? Need information/ideas to help with advocacy in land!!!

[Guest guest]

Dear and any other biotechnical and policy sages out there....

We are trying to pass bills to ban mercury in vaccines given to

children and pregnant women in land. To that end, our family has

been peppering our legislative representatives with calls, visits and

letters. I received the following reply from our state senator (who

used to be a pharmacist before entering public office....)today.

I would like to formulate a cogent and persuasive reply that would

educate him on some of the misrepresentations he has quoted from those

who oppose the bill (CDC and land DHMH). He is saying that the

methylmercury contained in thimerosol is excreted, whereas

ethylmercury (from pollutants, fish consumption, etc) is harmful.

What I don't know is whether there is any way to determine if the

mercury in my daughter's body is derived from ethyl or methyl mercury.

I don't know, either, how to respond to his claim that elimination of

thimerosol-preserved vaccines will lead to shortages in needed vaccines.

I DO know that the flu vaccine that state health officials are urging

on pregnant women and very young children DOES contain thimerosol.

I would so appreciate any ideas, citations, figures, etc which might

help me educate this " public servant. " I know we can't win over

everyone, but I'm thinking it's worth a try. I can't seem to come up

with a response that is not emotion-based, and would probably put him

on the defensive to the point that he would not hear anything else

from me. (I'm trying emulate Mike Dow, our state hero, in my

diplomatic demeanor.)

State Senator Brinkley's reply to us is below.

Thanks so very much,

Carla, mom to Aidan, ASD 7.5, who received 3 " servings " of

thimerosol-laced rhogam prenatally, and regressed further after

" mercury-free " DT at age 4

Dear Ms. Hancock:

Thank you for your letter encouraging my support of Senate Bill 365

entitled Public Health – Mercury-Free Vaccines – Requirements.

The bill was referred to the Senate Education, Health and

Environmental Affairs Committee where it received a hearing on

February 22. At this time, there has been no further action.

My staff has investigated the concern that a mercury-based

preservative is present in vaccinations being given to children, which

could cause adverse medical reactions.

The land Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) has

provided information that addresses those concerns:

· Thimerosal, the preservative used in the flu and tetanus vaccination, is

an ethylmercury-containing compound that has been used to prevent

bacterial contamination in the vaccines since the 1930's. This

mercury compound is eliminated from the body much more rapidly than

methylmercury, which can build up in the bloodstream and have adverse

effects in children

· Although there has not been any scientific evidence that it is a

danger to

a person's health, in 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics

recommended that vaccines containing thimerosal be removed as a

precautionary measure;

· Therefore, young children do not currently receive vaccines with this

preservative.

· There are certain adolescent and adult vaccines, such as the tetanus and

diphtheria that do contain the preservative; however, alternative

vaccines are available on request.

DHMH opposes this bill and provided testimony at the hearing on

February 22.

One of their concerns is that the passage of this legislation would

lead to a shortage of vital vaccines. The value that is provided by

vaccinating our children is immeasurable. Furthermore, vaccinating

the elderly against the influenza virus has increasingly become an

invaluable health care tool.

In light of what I have learned I plan to oppose SB365. If you would

like further information on this important topic, please visit the

Centers for Disease Control's website at

http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm.

Thank you again for your letter and I hope I have addressed your concerns.

Please contact my office with any future concerns that may arise.

Sincerely,

R. Brinkley

BAN MERCURY FROM VACCINES IN MARYLAND!

Stuart and Carla Hancock

4715 Lynn Burke Road

Monrovia, MD 21770-9426

February 18, 2006

The Honorable R. Brinkley

110 College Ave.

polis, MD 21401-1991

Dear Senator Brinkley:

I respectfully urge you to take immediate action to sponsor and

support House Bill 394 and Senate Bill 365 to eliminate mercury from

vaccines.

This legislation would take reasonable steps to limit the use of

mercury, in all forms including the compound Thimerosal, in vaccines

by January 1,

2007 with complete elimination of mercury in vaccines by June 1, 2009.

Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, a known and potent neurotoxin.

Vaccines can be produced without Thimerosal. We should use caution in

exposing our children to known neurotoxins that are dangerous to

children's health.

There is mounting scientific evidence that Thimerosal has contributed

to the epidemic of neurodevelopmental disorders that has emerged in

the United States over the last 15 years. Whether or not Thimerosal is

the cause of this epidemic we should avoid taking chances with our

children's health.

Mercury is a medically unnecessary preservative and disinfectant used

to shave a few dollars of the cost of a shot. It is also an extremely

dangerous neurotoxin. There exist hundreds of articles in the

peer-reviewed medical literature demonstrating the pernicious effect

of mercury, particularly on young children and the developing fetus,

but none that demonstrates its safety.

Childhood exposure to mercury was rapidly increased by the addition of

shots to the recommended childhood schedule beginning in the late 1980's.

A growing body of laboratory, clinical and medical evidence links

mercury exposure to the skyrocketing incidence of neurological

disorders afflicting American children, especially boys.

Neither the CDC nor the FDA quantified the amount of mercury children

got in their shots until forced to by Congress in 1998, when it was

found that babies were regularly exposed to more than 100 times as

much mercury as the FDA allows for an adult. Federal policy was

changed in 1999 with the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics

and the American Academy of Family Practice among other medical trade

organizations to get mercury out of vaccines, in fact the Institute of

Medicine recommended in 2000 that mercury containing vaccines be

recalled, but in 2006 there are still vaccines with mercury in them

given to children everyday.

The U.S.A. is the last industrialized country to use mercury in

vaccines for children. Mercury in vaccines has been banned in the UK,

Germany, Denmark and Russia among many other countries. In the absence

of a coherent federal policy that puts safety of children first,

states have been stepping into the leadership void to protect

America's children.

California, New York, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Delaware have

already banned or limited the use of mercury in shots for children and

pregnant women. Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, land, Massachusetts,

Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Hawaii, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode

Island, Tennessee and Oregon are considering similar bills.

Flu shots are currently the primary source for children and pregnant

women for exposure to mercury. Sanofi Aventis, the only licensed

manufacturer of flu shots in the US, has claimed that it can meet

whatever the market demands for mercury free flu shots. Health

Departments have ample time to order mercury free flu shots for the

coming flue season.

Further continued use of this dangerous and unnecessary substance

would continue the ongoing of erosion of confidence in public health

initiatives and vaccines. Thank you for your support House Bill 394

and Senate Bill

365 to eliminate mercury from vaccines – a vitally important

commonsense public health measure.

We are parents of three children who have suffered adverse effects

from the mercury in vaccines. Each one has unique developmental

challenges.

Not all children are as vulnerable as ours, but we don't yet know how to

predict which ones are and which ones are not. Please consider the

health and development of land's current and future children as

you weigh the merits of this bill. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Stuart and Carla Hancock