2006 Accomplishments

As we look back over this year, SafeMinds realizes how proud we are to be part of a community of families and advocates who are working hard to ensure that all children are safe. Our community's support of our mission through volunteer time, contributions and kind words have enabled us to accomplish a great deal in 2006.

Currently, the EPA estimates that 1 in every 6 women of childbearing age has sufficient levels of mercury in their bodies to cause possible neurological injury to their unborn children. In our ongoing effort to publicize the dangers of mercury exposure and related neurodevelopmental disorders and bring national attention to this issue, SafeMinds has:

  • Funded over $200,000 in research related specifically to mercury and adverse neurological outcomes. This amount represents the most we have funded in a single year, bringing the total of research funded to more than $750,000.

  • Sponsored a workshop and half-day session devoted solely to autism at the 23rd annual Neurotoxicology Conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas.

  • Worked diligently on drafting revisions to the Combating Autism Act and advocating for environmental research provisions in the legislation.

  • Attended the meeting of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) and presented the members with a 10-page document signed by 15 national organizations requesting the committee state a preference for mercury free flu vaccines for pregnant women, infants and children as recommended by the Institute of Medicine in 2001.

  • Rallied volunteers around the country to help distribute 5,000 SafeMinds brochures exposing the risks of thimerosal containing flu vaccine.

  • Attended the National Academy of Sciences meeting, "Toxicogenomics and Early Life Exposures" in Washington, D.C.

  • Participated in a media briefing with Put Children First on the results of a flu vaccine survey demonstrating that 76% of respondents were unaware that most flu shots contained mercury.

  • Collaborated with the National Autism Association on developing detailed recommendations for additional environmental research to be included in the National Institute of Health autism research matrix. These recommendations were presented at the NIH Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

  • Presented a statement on the Vaccine Safety and Public Confidence Assurance Act at the press conference sponsored by Congressman Dave Weldon.

  • Prepared and distributed a document to the NIEHS when they were asked to look in the VSD data. The document offered suggestions in hopes that past mistakes using VSD will not be repeated so as to create the most valid and reliable study possible.

  • Participated on the Public Interest Liaison Group to the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.

  • Sponsored a conference on autism recovery in Bolinas, California.

  • Presented at DAN! Conferences and local autism meetings.

  • Thanks to Tracy Paradowski and our supporters in the Buffalo, New York area we held our first Steps for SafeMinds fundraising walk.

Additionally, SafeMinds has raised public awareness regarding the harmful effects of mercury exposure and related neurodevelopmental disorders by monitoring information regarding mercury exposure in the media and issuing rapid and accurate responses. The studies below represent only a few such studies that continue to mislead our community and to which SafeMinds issued a speedy response:

  • Dr. Paul Shattuck's study in Pediatrics, "Diagnostic Substitution and Changing Autism Prevalence" challenged the studies findings and conclusions.
    * The Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants article, "Vaccines, thimerosal and neurodevelopmental outcomes," where SafeMinds corrected several inaccuracies.

  • Dr. Eric Fombone's July 2006 Pediatrics article which stated that it was "very clear" that there is no relationship between mercury-based thimerosal in vaccines and the onset of autism.

Our 2006 accomplishments were many and there are more to tackle in 2007. We are grateful for all the support of our community during this past year and hope that support will continue as we pursue ending the personal health devastations caused by the needless use of mercury in all applications where alternatives exist.