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Oct 25, 2001

About the dangers of a little mercury...

In a press-release from PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education), dated October 17, 2001, it's revealed that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in the evaluation process of potential links between Thimerosal in vaccines and autism was not as open as it ought to be. According to the press release, the first evaluation of data showed a significantly increased risk, but this evaluation was kept confidential. When data were presented the original data were complemented, and this procedure of complementation rendered the risk assessment inconclusive.

A number of lawsuits are going on, where it's claimed that thimerosal in vaccines caused neurological damage to infants, leading to the development of autism. The original data showed an increased risk of a magnitude, that previously has been taken as proof of exposures causing disease, according to the lead attorney in the filed cases, by courts of law in the United States. Conclusive or not-conclusive makes a big difference when stakes are high. Thousands of families, the attorney says, so stakes are high. So far the press release.

Thimerosal is a preservative for vaccines and other drugs, such as nasal drops, ointments and drips for ophthalmic use. What makes Thimerosal controversial is its contents of mercury, and the potential neurotoxic effect from this heavy metal. There are other mercury containing preservatives used in drugs, but in vaccines Thimerosal is the substance of choice. The filed lawsuits claim that children with autism, who have participated in the vaccination programs are victims of mercuric neurotoxic effects from Thimerosal in the vaccines. The possible link between Thimerosal and autism is the subject for investigation by the CDC. The outcome of this process will of course be of great importance for what happens in the courts.

The CDC confidential activities mentioned in the press release are presented on this page. From there you can get to a link promising "Materials reviewed by the committee for the January 11th meeting", which according to the revealed url should be a pdf-document. However this link is broken, so the material is not available for review. I don't know if the document has been available earlier or not. There was also a meeting in April, and the link to the documentation from this meeting is also broken. Documentation from the most recent meeting in July is available. The starting page for access is titled "Thimerosal-containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes". Both transcripts and slides from the presentations are available from that page.

There are similarities between the issues concerning dental amalgam ("silver") fillings in the teeth, and the one concerning Thimerosal in vaccines. About 30 years ago the use of amalgams became controversial (for the third time since the original introduction in the 1830's). Patients and a few researchers questioned the safety with reference to the fact, that about half of the filling material is mercury. The first response was: "Amalgam is stable, no mercury leaks from the fillings." In the middle of the 70's it became evident that whatever amalgam was, it was not stable. Amalgam fillings do leak mercury. (1) The position then shifted to: "It's so little, it does no harm". The similarities between amalgam fillings and Thimerosal in vaccines is firstly the contents of mercury, secondly the position of authorities, producers, and large parts of the medical community, that "it's so little, it does no harm". This position has been continuously eroded for more than twenty years. Unprejudiced science tell another story than prejudiced (those knowing that there is nothing to find when setting out to do the research - rarely someone finds anything not looked for).

Memory is short. There was a time before the 60's when small children occasionally were found to have a disease called Pink disease, or Acrodynia. Eventually this condition was linked to the use of Calumel, a mercury containing powder used among other things in the mouth of small children having their first teeth. Calumel was withdrawn, and Pink disease disappeared - almost. Metallic mercury is often said to be non-toxic, especially in the education of dentists. The now more rare instances of Acrodynia are always linked to mercury exposure, just a little of course, like metallic mercury from broken thermometers. Dentists have for generations in many places been educated according to the Ivan Illich scheme of the deschooling of society. They (the dentists) were taught wrong, so they do wrong, but in the belief they do what they should do according to "science". That a little mercury can do harm is no news, that is if memory is not lost. The story about Pink disease, or Acrodynia, is relevant for the evaluation of amalgam, and for Thimerosal.

How problematic the standpoint of "the safe use of amalgam" really is, was demonstrated a couple of years ago when the manufacturer, Dentsply, of one of the most widespread amalgams, Dispersalloy, in their Material Safety Data Sheet stated a number of contraindications and warnings about adverse side effects. This data sheet was on the web, but it disappeared within a couple of weeks after some questions were sent to the American Dental Association, ADA, and the International Association for Dental Research, IADR. The contraindications were as follows:

• In proximal or occlusal contact to dissimilar metal restorations.
• In patients with severe renal deficiency.
• In patients with known allergies to amalgam.
• For retrograde or endodontic filling.
• As a filling material for cast crown.
• In children 6 and under.
• In expectant mothers.

Warnings were issued as follows:

• Prior to use, read the MSDS information and product instructions for this item.
• Exposure to mercury may cause irritation to skin, eyes, respiratory tract and mucous membrane. In individual cases, hypersensitivity reactions, allergies, or electrochemically caused local reactions have been observed. Due to electrochemical processes, the lichen planus of the mucosa may develop.
• Mercury may also be a skin sensitizer, pulmonary sensitizer, nephrotoxin and neurotoxin.
• After placement or removal of amalgam restorations, there is a temporary increase of the mercury concentration in the blood and urine.
• Mercury expressed during condensation and unset amalgam may cause amalgamation or galvanic effect if in contact with other metal restorations. If symptoms persist, the amalgam should be replaced by a different material.
• Removal of clinically acceptable amalgam restorations should be avoided to minimize mercury exposure, especially in expectant mothers.

Upon this the following precautions were issued:

• The number of amalgam restorations for one patient should be kept to a minimum.
• Inhalation of mercury vapor by dental staff may be avoided by proper handling of the amalgam, the use of masks, along with adequate ventilation.
• Avoid contact with skin and wear safety glasses and gloves.

Since this temporary corporate view possibly has changed back to "industrial standard", one can only speculate on the reasons for expressing it, and the relevance of its removal. If Dentsply calculated with the risk of legal court actions against amalgam, and did so in view of the eroded standpoint of "amalgam safety", then the step to state contraindications, issue warnings and precautions in the use of their amalgam product could be anticipated to save a lot of money. At the time litigations against the tobacco industry were news, and the settlements made were not cheap. Against this background it may have looked as if continuing the use of a product for which evidence of occasional harm since long had accumulated was not a very good idea. Perhaps the industry had the need for a unified front, and was not prepared to accept any deviation within its community. What is certain, is that the Corporate view expressed, is also the view then judged being the best seen to company interests. No word will be given against company interest. Obviously a little mercury can cause convulsions not only in people, but also in corporations and organizations with vested interests.

For Thimerosal in vaccines company views/words on safety can be found in the doctor's Desktop Reference, where guidance for prescription of drugs are given. The Swedish equivalent to the Desktop reference is FASS, issued yearly by the pharmaindustry. Since Thimerosal-free is a good argument for sale, fewer vaccines with thimerosal are left for each year. I have looked into the FASS from 1998. It provides interesting reading.

There are twelve vaccines containing Thimerosal.

• Two are recommended for use on newborns or infants from 6 months of age. About the two vaccines recommended for newborns rare, but severe, neurological side effects occur. For the third no such side effects are said to be reported. For the fourth neurological side effects are said to occur rarely, but causal relationship is not established.
• Two vaccines are recommended for use from 1 year of age. For one unspecified severe side effects are said to be extremely rare. For the other is said that neurological side effects are known to have happened in a time relationship, but causal connection is not certain.
• Three vaccines are recommended from two years of age. For one no neurological side effects are said to be known. For the other two such effects are known, but causal connection is not established.
• Three vaccines are against influenza. Recommendations follows seasonal recommendations issued by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. For two neurological side effects are said to occur rarely, but that the causal connection is not established. For the last one is stated that serious unspecified side effects occur, but are extremely rare.

Examples of neurological side effects mentioned are neuropathy, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Multiple sclerosis, encephalopathy, and meningitis. Only for two vaccines containing Thimerosal no serious side effects are said to occur. Minor neurological problems of short duration are more or less common with almost all of these vaccines. It's like the flu, many get ill, and some get severely ill. An important observation from the list is, that the two vaccines reporting severe, though rare, neurological side effects are used on newborns. Both are for Hepatitis B. For ten vaccines out of twelve severe neurological side effects are known to exist, though some say that causal effect is not established.

There is more of interest to find. The Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a specific condition, and we can ask what kind of drugs will include this risk when used? In FASS I find 16 different drugs recording Guillain-Barré as a possible side effect. Of these two are chelators (Penicillamine). The rest are vaccines. Six of the vaccines are containing Thimerosal. One vaccine contains another mercury compound as preservative, so seven contain mercury. But this is not all. Records of side effects go a long time back, and compositions may have changed during this time. I have only checked for 1998. Some of the vaccines may have contained Thimerosal earlier, so among the eight vaccines not containing Thimerosal some may have had it as a component earlier. We find here a neurologic side effect which almost exclusively occurs from the use of vaccines, but no other drugs with the exception of Penicillamine.

A search for drugs with neuropathy as a possible side effect is also of interest. 24 drugs are found (less than 4% of all registered drugs). Two of these are the Hepatitis B vaccines from above. Three are ophthalmic drugs, one containing Thimerosal, one another mercury compound, and one is free from mercury. This is interesting because exposure from these drugs will probably be a lot less than from vaccines. Two of the ophthalmic drugs are antibiotics, one containing Thimerosal. The third ophthalmic drug is not an antibiotic, but has a mercury compound as preservative. The search for neuropathy as a side effect was made in order to get a picture of the number and kinds of other drugs giving similar effects. Five of the other drugs are cytostatic drugs used in cancer treatments or for "killing" the immune system when transplants are made. Three drugs are antifungal. Two are ACE-inhibitors, and two have sulfonamide components. One should not forget that "neuropathy" was used as an example of brain affection, and side effects are often exemplified differently.

An alternative search for drugs with the possible side effect of encephalitis gives little new, but one drug for intravenous use and with a mercury containing preservative is added to to that, which is mentioned above. Taken together it seems as Thimerosal, or other mercury containing preservatives, are used with a known risk for severe neurological side effects. Interestingly the few other drugs besides the vaccines which contain such preservatives give similar kinds of side effects. The most important thing to pay attention to when reading this, is that it is what the companies say about their products. It's a minimum of what can be said. Even if serious neurological side effects from vaccines are rare, the wide use will lead to a non-negligible number of cases. The number of children with mild neurologic signs after vaccinations is hardly a small number. I have not found any studies on what happens to infants with such side effects later in life, neither major nor minor side effects. However, the only child I know about, who in infancy after vaccination experienced an encephalopathic episode, when reaching school age had an attention deficit disorder. The fact that there is a group of children who share this experience of side effects makes it a most interesting group to evaluate with regard to late effects. This has never been done. I hope I'm wrong, and would be happy to learn I am, because, if I'm right, this is a neglect from the scientific and health communities of paramount arrogance.

When doctors and psychologists find neurobehavioral signs in children, they are always interested in what happened earlier in life. Could there have been an anoxic episode during delivery? Was there any head injury during infancy, even a little one? Was there anything else which could have affected the brain? These are legitimate questions, because developing brains are sensitive to disturbances, and effects may show up a long time afterwards, and impaired nervous systems may have profound consequences for the rest of the life. How can the professionals asking these questions know, that anything except vaccines and mercury exposure can affect the brain? A cause for this exclusion of the most common risk factors of little children's brains, I think, may once again be the deschooling character of education providing prejudice as a substitute for knowledge.

Let's turn back to the press release, where it also was told about a possible case of conflict of interest in connection to the study which changed faces from being conclusive to ultimately become inconclusive. The lead author of this study opened his presentation with telling that he since a couple of hours was an employee of GlaxoSmithKline, a manufacturer of thimerosal-containing vaccines for many years that is a defendant in numerous lawsuits pending nationwide in the U.S. (2) He stated this to make it certain that none of the work had been carried out, including the preparation of his presentation, while he was an employee of GlaxoSmithKline, and so there was never a conflict of interest. The conclusive study was presented in January, one of the broken links on the web. Obviously he was in office at the new work place when giving the presentation on July 1st. Talks about position and decision on moving must have taken place, and taken some time, between January and July. The step taken from being a supposedly independent researcher into the camp of one of the stakeholders, is a common move, as is the recruitment of high public officials from the industry. It's an example of industry driven infiltration into the sphere of public interest. It's an important strategy because it works through personal relations and ties of friendship in networks that are not public. You don't stop being friends because you move to another workplace. Personal networks in this sense is a major asset when corporations hire personnel, often more important than formal merits. Another name for this personal asset (the personal network) brought into the corporate or organizational realm is "social competence". Social bonds work free from protocols and regulations. This kind of networking is a necessary tool in order to control what happens from behind the curtains.

The dental world is a wonder of nested vested interests. (3) It's been called the "spaghetti philosophy". How this works with pesticides has also been investigated. (4) A good guess is that the same will be found if the vaccine related nesting of interests is investigated.

In the Transcript of presentations made to the CDC in July there are a few remarks on the importance of looking to total mercury exposure. Dr. Al-Dahr says "For the fetus or infant, the main sources of exposure to mercury would be maternal amalgams, which of course is controversial, maternal fish consumption, infant nasal drops and over the counter products such as the nasal drops that we advise parents to use with a bulb syringe in the first six months of life, because antihistamine decongestants are not safe for infants. Sitting on the shelf in CBS in Harvard Square right now are nasal saline sprays and drops containing Thimerosal, with an expiration date of 2005."(p 33)

Dr. Bradstreet says in his presentation "For the record, all of the children in the study were excluded if they had dental amalgams, so none of these children have dental amalgams. The vast majority of our children consume no fish. Other sources of mercury are yet to be determined beyond the Thimerosal-containing vaccines, but it is in the environment."(p 58) Since children following the full vaccination program according to U.S. praxis are exposed to more mercury than recommended one wonders why those who are even more exposed are excluded. Because dental amalgams are "controversial"? The number of children excluded for this reason is not given, neither is anything said about their status. They ought to make up for a very interesting group to study!

Dr. Boyd Haley answered a question saying "I would say the major concern, and something I see that is dramatically missing, and that is our unwillingness to look at the donation of amalgam fillings, because it has been shown, it is the major source of mercury. You add ethyl mercury on top of mercury, you've got another system, and you've got another problem. Add lead to that and other confounders, you've got a major problem."(p 161)

Unwillingness to see what should be seen is the major problem!

Bo Walhjalt

 

Notes:

1. For an interesting reading on the interest from the "expertise" in leaking amalgam fillings, on an experiment demonstrating how they leak through drip formation, and also to watch the animated film showing how it happens, see: On the instability of amalgams.

2. In the Transcript (pdf-file, c 420 Kb) this presentation starts on page 80.

3. See Ulf Bengtsson: The symbiosis between the dental and industrial communities and their scientific journals

4. Dan Fagin and Marianne Lavelle: Toxic Deception. How the Chemical Industry Manipulates Science, Bends the Law and Endangers Your Health.

 

Of related interest:

Both Thimerosal and amalgam are issues of low dose exposures. There are other examples, and you will find a lot of interesting information on low dose exposures concerning endocrine disruption on the webplace for Our Stolen Future.

From an environmental viewpoint where the total amount of mercury, its distribution and movements in air, soil, water and biomasses, dental amalgams form a significant part, a part totally neglected in the calculations for the Mercury Study Report to Congress a couple of years ago. In an overview is said "The best point estimate of annual anthropogenic U.S. emissions of mercury in 1994-1995 is 158 tons". "Emissions" placed in the mouths of people are neither calculated nor included. How much mercury you can find in a population can be seen in tables of the Swedish mercury flow. The Swedish population is about 9 millions. How much mercury is added to the population load from vaccines?