RE: Mercury/Vaccine Ban Bill Approved By California Legislature/Mercury Not Likely Related to Autoimmune Autism

[Guest guest]

This is the 1st I have seen the term " Autoimmune Autism " .

Interesting.

> These extracts from today's Schafer report will be of interest to

recent

> discussion..

>

> especially the research article 'Mercury Not Likely Related to

Autoimmune

> Autism " , by Singh VK, Rivas WH. Department of Biology, Utah State

> University, Logan,

> Utah, USA.

>

>

>

> SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT " Healing Autism:

> No Finer a Cause on the Planet "

> ________________________________________________________________

> Thursday, August 26, 2004 Vol. 8 No. 139

>

>

> PUBLIC HEALTH

> * Mercury/Vaccine Ban Bill Approved By California Legislature

> * Lawmaker Calls For Mercury-Free Flu Vaccines

> * Government Hearing on Mecury in Medicine & Autism - September

8

> <cut>

> RESEARCH

> * Mercury Not Likely Related to Autoimmune Autism

>

> <cut>

>

> PUBLIC HEALTH

>

> Mercury/Vaccine Ban Bill Approved By California Legislature

>

> [From autism advocate Rick Rollens.]

>

> The bill banning mercury containing vaccines in California,

AB 2943,

> was given it's final approval on a bi-partisan 48-21 vote of the

California

> Assembly.

> The California Senate has already approved the bill. The

bill now

> goes to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.

> A victory for children's and pregnant women's health,

a defeat

> for the scare mongering, profit motivated vaccine manufacturers.

>

> [For more details, see story below.]

> * * *

>

> Lawmaker Calls For Mercury-Free Flu Vaccines

> Shots' link to autism spurs effort

>

> [by Timm Herdt for the Ventura County Star.]

>

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_2

26_3138

> 710,00.html

>

> Sacramento -- After Assemblywoman Fran Pavley raised her

microphone in

> late May to present her proposal to bar the use of a mercury-based

> preservative in flu vaccines given to young children and pregnant

women, she

> backed away in lip-biting silence.

> Before she finished, her presentation was halted three times

by

> invisible but voice-cracking tears.

> Eventually, the measure would pass comfortably, but the

votes were at

> first slow to come. When the decisive vote was cast, an opponent

loudly

> groused on the Assembly floor that it had been " a sympathy vote. "

Two

> colleagues quickly confronted the complainer to hush him and tell

him what

> he needed to know: Pavley has an autistic son.

> Mercury is a known factor that can inhibit fetal brain

development and

> lead to such neurological diseases as mental retardation and

autism.

> Today, Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, will likely again present her

bill to

> the Assembly, and if her colleagues concur with amendments added

in the

> Senate, this time the measure to require mercury-free flu vaccines

will be

> sent to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarz enegger.

> Pavley said the bill is not specifically about autism and

that the

> issue does not directly relate to her 26-year-old son , whose

age group

> was not subject to the high number of pediatric vaccinations that

came

> later. " However, " she said, " I do understand the concerns of

parents with

> autistic children. "

> A 1999 study of such parents found that only a small portion

with

> children born in the 1980s believe immunizations may have caused

the

> disease; a third of those with children born in 1990s believe that.

> If enacted, Pavley's bill, AB 2943, would accelerate a

national

> movement to remove the preservative thimerosal, which contains 50

percent

> ethyl mercury, from children's vaccines. Since 1999, thimerosal

has been

> eliminated in other pediatric vaccines, and the federal Centers

for Disease

> Control and Prevention has urged manufacturers to reduce or

eliminate its

> use in all vaccines.

> The CDC recommends that, beginning next year, all children

between 6

> months and 2 years receive an annual flu vaccine. Pavley's bill

would take

> effect July 1, 2006.

> The University of California, , M.I.N.D. Institute,

created by

> the Legislature in part to address a 273 percent increase in the

incidence

> of autism in the state between 1987 and 1998, encourages parents

to request

> thimerosal-free vaccines for their children.

> Critics, including the vaccine-maker Aventis Pasteur and

Republicans

> in the Legislature, say the proposal would put the state out in

front of the

> responsible federal health authorities and potentially discourage

parents

> from having their children vaccinated against influenza.

> Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, an oral surgeon, argued

against the

> bill earlier this week before it passed the Senate on a party-line

vote.

> " This bill is neither based on science nor is it based on

necessity, "

> Aanestad said.

> He argued that the industry was in the process of converting

to

> mercury-free vaccines and that a law in California to mandate that

the

> process be accelerated would create " a significant problem with

the delivery

> of vaccines. "

> The bill allows the state Department of Health and Human

Services to

> waive the requirement in the event of a vaccine shortage.

> Department officials have told Pavley they are opposed to

the bill,

> and the Department of Finance has written a letter of opposition.

Those two

> arms of the Schwarzenegger administration will likely recommend

that the

> governor veto the bill should it reach his desk.

> Isaac Pessah, a molecular biologist and researcher with the

M.I.N.D.

> Institute, described the measure as a sound and " very cautious

piece of

> legislation. "

> While only one study, performed on mice, has found a direct

link

> between thimerosal and autism, Pessah said the underlying

scientific

> justification for a ban is more clear.

> " One has to ask, is mercury a neuro-developmental toxicant?

The answer

> is that clearly it is, " Pessah said. " Is thimerosal different from

other

> mercury toxicants? The answer is no. "

> * * *

>

> Government Hearing on Mecury in Medicine & Autism - September 8

>

> " Truth Revealed: New Scientific Discoveries Regarding

Mercury in

> Medicine and Autism "

>

> Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, Committee on

Government

> Reform, US House of Representatives, Dan Burton (R-IN) Chairman

> September 8, 2004 10:00 am, 2154 Rayburn House Office Building,

Washington,

> DC

>

> Individuals and organizations are able and invited to submit

written

> statements to the record both prior to and typically up to 10 days

after the

> hearing - in this incidence, I recommend before the hearing. (I

suggest

> limiting any statement to just a few pages 2-5) the Subcommittee

fax number

> is: (202) 225-2392

> The hearing is open to the public and should be webcast as

well.

> Hopefully C-Span will also cover it.

>

>

> * * *

>

> RESEARCH

>

> Mercury Not Likely Related to Autoimmune Autism

> 'Detection of Antinuclear And Antilaminin Antibodies In Autistic

Children

> Who Received Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines.'

>

> J Biomed Sci. 2004 Sep-Oct;11(5):607-10.

> Singh VK, Rivas WH. Department of Biology, Utah State University,

Logan,

> Utah, USA.

>

> Autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, may involve autoimmune

> pathogenesis.

> Since mercury is potentially a risk factor for autoimmunity,

we

> conducted a study of mercury-induced antinuclear and antilaminin

antibodies

> in autistic and normal children who had been pre-administered with

> thimerosal-containing vaccines.

> Laboratory analysis by different immunoassays showed that

the serum

> level of these two autoimmune markers did not significantly differ

between

> autistic and normal children.

> This finding suggests that the mercury as in thimerosal-

containing

> vaccines is likely not related to autoimmune phenomenon in autism.

> Copyright 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger

AG, Basel

> PMID: 15316135 [PubMed - in process]

> * * *

[Guest guest]

In regards to the snippet below...This study is just out-right bad

science.

Since the relationship between autoimmune disorder and genetic factors

that

could exacerbate neurological symptoms is a HUGE UNKNOWN, there is no

way that

this study could claim to decisively rule out mercury as a

contributing factor.

J Biomed Sci. 2004 Sep-Oct;11(5):607-10.

Singh VK, Rivas WH. Department of Biology, Utah State University,

Logan,

Utah, USA.

Autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, may involve autoimmune

pathogenesis.

Since mercury is potentially a risk factor for autoimmunity, we

conducted a study of mercury-induced antinuclear and antilaminin

antibodies

in autistic and normal children who had been pre-administered with

thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Laboratory analysis by different immunoassays showed that the

serum

level of these two autoimmune markers did not significantly differ

between

autistic and normal children.

This finding suggests that the mercury as in

thimerosal-containing

vaccines is likely not related to autoimmune phenomenon in autism.

Copyright 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG,

Basel

PMID: 15316135 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

Responsibility for the content of this message lies strictly with

the original author(s), and is not necessarily endorsed by or the

opinion of the Research Institute.

[Guest guest]

----Original Message Follows----

From: " COLTON, PAMELA " <selana@...>

In regards to the snippet below...This study is just out-right bad

science.Since the relationship between autoimmune disorder and genetic

factors

>that could exacerbate neurological symptoms is a HUGE UNKNOWN, there is no

way that this study could claim to decisively rule out mercury as a

>contributing factor.

There is no way to prove a negative. I think the whole point is that a

sub-group in the autism community have been saying that thimerosol is

causing autism. The same with MMR.

At least that's what they used to say. Are they all changing from causal to

contributing?

In both cases we're seeing studies that seem to be refute the causal theory.

The findings in ASD & NT children show no differences in connection with

MMR & thimerosol..... they'd need to be in order to single them out.

If you have a highly reactive immune system there's probably ton's of things

that can exasperate the problem. That's completely different than something

being causal.

We don't see everyone going after the milk and wheat companies because they

exasperate their neurological symptoms....or is that next,lol.

I've had reactions to things that other people don't react to. Saying those

things caused my problems would be completely inaccurate.

Nobody I know is a big fan of thimerosol so removing it will do away with an

unnecessary exposure. Unfortunately.... I seriously doubt we'll stop seeing

many more children like ours.

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[Guest guest]

<We don't see everyone going after the milk and wheat companies because they

exasperate their neurological symptoms....or is that next,lol.

Cheryl -

....the NZ er's tried marketing a different Milk variant something to do with

a different protein structure - then the other guys did a test and found no

difference..

Perhaps one of the Kiwi's on the list might like to fill us in on that

story..

Responsibility for the content of this message lies strictly with

the original author(s), and is not necessarily endorsed by or the

opinion of the Research Institute.