Increased Risk of Autism from the Mercury-based Preservativesin many Childhood Vaccines
The REAL mercury malaise
The Injection Insurrection, part 3
As I said in episode 2 of this 3-installment series, a lot of educated parents nowadays are having second thoughts about inoculating their children because of concerns about an increased risk of autism from the Mercury-based preservatives in many childhood vaccines. And although I have my doubts about the validity of any such claims (the evidence I’ve seen just doesn’t show a correlation), the prevailing feeling in the mainstream medical media is that such a correlation exists
And therein lies the silver lining: If this perception – right or wrong – prevents some parents from having their children needlessly jabbed with needles and injected with variations of a dozen or more deadly diseases, then I say: BRAVO! At least this once, the media’s wrong-headed misinformation is doing some good.
However, that having been said, let me be clear on this point:
Just because I’m skeptical of a causal link between a one-time injection of a certain mercury-based preservative and the development of autism, that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the proven connection between mercury and autism. Quite the contrary. I’ve been writing about quicksilver’s hazardousness for years – just not with regard to vaccine preservatives. No, I’ve been sounding the alarm about the deadly mercury we’re surrounded with every day, and even INGESTING. It all stands repeating now.
Here’s a “for instance:” A recent Reuters online article cited a University of Texas study of coal-fired power plant emissions in the region which uncovered once and for all a link between environmentally-absorbed mercury and autism. Specifically, the study pinpointed a 17% increase in the impairment per thousand pounds of atmospheric mercury released into Texas counties in close proximity to coal-burning plants
How many pounds of mercury are belched into the air we breathe every year by the hundreds of coal-burning plants in the nation? About 96,000. This may go a long way toward explaining why most experts say that rates of autism in the U.S. – especially among children – have increased dramatically in recent years. Right now, this increase is being blamed on vaccines (which most kids shouldn’t get anyway, for other reasons).
This is the first time I’ve really heard atmospheric mercury pollution put into numbers, and it’s pretty scary. But what’s just as scary is the mercury we may be putting into our own mouths. Keep reading
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Distressing matters fishy and Finny,
As you know, I’ve been a huge fan in the past of fish in the diet – for years, I’ve cited the relative health of those from fish-eating cultures (like the Finns and the Japanese). For heart-vital Omega-3s, there’s simply no better source than cold-water fishes like trout, salmon, cod, halibut, and tuna
In the last few years, however, I’ve become increasingly concerned about levels of mercury in fish. Lots of things I’ve read in credible sources lead me to believe the mercury in our environment is finding its way more and more into fish-flesh. That’s why I’ve cautioned you in the past about how farm-reared trout and salmon have been shown to contain unsafe levels of mercury.
But now, I fear, there may be some degree of risk in ALL fish caught anywhere, if the trend in recent reporting is anywhere near accurate. EPA mercury advisories have more than doubled just since the mid-90s – and as of 2002, 43 states had mercury advisories of one type or another pertaining to their lakes rivers, streams, or coastal waters. Another EPA factoid states that because long-lived fish at the top of the food chain (swordfish, pike, etc.) subsist entirely on a diet of other fish, through “bio-magnification” they can accumulate as much as 10 million times the mercury concentration as the water they swim in! That can’t be safe to eat
I also read about a recent Finnish study in the American Heart Association’s journal that directly correlates a high-fish diet – more specifically, the high levels of mercury in the body (measured by hair analysis) associated with a high-fish diet – to a 60-70% increase in the risk of coronary events. This is terrible news: It means that we’re beginning to transform, via mercury pollution, the very source of nutrition that’s best for our hearts into a potential risk factor for heart disease!
For fish-lovers, I’m not sure what to tell you. I haven’t yet tracked down any sources that can provide mercury-free fish (believe me, I’m looking). Of course, you can still get all the Omega-3s you need from other dietary sources like nuts and grass-fed beef, or through supplementation (if fish-oil based, make sure your supplements are pre-treated for mercury contamination). Also, if you’re worried about mercury in your body, I read in the latest issue of NeuroToxicology recently that daily supplementation with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) can help protect your body against further mercury damage. It can’t undo cellular damage from mercury already in your body (nothing can do that), but apparently, it can reduce further damage by more than 83%.
I’ll keep you posted as I learn more about the mercury thing. I am not convinced that it is true, especially if the environmentalists have had a part in it. Their false propaganda on many issues has caused more damage than mercury. And you might want to do a little fishing in your dentist’s office – is he still putting mercury in your teeth?
Always fishing for the truth,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
