The Only Thimerosal Free Vaccination Schedule
Managing Editor's Note: There's an update to this post at the end. The CDC had incorrect info available to the public.
By Julie Obradovic
Question:
If I used to smoke 25 cigarettes a day and now I only smoke 3, am I “smoke-free”?
I think most people would agree the answer is “no”. Sure, I may be taking a step in the right direction. And sure, I’m being exposed to substantially less toxicity than previously.
But “smoke-free”? Not a chance.
So how is it that the CDC can consider a thimerosal containing vaccine with 3 micrograms of thimerosal or less “thimerosal-free”? This is their definition, and they even site studies to support it (JAMA 1999; 282(18) and JAMA 2000; 283(16)). According to them, 3 micrograms of thimerosal has “no biological effect” and is therefore the same as not having been exposed to it at all.
Call me skeptical, but I find that very hard to believe. I’ve seen the video from the University of Calgary (HERE) showing what happens to a neuron when exposed low levels of mercury.
Furthermore, isolating only 1 incidence of exposure via 1 vaccine is manipulative. Assuming they’re right and 3 micrograms of thimerosal won’t do anything “biological” in and of itself, what happens if a baby is given 2 “thimerosal-free” vaccines (like the Hep B and the DTaP) at 6 micrograms of exposure? Is that still considered “thimerosal-free”?
And what about if that baby just got those 2 shots and a flu shot with 25 more micrograms? Now what? Was the baby not just exposed to 31 micrograms of thimerosal instead of 25? Any “biological effect” yet?
It’s like the tobacco industry advertising a carton of cigarettes on the premise that smoking 3 or less cigarettes at a time won’t hurt you because they’ve done a study to prove they have no biological effect when smoked in that way, with no regard to how many you smoked prior to or after those 3. Can you imagine?
Anyway, this infuriates me. It’s false advertising. If a parent asks their pediatrician for thimerosal-free vaccines, or if that pediatrician is claiming that they are a thimerosal-free office, are they really getting or giving them? Is it possible a mom requesting thimerosal free vaccines at the 2 month visit actually just injected her child with 6 micrograms via the DTaP and HepB? According to the CDC it is!
So I took the liberty of creating an authentic thimerosal free vaccination schedule for parents who are trying to adhere to one. All vaccines listed are brands that contain no thimerosal and never did. All information may be checked HERE using the CDC’s own data.
Keep in mind, if this schedule is not adhered to, meaning flu shots are administered with full doses of thimerosal and brands of DTaP, Hib, HepB, and HepA with trace amounts are as well, a parent may possibly expose their child to 202 micrograms of thimerosal over the first 6 years of life!
To use the better known comparison, by 6 months of age it is still possible for a baby to receive 71 mcg of thimerosal versus the previous 187.5 mcg! Here’s how it could easily happen:
Prenatal: Flu shot [Fluzone, Flulaval, or Fluvirin (25mcg)]
Birth: HepB [Engergix (3mcg)]
1month: HepB [Energix (3mcg)]
2 months: DTaP [Tripedia (3mcg)] or DTaP/Hib [TriHIBit (3mcg)]
4 months: HepB [Energix (3mcg)] and DTaP [Tripedia (3mcg)] or DTaP/Hib [TriHIBit (3mcg)]
6 months: same as 4 months, plus a flu shot
This clearly falsifies the repeatedly stated mantra that babies are no longer being exposed to thimerosal these days. They most certainly are.
Moms and Dads, if you are planning on following the CDC recommended vaccine schedule, here is the only the possible way to implement a truly thimerosal free one (brand name in parenthesis). Remember, ALL flu shots have thimerosal and therefore, none can be given.
Prenatal: NO FLU SHOT.
Birth: Hep B (Recombivax)
1 month: Hep B (Recombivax)
2 month: DTaP (Daptacel or Infarix)
Hib (any)
IPV (any)
PCV (any)
Rotavirus (any)
4 month: Hep B (Recombivax)
DTaP (Daptacel or Infarix)
DTaP/HepB/IPV (Pedatrix)
Hib (any)
IPV (any)
PCV (any)
Rotavirus (any)
6 month: same as 4 month, but NO FLU SHOT
12 month: Hib (any)
MMR (any)
Varicella (any)
PCV (any)
15 month: DTaP (Daptacel or Infarix)
18 month: Hep A (Havrix or Vaqta)
NO FLU SHOT
30 month: NO FLU SHOT
42 month: NO FLU SHOT
48 month: MMR (any)
DTaP (Daptacel or Infarix)
IPV (any)
54 month: NO FLU SHOT
66 month: NO FLU SHOT
Julie Obradovic is the mother of a recovered child.
Update:
Well, well, well.
Looks like the CDC made an ass out of me…again. As if it’s not bad enough what they did to my child, now they made me look like an idiot. (What’s that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me?)
In this post on a thimerosal free vaccination schedule, I wrote about how upset I was that the CDC defines a trace as less than 3 micrograms. That amount is most definitely not a “trace”, especially in the context of recommended flu shots which possibly contain 25 mcg themselves. I pointed out that at the 6 month visit a child could potentially get 31 mcg of thimerosal as a result.
Now, I didn’t pull that number out of thin air. I spent quite a bit of time studying documents from the CDC’s website, and according to one of those documents called Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary, Part 2 the CDC says this:
*Where “thimerosal” is marked with an asterisk (*) it indicates that the product should be considered equivalent to thimerosal-free products. This vaccine may contain trace amounts (<3 mcg) of mercury left after post-production thimerosal removal, but these amounts have no biological effect. JAMA 1999;282(18) and JAMA 2000;283(16)
(Still, there were some corrections needed to my post, as were pointed out by commenters. For example, I didn’t mention Flu Mist as being a thimerosal free flu vaccine, but that was because I was only listing injected vaccines. And yes, there is one version of the flu shot that in single dose vials is thimerosal free, something I misinterpreted on the CDC document.)
Shortly after my post went up, someone pointed out that I appeared to have made a grave error by mistaking 3 micrograms of thimerosal as a trace amount instead of 0.3 micrograms, a substantial and important difference. I panicked at the thought of having made such a huge mistake and immediately went back and consulted the information I had researched.
But sure enough, according to what I had, I had not made a mistake. Indeed the CDC was claiming a trace amount of thimerosal was 3 micrograms or less, as is stated above. I replied so, to which I was then told that the CDC had obviously made a type-o.
“A type-o?” I questioned.
That seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? I mean, far be it from me to think the CDC free from error, but really…a type-o? On something of this importance? On a document dedicated to the most crucial component of the vaccine controversy (their ingredients)? This is where they mess up defining exactly what kids are being exposed to and how much of it? You’ve got to be kidding me.
So I contacted the CDC for clarification. Perhaps they were defining a trace amount as less than 3 micrograms even though the actual exposure is only less than 0.3 micrograms? Perhaps they were right and the pharmaceutical companies were wrong?
Nope. They were wrong. They messed up. Shocking, I know.
Just this morning I received this email:
Dear Ms. Obradovic,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. In fact, it is a misprint on our website. It should read 0.3 mcg, not 3 mcg. We will correct the error immediately.
Regards,
Skip Wolfe
Immunization Program
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
So, folks, that’s it. In the grand scheme of things, this is good news. I’m relatively relieved kids are not receiving trace amounts higher than 0.3 micrograms, although I believe they shouldn’t be receiving any. And the fact remains that the schedule I proposed is indeed thimerosal free, although the word “only” no longer applies.
Sorry for the mistake.
Daphne Moreno. I know that many people will respond to you. However, anything you need to look for couldn't be easier: just type in the name of what you are interested in, into the 'Search box' on the bottom right hand side of the page (and enter). This will bring you many articles from AoA on the 'Google' page.
Happy reading!
Posted by: susan welch | January 13, 2019 at 03:55 AM
Hi. I loved this. Thanks for this important information. I really need help to find out everything about vaccines. Do you know where can I find truthful information about what else could be danerous? For example aluminium, Fetal DNA and so on?
Thank you so much¡
Posted by: Daphne Moreno | January 12, 2019 at 04:40 PM
https://explorevaccines.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/antibodies-do-not-produce-immunity/
Dr. Rebecca Carly explains: The mechanism by which the immune system is corrupted can best be realized when you understand that the two poles of the immune system (the cellular and humoral mechanisms) have a reciprocal relationship in that when
the activity of one pole is increased, the other must decrease. Thus, when one is stimulated, the other is inhibited. Since vaccines activate the B cells to secrete antibody, the cytotoxic (killer) T cells are subsequently suppressed. (In fact, progressive vaccinia following vaccination with smallpox) occurs in the presence of high titers of circulating antibody to the virus1 combined with suppressed cytotoxic T cells, leading to spreading of lesions all over the body). This suppression of the cell mediated response is thus a key factor in the development of cancer and life threatening infections. In fact, the “prevention” of a disease via vaccination is, in reality, an inability to expel organisms due to the suppression of the cell-mediated response. Thus, rather than preventing disease, the disease is actually prevented from ever being resolved. The organisms continue circulating through the body, adapting to the hostile environment by transforming into other organisms depending on acidity, toxicity and other changes to the internal terrain of the body as demonstrated by the works of Professor Antoine Béchamp.
Roitt, Brostoff, Male, Immunology, Mosby Publ, 1998 London
Cytokines are low-molecular weight proteins that control, coordinate, and regulate various immune or inflammatory responses. The importance of cytokines in the host response to infection cannot be overstated. Full protection against disease requires the involvement of many different systems of the body and it is the cytokines that coordinate them. Vaccines inhibit the normal function of cytokines, and in fact new vaccines specifically target cytokine activity. “Recently, gene therapy and DNA vaccination has been used to produce
memory against a number of cytokines that promote inflammation. Antibodies to the product of each inserted gene were produced. These antibodies were found to prevent the effects of the cytokines.
Posted by: Dianne Jacobs Thompson | December 20, 2018 at 03:21 AM
Hi,
Thanks for this.
Wondering about how it would work with Canada's guidelines. Won't be doing any flu shots.
Also, about Aluminum? Is there any way to reduce risk level exposure that and still achieve the vaccines required?
Thank you everyone. 12 weeks right now.
Posted by: Julie | November 22, 2017 at 02:21 PM
just so everyone knows: 0.3mcg/0.5ml (0.5ml is one dose) of thimersol is still over the safe limit. here is the math:
0.3mcg/0.5ml=3000mcg/5L=600mcg/L. since ppb (parts per billion) is measured by 1mcg/lL=1ppb then the "trace amounts vaccines contain 600ppb of thimerosal still. the safe limit according to the fda for mercury exposure is 2ppb.
Posted by: Nadia Scott | August 26, 2017 at 04:24 PM
I have an 8 week old infant and wondering which immunizations needs to be done and a schedule? Which can also be done in the non combination immunizations are absolutely dire. I myself and breastfeeding and am immune to rubella and hep B per my prenatal blood work. She has her first set of shots scheduled for 2 days from now .
Posted by: Kori Mayeri | March 18, 2017 at 05:33 PM
Commenting on Believe in Science comment "There are no studies showing that altering the CDC's standard vaccine schedule is safe. Do this at your own risk. Don't delay prevention, get your child Vaccinated appropriatly." Evidently your research is limited. I have 5 kids, oldest is 24. We started off with the recommended vaccines per the MD's. Fevers every time for a week. Until one time, he came down with the croup, gasping for air after he had 3 or 4 shots all at once. I started doing some research. This is back in '93 or '94 mind you. I found an article written on how the Japanese had the same issues with side effects and after their research, they postpone any and all vaccines until after age 2. Side effects...dropped by 90%. Then I took control. No more than 1 shot per visit. All of my other kids didn't get shots until after the age of 2. Guess what. we never had another fever that we had to deal with caused by a shot. Granted, I had to fight and argue with nurses and doctors and got dropped from a couple of Dr's as patients with their made-up reasons for doing so. But my kids were better off! That includes the goop in the eyes at the hospital when they're born also. My wife doesn't have gonorrhea, so backoff with the eye goop. ;)
Posted by: james | February 15, 2017 at 05:22 PM
The CDC making a typo......hmmmmm..........if they are careless enough with such a statistic, what else are they careless with
Posted by: The_Truth | October 20, 2015 at 04:26 AM
I want all of you to know that there is 5 mg of Mercury in every CFL bulb.
If you break one youre f....ed
Posted by: michal | September 29, 2015 at 02:51 PM
Who is measuring quality control in real time? I recently posted on NJ Children being given the wrong vaccines. http://mercuryconspiracy.blogspot.com/2015/07/new-jersey-children-given-wrong-vaccines.html
What if there is a big rush to produce vaccines. Are we assured that the maker of a vaccine will toss their products if they don't get the percentages right?
What if they have mold? http://vactruth.com/2013/11/13/dangerous-vaccine-contamination/
What if the steroid injection company isn't licensed and spreads fungal meningitis? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Compounding_Center_meningitis_outbreak
Posted by: Albert | August 13, 2015 at 10:05 AM
Hi Lisa,
Formalehyde (chemical formula CH2O) is not the same as thimerosal (C9H9HgNaO2S) and does not contain mercury (Hg), which is not to say that it is not toxic.
Posted by: For Lisa | July 09, 2014 at 01:18 PM
The infarix vaccine has formaldahyte in it which is another word for thimerisol. Read the package inserts very carefully and you'll see it. It's the only way to know for sure what's in them. Also you say for hib and polio vaccine to do any and Thats not true either.polio has to be single vile not a multi dose. I found that there is only one brand of polio that is single vile and thimerisol free and right now u can't get a hold of it, same with the hib vaccine. Itd be appreciated that you Do some more research on these before u post stuff and lead parents wrongly.
Posted by: Lisa | July 09, 2014 at 12:46 PM
There are several flu vaccines available now in single-vial doses which are supposed to be mercury-free (but still very dangerous). But even the trace amounts still in many vaccines are still, in a single dose, ten times the limit at which mercury becomes hazardous waste, and a hundred times the amount allowed in drinking water. And it's injected straight into the body where it's immediately absorbed into the blood, bypassing all the natural filtering mechanisms. Get Randall Neustaedter's recommended bryonia and gelsemium, and read up on which to take for your flu symptoms. Having the natural flu gives you lifelong antibodies to whatever strain you had, and partial immunity to future flu strains which contain components of what you had. No flu vaccine will do that for you.
Posted by: cia parker | January 17, 2014 at 09:35 PM
Trina,
I think thimerosal is a preservative to kill fungus etc., but aluminum is not a preservative but an adjuvant necessary to make the immune system notice respond to the killed pathogen, by virtue of the extremely neurotoxic aluminum that any self-respecting immune system would mount a dangerous and damaging response to.
Posted by: cia parker | January 17, 2014 at 09:29 PM
if the Hep B vaccine is considered preservative free, but still states there is aluminum in it, isn't that contradictory?
Posted by: Trina | January 17, 2014 at 07:44 PM
I work in a processing environment and can assure you they test for amounts of thimerasol as little as possible during their "removal process". Anyone with a child affected by vaccines should do research into Brainchild Nutritionals site. They have anbeoverview on Leaky Gut syndrome and explain what role it plays in lowering your child's ability to handle the vaccination.
Posted by: Father or recovered Son | March 28, 2013 at 12:20 AM
Anybody has any idea what are the minimum amount of vaccines I would have to give my 2yr old son now that we live in Lima, Peru??? He had his first Polio shot before we left the States 4 months ago but other than that he's vaccine free and super healthy... I am terrified of giving him any vaccines. Doctors here seem puzzled when I ask them for the vaccines' ingredients list. I want to buy some US vaccines without Mercury in them because these diseases actually exist here but I have been delaying it because I dont like vaccines. What do I do?? I can't keep my baby at home all day! I'm afraid to even take him to the park!
Posted by: Karina Coleman | July 30, 2011 at 12:11 AM
Julie, 0.3 mcg of thimerosal in a standard vaccine dose equates to up to 300 times the concentration of mercury the EPA allows in drinking water - and we don't inject drinking water. So I would say, though it's obviously better than 3.0 mcg, it is far, far from good news.
Posted by: Shawn Siegel | July 18, 2010 at 11:51 AM
The second MMR is NOT necessary unless a titre says that your child is not immune. According to Merck (the MAKER of the MMR), the first shot gives lifetime immunity to 95%; the second shot is required only because 5% fail to develop antibodies. There are no studies showing whether or not those 5% develop antibodies after the second shot.
The Hep B vaccines are NOT necessary at birth, or even during infancy, unless you or and/or your child engage in unprotected sex with strangers, or share needles. Those are the high risk factors for develping hep B.
BTW, I love the smoke analogy--great!
Posted by: Alison | January 30, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Regarding the update and the CDC's amazingly stupid typo... Supposedly mecury is used in the manufacturing process and then reduced to less than 0.3 mcg through a purification process, but I never could get a straight answer from the CDC and FDA about whether there is ongoing testing of this purification process to see whether it is actually working. So, who knows how much mercury is really in these vaccines?
Posted by: Twyla | December 14, 2008 at 06:32 PM
"Believe in Science" -
Oh, really? You say that, "If you inject high amounts of Aluminum into a vein it is dangerous. If you inject it into tissue (muscle or fat) it is ok." Show me one study that shows it is safe to inject aluminum into tissue. Dr. Robert Sears looked for a study showing safe levels of aluminum for injection and could not find any.
Intramuscular injections distribute through the body more slowly than injections into a vein, but there is no filtering of toxins. Muscles and fat are not like kidneys or intestines.
Clearly you are not listening to any of the concerns raised on this web site. Do some more reading. You don't know as much as you think.
Posted by: Twyla | December 14, 2008 at 06:20 PM
The routine CDC schedule for children less then 3yo can be completed as is done in California Thimerosal-free.
Breastmilk has aluminum in it, and Soy formula has quite a high amount. If you inject high amounts of Aluminum into a vein it is dangerous. If you inject it into tissue (muscle or fat) it is ok.
There are no studies showing that altering the CDC's standard vaccine schedule is safe. Do this at your own risk. Don't delay prevention, get your child Vaccinated appropriatly.
Posted by: Believe In Science - Vaccinate | December 14, 2008 at 03:44 PM
just looking at how many shots are given at the 12 month "well" visit makes me sick. that is where i lost my son. right there at that visit. we just getting him back with biomed treatments. everyday he does something that i was told he would never do. how great is that?!
Posted by: jill r | November 23, 2008 at 04:04 AM
Julie - the cigarette analogy reminded me of blog entry by Cornelia Read
http://www.nakedauthors.com/labels/CDC.html
Cornelia is one of the Naked Authors blogging at http://www.nakedauthors.com - and she's the mom of a young girl with autism. Anyone who's been lurking around AoA for a while might recall that her "CDC" post was also reprinted here in March
http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/03/the-naked-autho.html
For anyone who isn't familiar with this particular piece, take a few minutes to give it a read. It is a brilliant and intense reminder of what we're all are up against.
Like Cornelia said in her closing comments, "smoke 'em if you got 'em..."
Posted by: Randy | November 21, 2008 at 02:24 PM
Twyla, here is one study I know of regarding the damage of nanomolar thimerosal-
"Uncoupling of ATP-Mediated Calcium Signaling and Dysregulated Interleukin-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by Nanomolar Thimerosal"
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/8881/abstract.html
here it is described in layman's terms-
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/7973
Posted by: Monica | November 20, 2008 at 04:30 PM
I have an idea of a possible reason why Energix-B causes more multiple sclerosis than Rocombivax.
Energix-B contains 5% yeast protein, while Recombivax contains only 1% yeast protein.
Posted by: Amy | November 20, 2008 at 01:59 PM
Here's some information from GlaxoSmithKline:
2007 and prior, the Energix-B Hepatitis vaccine contained <0.5 mcg of mercury. Since the beginning of 2008, only mercury free Energix-B vaccines have been produced. The prior forumulation will remain on the shelves until used up or expired.
Here are the lot numbers for the vaccines.
With <0.5 mcg mercury:
NDC 58160-856-11 or NDC 58160-856-46
Mercury-free:
NDC 58160-820-11 or NDC 58160-820-46
Posted by: Amy | November 20, 2008 at 01:12 PM
Why would most American babies need a HepB shot at all? Will they be frequenting shooting galleries or having usafe sex? HepB is a blood-borne pathogen. Period. There is no other way to contract HepB, so why give the vaccine in infancy unless the mother is a carrier of the disease, in which case, the hospital/pediatrician should already be aware of the risk to the infant? Oh, I forgot. Profit.
The recipient of the FluMist vaccine sheds live flu virus for three weeks after administration, thus exposing the rest of us to the flu; thus, a teacher or health worker who receives this vaccine goes to work exposing students and patients to live flu. What a great idea!
And I concur with others who have posted - what about the combinations, the aluminum (which is probably contributing to all the Alzheimers), the other adjuvants that result in excitotoxins which some brains may not be able to turn off, contributing to chronic autoimmune conditions? We are poisoning the population in the name of health. Eradicating polio was a great thing. So was getting rid of the measles, the mumps, maybe even the chicken pox (although none of those killed me). But poisoning infants? Not such a good thing. Let their little neurological systems develope first, that's all I'm saying.
My little guy had chronic ear infections and a runny nose when his brilliant pediatrician decided he should get "caught up" on his vaccinations and receive a mercury-laden flu shot. And then we said good-bye to our neurotypical, verbal 18-month-old. We're slowly bringing him back. But he will never be the boy, the man, he could have been without BigPharma's "cure-all."
Posted by: Sue M. | November 20, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Hats off, Theresa! This time I'm printing it and putting it in my notebook so I don't forget again!
Posted by: Garbo | November 20, 2008 at 01:11 AM
I agree with Amy that there appears to be a typo in the note at the bottom of that chart. In Dec. of 2007 the CDC emailed me and said, "Thimerosal still may be used in the early stages of making certain vaccines. However, it is removed through a purification process. When this process is complete, only trace, or insignificant, amounts of thimerosal are left (less than 0.3 mcg) and these amounts have no biological effect."
This is consistent with the FDA's table at www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1.
But this is not consistent with the CDC's table at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf , which has the note at the bottom saying, "Where 'thimerosal' is marked with an asterisk (*) it indicates that the product should be considered equivalent to
thimerosal-free products. This vaccine may contain trace amounts (<3 mcg) of mercury left after post-production
thimerosal removal, but these amounts have no biological effect."
The CDC's emails and table are consistent in saying that "these amounts have no biological effect." Don't you feel better now? We know they would tell us if there were any cause for concern. (haha, what a funny joke!)
Never mind those silly people who say things like:
"At 50 nanomolar thimerosal the neuron killing capacity/rate is about doubled with the addition of levels of aluminium found in vaccines." - Dr. Boyd Haley
Or papers such as "Effects of prolonged exposure to nanomolar concentrations of methylmercury on voltage-sensitive sodium and calcium currents in PC12 cells" at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12101032.
"Nanomolar" is one billionth of a mole. A mole is "The amount of a substance that contains as many atoms, molecules, ions, or other elementary units as the number of atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12. The number is 6.0225 × 1023, or Avogadro's number." In other words, nanomolar is a teeny tiny miniscule amount.
I wish I could put my fingers on the studies that someone posted a while back on the effects of nanomolar concentrations of mercury.
Anyway, the CDC really should get their numbers straight! 3 or 0.3?
Posted by: Twyla | November 20, 2008 at 01:07 AM
Garbo, here's your study on MS as a side effect of Engerix. The study was performed in France.
http://www.healthcentral.com/multiple-sclerosis/news-264568-66.html
"Although most hepatitis B vaccines do not seem to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children, use of one particular brand -- Engerix B (GlaxoSmithKline) -- may, according to findings from a study conducted in France.
The study involved 349 children with MS and 2,941 children without MS. According to the researchers, a total of 24.4 percent of the children with MS were vaccinated for hepatitis B in the 3 years before the study, compared to 27.3 percent of the children without MS.
Although the study found that hepatitis B vaccination does not generally increase the risk of MS, the children with MS were 1.74 times more likely to have received a certain type of hepatitis B vaccine called Engerix B.
Those children with MS developed symptoms 3 or more years after receiving the vaccine.
The risk was only found for this specific type of hepatitis B vaccine and not found for all vaccines against hepatitis B, Dr. Yann Mikaeloff, from Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, and colleagues report."
Posted by: Theresa | November 19, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Here is a quote from the actual article the CDC referenced. From http://www.vaccinationnews.com/dailynews/april2002/limitinginfantexposurethimvax.htm 8th paragraph:
"Thimerosal is used during production of some vaccines and in many cases can be removed leaving trace amounts (<0.3 µg) of mercury that have no biologic effect.22 Such products should be considered equivalent to thimerosal-free products."
I couldn't get the article directly from JAMA without paying. So, there is a chance the typo is here, but is very unlikely since the actual product insert for Tripedia says <0.3 mcg of mercury as well.
Posted by: Amy | November 19, 2008 at 10:18 PM
It looks like the CDC made a typo regarding 0.3 vs. 3.
Here is the product insert for Tripedia showing <0.3 mcg of mercury.
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/label/dtapave030701LB.pdf
Also, the product insert for Energix, which shows no mercury.
http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_engerixb.pdf
I mentioned the Tdap and Menactra because a previous poster was asking regarding her teenage son. I forgot to make a note of the reason I was including it.
Posted by: Amy | November 19, 2008 at 07:28 PM
RE: Energix shot, somewhere I read a study (I think European) that tested different brands of Hep B shot and found Energix had a higher rate of MS as a serious side effect. Wish I could find it.
Posted by: Garbo | November 19, 2008 at 04:46 PM
It's great that you found a truly thimerosal free schedule, but what about the aluminum? My son had autism (mostly recovered) and when we chelated pulled high aluminum, mercury, uranium and lead. My daughter was born 2 years later -- her shots had less mercury -- but when she developed serious motor coordination issues we had her tested and began chelation -- high aluminum from the start and continuing.
Posted by: Garbo | November 19, 2008 at 04:44 PM
The table of ingredients per brand of vaccine and type of vaccine is available at the CDC's website www.cdc.gov
It is titled Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary, Part 2. Anyone can download this and check for themselves. It was last updated in April 2008.
According to this document, yes, the Expedia version of the HepB contains trace amounts of thimerosal. And Fluzone contains thimerosal in multi-dose containers. Correction noted.
As much as I wish it were true, I did not make a mistake with regard to the 0.3 mcg versus 3 mcg. A vaccine shall be considered "thimerosal free" according to the CDC with < 3 mcg. This definition is on the document, last page at the bottom.
Here is their quote:
*Where “thimerosal” is marked with an asterisk (*) it indicates that the product should be considered equivalent to
thimerosal-free products. This vaccine may contain trace amounts (<3 mcg) of mercury left after post-production
thimerosal removal, but these amounts have no biological effect. JAMA 1999;282(18) and JAMA 2000;283(16)
Finally, Flu Mist may be an option for fighting the flu, but it is not a shot and was not included for that reason. Yes, parents may use Flu Mist without thimerosal.
Menactra and Menomune are not recommended to children in the first 6 years of life and were also not put on this list for that reason. However, Menomune in 10 dose vials does contain thimerosal.
Adacel and Boostrix are thimerosal free, but are Tdap, not DTaP, which is what I listed.
Posted by: Julie Obradovic | November 19, 2008 at 04:13 PM
In addition to the FluMist live virus spray, there is a mercury free flu shot available to kids, the Fluzone single dose vial or prefilled syringe. http://www.fda.gov/CBER/label/fluzoneLB.pdf
Another mercury free flu shot available for adults 18 or over is the Afluria single dose vial. http://www.afluria.com/docs/pi.pdf
To answer a previous poster's questions, the Adacel and Boostrix brands of Tdap are mercury free. http://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?image_type=product_pdf&pi=400-10
http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_boostrix.pdf
For the meningococcal vaccine, Menactra and Menomune single dose vial are mercury free.
http://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?pi=589-05&image_type=product_pdf
http://www.vaccineshoppe.com/US_PDF/Menomune%205143.5146_11.06.pdf
I am against all vaccines, but feel it is important for people to have the correct information.
Posted by: Amy | November 19, 2008 at 02:15 PM
The Energix-B Hepatitis B vaccine contains no mercury at all.
Posted by: Amy | November 19, 2008 at 01:49 PM
I would love to see this list expanded into the teen years, as my doc keeps pushing (and I keep refusing) new vaccines on my teenage kids, such as the meningitis vaccine and the pneumonia vaccine, as well as tetanus. Can anyone comment or contribute to this research to include any thimerasol free vaccine manufacturers for these vaccines recommended to older kids? Thanks!
Posted by: Lisa Thompson | November 19, 2008 at 01:16 PM
You made a big mistake. It is 0.3 mcg, not 3 mcg, thank goodness.
Posted by: Amy | November 19, 2008 at 12:57 PM
another piece to keep in mind--all vaccine testing is done on healthy babies and toddlers. Doctors will strongly recommend that babies with all sorts of health problems be vaccinated--but there is no data on the safety of doing so.
Posted by: Deborah | November 19, 2008 at 12:08 PM
thanks so much for this post, having all of the brand names and this information on hand (printed and in my dr visits folder) will be valueable information to be armed with.
Posted by: CJ's Mommy | November 19, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Here we are:-
Thiomersal in vaccines: balancing the risk of adverse effects with the risk of vaccine-preventable disease.
Bigham M, Copes R.
Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [email protected]
A number of affluent countries are moving to eliminate thiomersal (thimerosal), an ethylmercury preservative, from vaccines as a precautionary measure because of concerns about the potential adverse effects of mercury in infants. The WHO advocates continued use of thiomersal-containing vaccines in developing countries because of their effectiveness, safety, low cost, wide availability and logistical suitability in this setting. The guidelines for long-term mercury exposure should not be used for evaluating risk from intermittent single day exposures, such as immunisation using thiomersal-containing vaccines. Similar or higher mercury exposures likely occur from breast feeding and the health benefit of eliminating thiomersal from a vaccine, if any, is likely to be very small. On the other hand, the benefits accrued from the use of thiomersal-containing vaccines are considerably greater but vary substantially between affluent and developing regions of the world. Because of the contribution to overall mercury exposure from breast milk and diet in later life, the removal of thiomersal from vaccines would produce no more than a 50% reduction of mercury exposure in infancy and <1% reduction over a lifetime. Different public policy decisions are appropriate in different settings to achieve the lowest net risk, viewed from the perspectives of the individual vaccinee or on a population basis. In developing regions of the world, at least over the next decade, far more benefit will accrue from protecting children against widely prevalent vaccine-preventable diseases by focusing efforts aimed at improving infant immunisation uptake by using current, inexpensive, domestically-manufactured, thiomersal-containing vaccines, than by investing in thiomersal-free alternatives.
1: Drug Saf. 2005;28(2):89-101.
http://tinyurl.com/5l4gaj
Posted by: John Stone | November 19, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Would you be able to create the same type of schedule, this time both thimerosal-free AND aluminum free? I would love to see that schedule. Thanks!!
Posted by: Ophelia | November 19, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Julie
This is fabulous and menaingful work you've done. Thank you so much!
My 2 year old is completely unvaccinated because his older sister took a land slide into autism after her 2 year old flu vaccines in 2002.
I am not sure if I can ever stomach allowing one vaccine injection into him but if I do this is just the kind of information that will help me make an educated decision to give him the best protection possible.
Thank you for going to such effort. I am going to post this at my blogspot The Educated Parent.
Posted by: Pamela | November 19, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Julie, great, informative article. Thanks.
L.Land- wow, you said a mouthful with your flu shot comment. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you were right. It is infuriating. There should be some kind of march on Mother's day or something to give us back our right to look after our babiesw the way we should. For God' sake, someone can refuse to serve a pregnant lady a drink but yet we are semi forced to inject all this crap into our babies without question. It's a crime!!!!
Posted by: jen | November 19, 2008 at 10:04 AM
It remind me of the study - apologies for not locating it immediately - used by the UK licensing authority (the MHRA), which argued over the relative safety of the WHO vaccine schedule on the basis that it was not that much additional mercury burden for infants, given wider environmental exposure. The greater the environmental exposure, the smaller the vaccine exposure was as a percentage: so you just could not win. Also, of course, they averaged the exposure out over a period rather the time of administration. The arguments were so breath-takingly silly that it was impossible to engage in any discussion with the people propounding them (which was perhaps the underlying strategy).
Posted by: John Stone | November 19, 2008 at 09:40 AM
thank you so much for having this concrete information. I will be passing this valuable information on to my friends with new babies or who are deciding what to do with regard to vaccination.
It is just startling to me how this debate continues. Parents need this information and are not receiving it from the medical community.
Posted by: jules | November 19, 2008 at 08:41 AM
The nasal flu vaccine is thimerosal free, isn't it? But then you're risking a live virus. And the live virus can shed for weeks, by the CDC's own admission (they write it up as the virus sheds "rarely" in clinical studies).
Not that I'm recommending the live virus vaccine to anyone - one mom that I heard from reported her child regressed into autism from the nasal flu vaccine.
Posted by: AnneS | November 19, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Of course, then there is the whole other issue of whether giving so many shots together is safe at all. There are no studies of shots in combination. Starting from month two, look at all those combinations.
Posted by: AnneS | November 19, 2008 at 08:30 AM
L Land,
After hearing Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s comments at the green the vax rally, I must say your conclusions are very reasonable. I hope that these sloppy "scientists" and gov't agency officials left a paper trail somewhere. There is clearly actual knowledge here. This is more than a financial liability issue, it's criminal. People need to go to prison for this.
Posted by: Gail C. | November 19, 2008 at 08:19 AM
Dear Julie,
Thank you so much for this information. I have already shared the link with some friends. So "free" isn't always truly free. I knew that this was true when it came to fat in "fat-free" but I was surprised to hear about this. After everything we've been through it is a sad statement about our government and medical establishment that I'm still amazed by the level of their ethical transgressions. I always knew that the flu-shot my obgyn told me that I must have probably contained mercury. Perhaps my son's mercury-free shots actually contained some as well. I do not have the heart to find out.
Posted by: Gail C. | November 19, 2008 at 08:15 AM
The CDC started recommending flu shots for kids when thimerosal started to come out of the other shots. I think as a way to keep the autism rates from coming down and assisting with their cover up. This is just more of the same.
Posted by: L Land | November 19, 2008 at 07:29 AM