Summary of Science Demonstrating the Harmful Nature of Mercury in Vaccines
Human and Infant Research
IATROGENIC EXPOSURE TO MERCURY AFTER HEPATITIS B VACCINATION IN PRETERM INFANTS
Stajich GV, Lopez GP, Harry SW, Sexson, SW. J Pediatr. 2000 May; 136(5):679-81
Stajich measured blood mercury levels in low birth weight and term newborns administered the Hepatitis B vaccine containing 12.5 g ethyl mercury. The investigation documented elevated post-immunization concentrations relative to pre-immunization levels in all neonates studied. Levels of blood mercury after exposure in low birth weight infants were 7.36 (± 4.99) g/L. Note: One infant was found to have developed a mercury level of 23.6 g/L, thus meeting the CDC criteria as a case of chemical poisoning from mercury defined as a blood level of 10g/L or greater.
MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS AND METABOLISM IN INFANTS RECEIVING VACCINES CONTAINING THIMEROSAL: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
Pichichero ME, Cernichiari E, Lopreiato J and Treanor J. Lancet. 2002; 360:1737-41.
Pichichero reported a mercury blood level in a 2-month-old infant of 20.55 nmol/L five days after the infant received a 37.5 g dose of ethylmercury (the amount contained in one DTaP and one Hepatitis B vaccine). Many infants, however, beginning in the early 1990’s and for the next decade, received a 62.5 g dose of ethylmercury (adding in the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine) at the 2-month well baby visit. A vaccine expert from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Vaccine Safety estimated that these infants may have experienced peak blood mercury levels of 48.3 nmol/L; well above the presumed EPA safety threshold of 29.0 nmol/L. As a reference point, the CDC recently defined a toxic exposure to mercury in an adult as a blood mercury level of >10g /L (50 nmol/L) -- approximately the same blood level that some infants experienced at two months of age.
HAIR MERCURY IN BREAST-FED INFANTS EXPOSED TO THIMEROSAL-PRESERVED VACCINES
Marques RC, Dorea JG, Fonseca MF, Bastos WR, Malm O. Eur J Pediatr. 2007 Jan 20;
Marques investigated the impact of thimerosal on the total mercury content of hair in breast fed infants receiving thimerosal containing vaccines and found exposure to vaccine-EtHg represents 80% of that expected from total breast milk-Hg in the first month but only 40% of the expected exposure integrated in the 6 months of breastfeeding. However, the Hg exposure corrected for body weight at the day of immunization was much higher from thimerosal- EtHg (5.7 to 11.3 mugHg/kg b.w.) than from breastfeeding (0.266 mugHg/kg b.w.). While mothers showed a relative decrease (-57%) in total hair-mercury during the 6 months lactation there was substantial increase in the infant's hair-mercury (446%).
MERCURY LEVELS IN NEWBORNS AND INFANTS AFTER RECEIPT OF THIMEROSAL-CONTAINING VACCINES
Pediatrics. 2008 Feb;121(2):e208-14
Pichichero ME, Gentile A, Giglio N, Umido V, Clarkson T, Cernichiari E, Zareba G, Gotelli C, Gotelli M, Yan L, Treanor J Dept of Microbiology/Immunology, Pediatrics, & Medicine, University of Rochester
CONCLUSIONS: The blood half-life of intramuscular ethyl mercury from thimerosal in vaccines in infants is substantially shorter than that of oral methyl mercury in adults. Increased mercury levels were detected in stools after vaccination, suggesting that the gastrointestinal tract is involved in ethyl mercury elimination. Because of the differing pharmacokinetics of ethyl and methyl mercury, exposure guidelines based on oral methyl mercury in adults may not be accurate for risk assessments in children who receive thimerosal-containing vaccines.
CAN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM RECOVER? IF SO, HOW?
Helt M, Kelley E, Kinsbourne M, Pandey J, Boorstein H, Herbert M, Fein D.
Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA.
Neuropsychol Rev. 2008 Dec;18(4):339-66. Epub 2008 Nov 14.
Although Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are generally assumed to be lifelong, we review evidence that between 3% and 25% of children reportedly lose their ASD diagnosis and enter the normal range of cognitive, adaptive and social skills. Predictors of recovery include relatively high intelligence, receptive language, verbal and motor imitation, and motor development, but not overall symptom severity. Earlier age of diagnosis and treatment, and a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified are also favorable signs. The presence of seizures, mental retardation and genetic syndromes are unfavorable signs, whereas head growth does not predict outcome. Controlled studies that report the most recovery came about after the use of behavioral techniques. Residual vulnerabilities affect higher-order communication and attention. Tics, depression and phobias are frequent residual co-morbidities after recovery. Possible mechanisms of recovery include: normalizing input by forcing attention outward or enriching the environment; promoting the reinforcement value of social stimuli; preventing interfering behaviors; mass practice of weak skills; reducing stress and stabilizing arousal. Improving nutrition and sleep quality is non-specifically beneficial.
HEPATITIS B TRIPLE SERIES VACCINE AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY IN US CHILDREN AGED 1–9 YEARS
Carolyn Gallagher* and Melody Goodman
Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry
Vol. 90, No. 5, September–October 2008, 997–1008
This study investigated the association between vaccination with the Hepatitis B triple series vaccine prior to 2000 and developmental disability in children aged 1–9 years (n¼1824), proxied by parental report that their child receives early intervention or special education services (EIS). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000 data were analyzed and adjusted for survey design by Taylor Linearization using SAS version 9.1 software, with SAS callable SUDAAN version 9.0.1. The odds of receiving EIS were approximately nine times as great for vaccinated boys (n¼46) as for unvaccinated boys (n¼7), after adjustment for confounders. This study found statistically significant evidence to suggest that boys in United States who were vaccinated with the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine, during the time period in which vaccines were manufactured with thimerosal, were more susceptible to developmental disability than were unvaccinated boys.
MERCURY AND HUMAN GENOTOXICITY: CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND POSSIBLE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS.
Crespo-López ME, Macêdo GL, Pereira SI, Arrifano GP, Picanço-Diniz DL, Nascimento JL, Herculano AM.
Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Brazil.
Pharmacol Res. 2009 Mar 9. [Epub ahead of print]
Mercury compounds versatility explains their numerous applications in diverse areas of industry. The growing use of this metal has resulted in a significant increase of environment contamination and episodes of human intoxication, arousing the concern of international organisms. Meanwhile, consequences of these intoxication outbreaks are still not fully understood, especially if we consider long-term effects of chronic exposure to relatively low levels of mercury compounds. In the present manuscript, studies about the genotoxicity of mercury compounds, performed in vitro, in vivo, and/or including epidemiologic studies of human populations were reviewed. Some mercury compounds are known as teratogenic agents, especially affecting the normal development of the central nervous system; however, the connection between mercury exposure and carcinogenesis remains controversial. Since 1990s, epidemiological studies have begun to include an increasing number of human subjects, making the results more reliable: thus, increased genotoxicity was demonstrated in human populations exposed to mercury through diet, occupation or by carrying dental fillings. In fact, concentrations of methylmercury causing significant genotoxic alterations in vitro below both safety limit and concentration were associated with delayed psychomotor development with minimal signs of methylmercury poisoning. Based on mercury's known ability to bind sulfhydryl groups, several hypotheses were raised about potential molecular mechanisms for the metal genotoxicity. Mercury may be involved in four main processes that lead to genotoxicity: generation of free radicals and oxidative stress, action on microtubules, influence on DNA repair mechanisms and direct interaction with DNA molecules. All data reviewed here contributed to a better knowledge of the widespread concern about the safety limits of mercury exposure.
NEONATE EXPOSURE TO THIMEROSAL MERCURY FROM HEPATITIS B VACCINES.
Dórea JG, Marques RC, Brandão KG.
Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Am J Perinatol. 2009 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print]
Infant exposure to ethylmercury (EtHg) has not only increased but is starting earlier as a result of the current immunization schedule that uses thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs). Although vaccination schedule varies considerably between countries, infants in less-developed countries continue to be exposed to EtHg derived from more affordable TCVs. We studied the exposure of newborns to EtHg from hepatitis B vaccines; hospital records (21,685) were summarized for the years 2001 to 2005 regarding date of birth, vaccination date, and birth weight. Most of the vaccinations occurred in the first 24 hours postdelivery; over the 5 years, there was an increase in vaccinations within hours of birth (same day), from 7.4% (2001) to 87.8% (2005). Nearly 94.6% of infants are now being vaccinated within the first 24hours. Range of mercury exposure spread from 4.2 to 21.1 mug mercury/kg body weight for those receiving TCVs with the highest thimerosal concentration; these exposure levels are conservative for 2% of children receiving vaccines within 2 to 3 postnatal days, when they are still going through physiological postnatal weight loss. Because of the particular timing (transitioning from in utero to ex utero metabolism) and specific aspects of exposure (i.e., parenteral mode, bypassing gastroenteric barriers) and dose (related to vaccine manufacturer and with variation in birth weight), this study reveals critical issues that can modulate toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of organomercurials in neonates.