National Vaccine Information Center - Mercury Calculator
http://www.nvic.org/Issues/HgCalculator.htm
The Mercury Calculator
Go Directly to The Calculator
Background
Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative has been used in vaccines since
the
1930's. In 1982, the FDA reviewed Thimerosal and called for its removal in
over the counter products due to its' toxicity.
In a review of mercury containing products in 1999, the FDA recognized
that
mercury exposure from vaccines exceeded federal safety guidelines set by
the
Environmental Protection Agency. While licensing new vaccines and adding
them to the mandatory childhood schedule, the government failed to add up
the amount of mercury that a child could receive in one visit and
***ulatively over the course of the full vaccination regimen.
In 1999, many companies started removing Thimerosal from their products.
However, some products that say they are Thimerosal free actually still
contain trace amounts. Thimerosal continues to be used in some vaccines.
Many of the vaccines listed in the calculator are no longer in production
but are included here so you can check previous exposures.
Some neuro-developmental disorders such as autism have similar symptoms to
mercury poisoning. It is well established that mercury is a neuro-toxin
and
is harmful to babies in utero and to the developing brains of children.
There is a public health advisory from the government about the risks of
eating mercury-containing seafood, but there is no public health advisory
about the risks of exposure to mercury in vaccines. It is up to the
individual parent to make the right vaccine choices for their children.
Using the Calculator
This mercury calculator will help you determine how much mercury a child
received at previous vaccination visits or could receive in an upcoming
visit. The products are listed by brand name and manufacturer. Some
vaccines
have two company names because over the past several decades there have
been
many company mergers.
Just enter the weight of the child and click on the brand name
/manufacturer
of the vaccine. A number will show at the top and tell you if it is over
the
EPA standard of 0.1 mcg per kilogram of bodyweight.
If you want to calculate your child's overall exposure to mercury
containing
vaccines on multiple visits, you will have to enter each visit
individually,
using the weight of your child at the time of the visit and then add them
all together.
Many companies have merged and changed names. This is why you will see
some
vaccines with multiple company names. In many cases the brand name was
changed when the company name changed but in some cases the brand name and
company name remained the same. For example in 1999 Merck announced that
their pediatric vaccine line was mercury free. Even though the
mercury-free
version of hepatitis B vaccine was released, the mercury-containing
version
remained on the market until 2002 and was never removed. We do not have
the
specific dates for when these changes occurred for each vaccine.
If you feel that your child is suffering the effects of mercury poisoning,
please let us know by clicking here and describing the symptoms.
If you need help with identification and therapies, we suggest you contact
the following organizations. Autism Research Institute and Defeat Autism
Now, Developmental Delay Resources, Unlocking Autism, SafeMinds.
If you believe the information on this website has helped you learn more
about the possible causes of your child's health problems or has benefited
you in other ways, please consider becoming a member of NVIC. We depend
upon
individual donations from concerned citizens to provide this and other
information about diseases and vaccines to the public.
Read more information about Thimerosal and vaccines on the NVIC website.
A Mother's Story
My name is Lyn Redwood. I reside in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband Tommy
and three children, Hanna, Drew and Will. My husband and I are both health
care professionals. My husband is a Physician and I'm a Nurse
Practitioner.
I also hold a Masters Degree in Community Health Nursing and I'm a member
of
our County's Board of Health and local Planning Commission.
My son, Will, weighed in at close to 9 lbs at birth. He was a happy baby
who
ate and slept well, smiled, cooed, walked and talked, all by one year.
Shortly after his first birthday he experienced multiple infections, lost
speech, eye contact, developed a very limited diet and suffered
intermittent
bouts of diarrhea. He underwent multiple evaluations and was initially
diagnosed with a global receptive and expressive speech delay and later
with
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a form of autism.
I would have never made a correlation between my son's disability and
vaccines until July 1999 when I read that a preservative, thimerosal,
utilized in some infant vaccines, actually contained 49.6% mercury. The
re****t went on to say that the FDA had determined that "infants who
received
thimerosal-containing vaccines at several visits may be exposed to more
mercury than recommended by Federal Guidelines for total mercury
exposure."
As health care providers my husband and I constantly receive notices that
adverse events have been re****ted with a drug or a product safety sheet
has
been revised. Why were no such notices sent out informing us that
thimerosal
preserved vaccines were exceeding federal guidelines for mercury exposure
in
infants?
It was in light of this information that I reviewed my son's vaccine
record
and my worse fears were confirmed. All of his early vaccines had contained
thimerosal. From my research on mercury I have found it to be a potent
human
toxicant which is especially damaging to the rapidly developing fetal and
infant brain. While acceptable levels for exposure are published by
Federal
Agencies, mercury is a poison at any level.
The dose thought to be safely allowed on a daily basis by EPA is 0.1mcg
per
kilogram of body weight per day. At 2 months of age my son had received
62.5
mcg of mercury from 3 infant vaccines. According to EPA criteria, his
allowable dose was only 0.5mcg based on his weight. He had received 125
times his allowable exposure on that one day. These large injected bolus
exposures continued at 4, 6, 12 and 18 months to a total mercury exposure
of
237.5 mcg. I also discovered that the injections that I received during
the
first and third trimesters of my pregnancy and hours after the delivery of
my son to prevent RH blood incompatibility also contained mercury.
Excerpted with permission from testimony
Government Reform Committee, July 18, 2000
Mercury in Medicine. Are We Taking Unnecessary Risks
[surprise, surprise NOT the link is not found]
Lyn Redwood is the Co-founder and President of SafeMinds
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