delay or forgo

immunization of their children.

> said financial ties to drug makers and the CDC had not

influenced the academy. " The bottom line has always been what would

be best for the child, " he said.

> Another opponent of bans, the Immunization Action Coalition

based in St. , Minn., runs Web sites and newsletters promoting

immunization. The group has been dispensing strategy advice and

materials to critics of the anti-mercury bills.

> " We're scaring people away needlessly from very safe vaccines, "

said Diane , the group's associate director.

> The coalition last year got about $628,000 from the CDC, about

42 percent of its $1.51 million budget. Industry donors listed on

the coalition's Web site -- including Merck, GlaxoKline, Sanofi

Pasteur, Chiron Corp. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals -- appear to

contribute most of its remaining funds, though the group would not

disclose total industry support.

> Along with California and Washington, New York, Iowa, Illinois,

Missouri and Delaware have passed thimerosal bills. The laws permit

a waiving of restrictions in a public health emergency. Bipartisan

federal legislation to ban thimerosal has 73 co-sponsors in the

House of Representatives.

> The thimerosal issue erupted in 1999 when it became known that

U.S. health authorities for the first time had totaled the

cumulative dose of mercury from multiple shots. The calculation

showed that infants who got their shots on time could be exposed to

mercury in excess of an Environmental Protection Agency guideline.

> As a precaution, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics

called on vaccine makers in 1999 to phase out thimerosal. By 2002,

the chemical had been removed or cut to trace levels in all routine

children's shots through a switch to single-dose vials. But then

mercury made a comeback in 2004, when the CDC added flu shots to the

list of prescribed vaccines.

> The only supplier for children younger than 2, Sanofi Pasteur,

then known as Aventis Pasteur, marketed most of its vaccine in

multidose vials. Then, as now, the CDC decided not to recommend that

doctors select thimerosal-free shots for pregnant women and children.

> Sanofi Pasteur since has increased its capacity to make mercury-

free vaccine; yet because the government has expressed no

preference, some of the capacity has gone unused.

> In a pivotal moment in the debate, a committee of the

prestigious Institute of Medicine rebuffed claims that thimerosal

was responsible for an increase in autism cases.

> In its May 2004 report, the panel declared that " the body of

epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship

between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. "

> But parent activists and some scientists criticized the report --

contending, among other things, that the institute had given too

much weight to research in countries where thimerosal exposures had

been lower than in the U.S. Either way, the report considered only

autism and not potential risks of subtler developmental effects.

> The CDC is engaged in a study of 7- to 10-year-olds to see if

thimerosal exposures might have influenced language development,

physical coordination and IQ.

> And while rejecting the thimerosal-autism link, a report in

November in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal stated that

risks to " the fetus, premature infant and low-birth-weight infant

have insufficiently been studied. "

> Some say the resistance by medical groups to bans on thimerosal

reflects a profession in denial.

> , of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he could

understand why people had come to see the academy as overly

defensive. " But I hope we're big enough to be open to science, " he

said.

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

> Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US

(and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

>

>

[Guest guest]

The parallels between tobacco and thimerosal are compelling. The folks

fighting anti-thimerosal legislation are the ones fighting big tobacco.

We need to beat them at their own game. We should seriously consider the

strategies used by the anti-tobacco advocates, who have made amazing

progress in the past 10 years.

IMO, we need to play up on the hypocrisy as much as possible. It was

amazing to me when I testified at the state house in January. As I

walked in to the hearing, I saw some former collegues from my

anti-tobacco advocacy days. Of course they were all on the opposing

side, testifying against the bill. Only one person seemed to have a

conscience. The rest acted as though this were all silliness, kind of

like those nasty tobacco lobbists. Preaching gloom and doom is we passed

this law.

Becky

> >

> > Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

> merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on their

> combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

> >

> > The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury in

> his vaccines!

> >

> > Got any others?

[Guest guest]

>

> The parallels between tobacco and thimerosal are compelling. The

folks

> fighting anti-thimerosal legislation are the ones fighting big

tobacco.

> We need to beat them at their own game. We should seriously

consider the

> strategies used by the anti-tobacco advocates, who have made

amazing

> progress in the past 10 years.

>

> IMO, we need to play up on the hypocrisy as much as possible. It

was

> amazing to me when I testified at the state house in January. As I

> walked in to the hearing, I saw some former collegues from my

> anti-tobacco advocacy days. Of course they were all on the opposing

> side, testifying against the bill. Only one person seemed to have a

> conscience. The rest acted as though this were all silliness, kind

of

> like those nasty tobacco lobbists. Preaching gloom and doom is we

passed

> this law.

>

> Becky

>

> > >

> > > Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

> > merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on

their

> > combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

> > >

> > > The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury

in

> > his vaccines!

> > >

> > > Got any others?

>

[Guest guest]

>

> The parallels between tobacco and thimerosal are compelling. The

folks

> fighting anti-thimerosal legislation are the ones fighting big

tobacco.

> We need to beat them at their own game. We should seriously

consider the

> strategies used by the anti-tobacco advocates, who have made

amazing

> progress in the past 10 years.

>

> IMO, we need to play up on the hypocrisy as much as possible. It

was

> amazing to me when I testified at the state house in January. As I

> walked in to the hearing, I saw some former collegues from my

> anti-tobacco advocacy days. Of course they were all on the opposing

> side, testifying against the bill. Only one person seemed to have a

> conscience. The rest acted as though this were all silliness, kind

of

> like those nasty tobacco lobbists. Preaching gloom and doom is we

passed

> this law.

>

> Becky

>

> > >

> > > Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

> > merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on

their

> > combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

> > >

> > > The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury

in

> > his vaccines!

> > >

> > > Got any others?

>

[Guest guest]

Maybe we could do some billboards across the nation that has a

likeness of the Marlboro man holding a hypodermic needle instead of a

cig.

Debi

> >

> > The parallels between tobacco and thimerosal are compelling. The

> folks

> > fighting anti-thimerosal legislation are the ones fighting big

> tobacco.

> > We need to beat them at their own game. We should seriously

> consider the

> > strategies used by the anti-tobacco advocates, who have made

> amazing

> > progress in the past 10 years.

> >

> > IMO, we need to play up on the hypocrisy as much as possible. It

> was

> > amazing to me when I testified at the state house in January. As I

> > walked in to the hearing, I saw some former collegues from my

> > anti-tobacco advocacy days. Of course they were all on the opposing

> > side, testifying against the bill. Only one person seemed to have a

> > conscience. The rest acted as though this were all silliness, kind

> of

> > like those nasty tobacco lobbists. Preaching gloom and doom is we

> passed

> > this law.

> >

> > Becky

> >

> > > >

> > > > Maybe the groups opposing the ban of thimerosal in vaccines can

> > > merge with the tobacco companies- they could save a bundle on

> their

> > > combined public relations and ad campaign budgets!

> > > >

> > > > The Marlboro Boy- too tough for second hand smoke and mercury

> in

> > > his vaccines!

> > > >

> > > > Got any others?

> >

>