By Nicholas Regush October 4, 2001

The Institute of Medicine released its report on childhood vaccines containing thimerosol.

The message: The mercury-containing preservative should best be avoided.

But there is no hard evidence linking it to autism and other developmental conditions. In other words, we don’t really know for sure because absence of evidence of harm doesn’t necessarily translate into safety.

Unfortunately, Dr. Louis Z. Cooper, President Elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), doesn’t get it. He stated in an AAP press release last week that, "Parents should be reassured about the safety of vaccines."

Well, no, Dr. Cooper, that’s not what the report is all about. Please consult the smarter experts in regulatory affairs (and preferably not at the AAP) and they will inform you that safety must first be proven before reassurance is invoked.

To be fair, the AAP did recommend in July 1999, along with the U.S. Public Health Service, that vaccines with the preservative should be moved off the shelves ASAP.

That’s because it has become increasingly apparent even to the medical profession that high doses of thimerosol can be neurotoxic. And now the institute’s report does raise the possibility that vaccines containing thimerosol could lead to brain damage in children.

Thankfully, there has been a transition to vaccines free of thimerosol, including those against hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza, and a vaccine against diptheria, tetanus and pertussis.

But not nearly quick enough.

In fact, Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) yesterday once again requested a recall of all vaccines containing thimerosol. In short, there is still enough stocked on shelves in the health care system for parents to remain concerned. What are the vaccine manufacturers waiting for? They should be the ones cleaning house!

If the AAP is so worried (as it appears) that parents will avoid vaccinating their children because of continuing fears about thimerosol, perhaps this group that represents some 55,000 primary care doctors and specialists "dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults" should bite the bullet and launch a major campaign to get doctors and clinics to rid their shelves of vaccine stock containing thimerosol.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Hard to even imagine that any physician with half a brain would even consider giving a newborn baby a substance that is highly toxic to their central nervous system. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of autistic children and have reached the conclusion that many, but certainly not all, had the root cause of their autism from the hepatitis B vaccine they were given on their first day of breathing air which was loaded with a mercury preservative called thimerosol. The central nervous system of a newborn infant is particularly susceptible to toxic influences. This is one of the reasons why the hepatitis B vaccine is such a problem. If it were given later in life, like many other countries do, it would not be as much of a problem. Thimerosol is still used as a preservative in vaccines. You would think that the companies would wake up and pull it from the vaccines. They have not. If, for whatever reason, you are not yet convinced of the value and safety in avoiding vaccines, you should NOT let your child receive vaccines from the multi dose vials. These vaccines still have the thimerosol in them. Inform the physician or nurse that you want the single dose vaccine container and request that you want to actually witness them removing it from the vial and would like the empty vial to take home with you as proof that they did not receive the mercury contaminated vaccine. This way you will at least avoid one of the problems with the vaccines. Related Articles: Autism 'Linked to Mercury Vaccine' CDC Issues Recommendations On Use Of Thimerosal - Mercury- Free Hepatitis B Vaccine Autism and Mercury Vaccine Fillers and Ingredients