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In 1982 the FDA issued proposed regulations calling for the removal of thimerosal from over the counter products. The regulations were not finalized until 1998 despite the 16 years earlier when the FDA expert panel concluded thimerosal was unsafe, ineffective as a bacteriostatic agent, and caused cell damage. Thimerosal was continued in use regardless of the known fact that it is a neurotoxin.
July of 1999 the FDA requested that manufacturers remove thimerosal from pediatric vaccines because the immunization schedule had resulted in some children receiving a higher amount of mercury than the established amount deemed safe. When researchers looked at the effects of mercury poison, they found that if the vaccine schedule is followed American children had been exposed to 30 times the minimum acceptable level of mercury from vaccines.
The number of children that have been affected by autism had made a drastic jump from 1 in 2,000 in 1970 to 1 in 250 in 2000, and the number of children diagnosed with learning disabilities is now 1 in 5. Vaccines with mercury have been considered to contribute to autism, learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological conditions, yet many clinics still use thimerosal because of the gradual phasing out of mercury products. Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) has been very involved with trying to recall all childhood immunizations containing thimerosal, renewing his request in October.
Burton said of the controversial vaccines, “We cannot in good conscience leave thimerosal-containing vaccines on the shelf until used up, potentially exposing children to chemicals that may lead to neuro-developmental disorders. Mercury is toxic to the human body. I will be sending a letter this week to Secretary Thompson asking that these products be recalled. In the meantime, I am asking every doctor, every health clinic, and every facility that provides childhood immunizations to check you vaccine supplies and return all thimerosal-containing vaccines and request thimerosal-free vaccines.” This has followed an April hearing from a number of physicians and scientists about the risks of using mercury in childhood vaccines and a July 2000 hearing on the risks of mercury in medicine. A Canadian study also showed dramatic toxic effects on brain cells exposed to mercury.
A number of lawsuits were announced the day after the National Academy of Sciences released a report saying researchers still are unable to determine if there is a link between thimerosal and disorders in children. But the report concluded, "The effort to remove thimerosal from vaccines was a prudent measure in support of the public health goal to reduce the mercury exposure of infants and children as much as possible." Lawsuits have been filed because of the drug company’s failure to tell doctors how much mercury was contained in the vaccines until Congress ordered the FDA to find out in 1997. Currently defendants include drug companies Aventis Pasteur Inc., Pasteur Merieux Connaught, Pfizer Inc., a subsidiary of Warner-Lambert, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Abbott Laboratories, American Home Products, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Lederle Laboratories, Baxter International Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., Integra Chemical Co., Sigma Chemical Co., and Aldrich Chemical Co.
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