The Age of Autism: Mercury ban opposed

[Guest guest]

The Age of Autism: Mercury ban opposed

By DAN OLMSTED

Representatives of 22 medical organizations have written to all

members of Congress opposing efforts to ban the mercury-based

preservative thimerosal from vaccines.

" Our organizations respectfully wish to state our opposition to all

legislative efforts at the federal and state levels to restrict

access to vaccines containing thimerosal, an ethylmercury-based

preservative, " said the letter dated Monday from " Multiple National

Organizations that Support Safe and Effective Vaccines. "

The groups said that banning the preservative in vaccines for

children and pregnant women -- as several states have done and

legislation in Congress proposes -- would " perpetuate false and

misleading information that vaccines are not safe. Parents may see

the banning of thimerosal as an admission that vaccine safety

oversight is inadequate. "

In fact, the letter said, " There has been considerable research on

this issue since the 1999 precautionary statement of the U.S. Public

Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics and there is no

documented scientific evidence that ethylmercury in the form of

thimerosal in the doses administered in vaccines causes any risk to

health. "

The letter also cited concerns that bans could trigger " ongoing

vaccine shortages or inability to deliver care. ... Limit the

nation's inability to quickly administer influenza vaccine in the

U.S. when a pandemic strikes. ... Lead to increased costs for

vaccines. ... Add more complexity to our present vaccine delivery

system. ... Profoundly affect global immunization programs, as do

many U.S. vaccine policy decision. "

Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., sponsor of a House bill to ban thimerosal

from vaccines, said the letter would not deter his efforts.

" It is warped logic to suggest that somehow public confidence is

reassured

by keeping mercury in vaccines, " Weldon told United Press

International on Tuesday. " Buying into this logic will only further

erode public confidence in vaccines. It's time to kick the mercury

habit. "

Also Tuesday, proponents of banning thimerosal fired back in their

own letter to Congress, noting that they plan to be in Washington

Thursday for an anti-mercury march and lobbying on Capitol Hill. They

believe the medical groups' statement is intended to pre-empt that

effort.

According to a statement from the National Autism Association:

" We feel legislation specifically delineating the removal of

thimerosal (ethyl mercury) from vaccines is necessary in an effort to

restore public confidence in vaccines and to prevent the potential

for injury in our most vulnerable citizens; the fetus, infants and

children. We base our concerns with the policy of exposing pregnant

women and children to ethyl mercury on scientific facts and current

policy. "

At issue are concerns raised by parents and some scientists that

increasing exposure to thimerosal in childhood vaccines during the

1990s may have triggered a huge rise in autism diagnoses. In 1999 the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others recommended

manufacturers phase out thimerosal as soon as possible to limit

exposure.

In 2004 the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies said it

found no connection and that future research should go to " more

promising " areas.

Yet concerns have persisted, in part because some flu vaccines still

contain thimerosal, and the CDC has recommended the vaccines for all

pregnant women and for children ages 6 months to 5 years.

Those concerns have prompted several states -- including New York,

Illinois, California, Iowa, Delaware and most recently Washington

state -- to enact bans over the opposition of the CDC and state

medical associations.

At the same time, pressure has mounted for more studies of potential

health problems of thimerosal and vaccines in general. Last week U.S.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said she will introduce a bill this

month to force the federal government to study the autism rate in

never-vaccinated American children.

In a letter to Congressional health policy staff that accompanied the

groups' statement opposing a thimerosal ban, Diane C. of the

Immunization Action Coalition said: " As you may be aware, recent

media attention has been given to the role of thimerosal in vaccines

and the development of autism. The 22 national organizations that

have signed this letter, as well as many others, stand behind the

enormous amount of scientific evidence that shows no link exists

between thimerosal in vaccines and the development of autism.

" Please oppose all anti-thimerosal legislative proposals and help

further (the) nation's work in protecting children and adults against

vaccine-preventable diseases. "

The signers include representatives of the following groups:

Ambulatory Pediatric Association; American Academy of Family

Physicians; American Academy of Physician Assistants; American

College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; American College of

Preventive Medicine; American Liver Foundation; American Medical

Directors Association; American Pharmacists Association; Association

of Immunization Program Managers; Council of State and Territorial

Epidemiologists; Every Child by Two; Hepatitis B Foundation;

Hepatitis Foundation International; Immunization Action Coalition;

Infectious Diseases Society of America; National Coalition on Adult

Immunization; National Foundation for Infectious Diseases; Parents of

Kids with Infectious Diseases; Pediatric Infectious Disease Society;

Society for Adolescent Medicine; Society of Teachers of Family

Medicine; Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of

Philadelphia.

E-mail: dolmsted@...

Copyright 2006 by United Press International. .