An Appeal To New Jersey's Governor**

By Deidre Imus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deirdre-imus/missing-the-mercury-threa_b_77927.html

Posted December 21, 2007 | 04:57 PM (EST)


Albert Einstein once said, "only two things are infinite: the
universe and human stupidity". We got a good dose of what many would
call "human stupidity" last week in New Jersey when 5 un-elected
members of the Public Health Council (PHC) voted to mandate four new
vaccines for children. The vaccines that will be mandated in 2008
include: the influenza vaccine, pneumococcal, meningococcal, tetanus,
diphtheria and acellular pertusis (Tdap) vaccine. Two of the vaccines,
influenza and Sanofi Pasteur's meningococcal vaccine (Menomune)
contain thimerosal (mercury).

In spite of a week's long protest from constituents that included
parents, physicians and dozens of organizations, the State Health
Commissioner gave his "seal of approval" on Friday, December 15.

Today I want to appeal to New Jersey Governor Corzine to re-evaluate
these recommendations and carefully consider the ramifications for New
Jersey's children.

Unless Governor Corzine, the state legislature, or perhaps a judge
intervenes, New Jersey will go down in history as the first state in
the nation, for that matter the world, to order parents to vaccinate
their preschoolers with a known developmental neurotoxin, which many
parents, physicians and scientific research suggest is linked to the
epidemic of developmental disorders, including autism.

The PHC recommendation came just days before another "first in the
nation" law was passed by Minnesota lawmakers who voted to ban the
use of mercury in mascara and other cosmetics. "Mercury does cause
neurological damage to people even in tiny quantities...can retard
brain development in children and fetuses who are most vulnerable to
the metal's toxic effects" stated the Minnesota officials.

That's right, you can't put mercury on your mommy's lashes in
Minnesota but New Jersey health officials just can't wait to inject
it into your young children.

After repeated warnings about mercury toxicity in fish and following
its removal from over the counter products, thermostats, industrial
switches, medical devices, animal vaccines, even a leg paint used on
horses, the five appointed members of the PHC and the NJ Department
of Health (DOH) can claim credit for what could be one of the worst
and ill-advised public health decisions forced upon the public in
recent memory; a decision that was made under a cloak of secrecy,
without sufficient debate and perhaps in violation of procedural
protocols.

New Jersey parents have a right to question the DOH actions. After
all New Jersey holds the dubious honor of having the highest autism
rates in the country. According to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 94 New
Jersey children have autism, 1 in 60 boys.

While some NJ public health officials arrogantly dismiss the link
between vaccines and autism as "scientifically unfounded," and tell
reporters concerns about thimerosal is "a moot issue," since most
vaccines are either free of the compound or contain only trace
amounts, like the preschool flu vaccine.", a growing body of
published scientific research shows this

opinion cannot be factually supported.

To the contrary, approximately 90% of the influenza vaccine supply
still contains thimerosal. According to the FDA, the 25 micrograms of
mercury in one influenza vaccine is NOT a "trace amount". According to
EPA guidelines, this amount can only be considered safe if a person
weighs 550 pounds. You would think a health official would know this.


In addition, there is no convincing evidence that the flu shot is
actually effective. A study published in the British Medical Journal,
done by the Cochran Collaboration, considered the Gold Standard for
scientific research, stated
the
recommendations of flu shots for infants and toddlers are not backed
by scientific evidence [Jan.25, 2006]. So if research tells us the
vaccine is ineffective and it contains toxic mercury, why are
officials recommending it be given to our young children?

Sanofi's Menactra meningococcal vaccine is thimerosal-free and
currently recommended for children between 11-12 years old. However,
the FDA and the CDC are investigating cases of Guillain-Barré
syndrome (GBS) among adolescents who received this vaccine. A larger
study led by Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare is expected to take
approximately 2 years. According to

the CDC, "The study period is necessary to accumulate cases and attain
sufficient statistical power."

The recommended acceptable alternative is Sanofi's Menomune, which
contains 25 micrograms of thimerosal, thus adding to the overall body
burden of one of the most toxic metals on earth.

While some officials want to continue dismissing the vaccine autism
association, the neurological risks associated with the use of the
mercury-based preservative have been well documented in the
scientific literature for decades.

This is noted in a 2004 California Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment that found: "the
scientific evidence that cause reproductive toxicity is
clear and voluminous...The evidence for its reproductive toxicity
includes severe mental retardation or malformations in human
offspring who were poisoned when their mothers were exposed to ethyl
mercury or thimerosal while pregnant ...

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) states that thimerosal is
"poison by ingestion, subcutaneous, intravenous and possibly other
routes," and warns that childhood exposure could result in "mental
retardation in children, loss of coordination in speech, writing,
gait, stupor, and irritability and bad temper progressing to mania."

A 1984 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found,
"Thimerosal used to irrigate the external auditory canals in a child
with tympanostomy tubes has caused severe mercury poisoning."
[Rohyans J, Walson PD, Wood GA, MacDonald WA Mercury toxicity
following Merthiolate ear irrigations. J Pediatr 1984; 104:311-313].

In 2001 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a review
on the state of science related to mercury toxicity entitled,
Technical Report: Mercury in the Environment: Implications for
Pediatricians. The Report concluded, "Mercury in all of its forms is
toxic to the fetus and children"..."Inorganic and elemental mercury
should not be present in the home or other environments of children"
"It would seem prudent for the FDA to carefully examine all uses of
mercury in pharmaceuticals, particularly pharmaceuticals that are
used by infants and pregnant women." [J Pediatr 2001; 108: 197-205].

As recently as last month a study published in the Journal of Child
Neurology determined, "a significant relation does exist between the
blood levels of mercury and diagnosis of an autism spectrum
disorder".

New Jersey's health officials may believe giving preschoolers and
other children mercury containing influenza shots is good public
health policy but not all physicians would agree. Many physicians,
including United States Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL), a strong
supporter of our nation's immunization program, has gone on record

stating, "Any doctor who would knowingly inject a baby with a
mercury-containing vaccine. I would consider that malpractice".

If these are not reason enough to question the new mandates, just
last month one of the first autism cases presented in the U.S. Court
of Federal Claims (vaccine court), the government CONCEDED that
vaccines aggravated a pre-existing mitochondrial dysfunction causing
autistic like symptoms in one of the first cases where the case filed
was a claim was that thimeosal caused autism.

So please don't tell me the link between vaccines and autism is
"scientifically unfounded," or there is "no evidence" that vaccines
cause autism in some children. The federal government has already
conceded this point in one case.

Mercury is not the only problem with the new mandates.

The Prevar pneumococcol vaccine also has its own problems. There
have been 3,243 adverse reactions reported to the government's
vaccine surveillance system since Prevnar was first licensed in 2000.
These reports included 476 serious reactions and 79 deaths. Just a few
months ago the Prevnar vaccine was linked to a new antibiotic
resistant "superbug" bacterial infection, causing serious ear
infections in children as young as 6 months. One child suffered
permanent hearing loss.

Should health officials be forcing parents to give their children
vaccines that contain a heavy metal toxin whose packaging contains
the universal symbol for poison and warns the product could cause
mental retardation or one that has thousands of reported adverse
reactions? Where do we draw the line on who knows what is best for
our own children?

In response to

the Public Health Council's recommendations, Governor Corzine was
quoted that he does not "in any way think we should take risks on
vaccines . . . the elements of evaluation should be left to
scientists and data".

I couldn't agree more with Governor Corzine on this point.
Ultimately it is the Governor who is responsible and I am hopeful
that he is taking this matter very seriously.

No governor wants to reject the recommendations of their public
health officials, However, Governor Corzine would not be the first
one to do so in this situation.

When faced with the recommendation by California health officials to
veto a bill aimed at banning thimerosal from children's vaccines back
in 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected this advice and
signed the Mercury Free Act, which strictly limits the amount of
mercury in vaccines or products used by pregnant women and very young
children in the state of California. In a signing message,
Schwarzenegger stated, "I believe that an abundance of caution merits
the acceleration of the process already underway to remove thimerosal
from the last few vaccines that contain it".

Six other governors have signed into law similar bills overruling
the objections of public health officials.

Look, everyone knows what these new recommendations are all about.
MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY!

Vaccines have become the lifeblood of the pharmaceutical industry.

In the 2004 annual report for Chiron Corporation, sales of their flu
vaccine went from $90 million in 2002 to $332.4 million in 2003. Total
vaccine sales went from $357.4 million (2002) to $678.3 million
(2003). Nice increase.

I note this particular year's report because it was in 2003 that
industry, along with health officials, aggressively forged ahead with
a masterful marketing plan. Create fear

that terrible diseases are going spread through schools like wildfires
if every kid isn't vaccinated through a very well financed lobbying
and advertising campaign. Then get a handful of health officials; to
"rubber stamp" exactly what the industry wants. What corporation
wouldn't covet a program sanctioned by the government that forces the
public to use their products? ['Dire' CDC warning hiked flu shot
demand: UPI, 10/15/04]

The profits from mandated vaccines has resulted in billions of
profits for the drug companies and if enacted, the new vaccine
recommendations will deliver billions more.

An easy and guaranteed flow of revenue for industry and physicians
alike.

It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that certain members of the
Public Health Council were the recipients of pharmaceutical industry
generosity. (Riki Jacobs - received Pfizer money for her AIDS
foundation).

For the record, I have repeatedly acknowledged the importance of
vaccinations. There is no question that vaccines have saved many
lives but they are not without risks. Over the last decade, however,
serious and legitimate questions have arisen regarding the number of
vaccines we are giving our children today and whether the ingredients
in those vaccines are as safe as we, the public, have been led to
believe. Until these safety concerns are addressed in a transparent
manner, parents, not bureaucrats, should decide what is best for
their children.

In January of this year, in response to mercury contamination at a
children's day care center, Governor Corzine signed a bill that would
enforce strict guidelines to ensure environmental safety at child care
centers and schools. In a statement Governor Corzine said. "This puts
New Jersey at the forefront of states nationally in protecting
children from environmental contaminants while at child care
facilities and schools."

It would be the height of hypocrisy for New Jersey to now tell
parents they must inject their children with mercury-containing
vaccines.

It is time for New Jersey to lead the nation again and reject the
new vaccine mandates and send a message that our children are no
longer going to be the depositories for toxic contaminants in order
to increase profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

Any parent who wants to vaccinate their child with any of the four
new recommended vaccines can do so today without government coercion.
The state has not needed to mandate these vaccines in the past and
there is no public health emergency to warrant the implementation of
the recommendations now. There is however a public health crisis in
New Jersey caused by the rapid rise of developmental disorders, like
autism.

There can be no harm in slowing down this process and carefully
reviewing the mandated recommendations along with the current state
of science, and the possible ramifications of this very aggressive
vaccination policy.

The new vaccine mandates are not defensible in light of all we know
about thimerosal and mercury toxicity. Governor Corzine has the legal
authority and the responsibility to protect New Jersey's children from
additional and unnecessary mercury exposure.

I urge Governor Corzine to put on hold these new vaccine mandates
and convene a meeting that will include ALL stakeholders and hear
from scientists and his constituents before approving these new
vaccine mandates.

The ball is in your court Governor.