Page 21 - Spring2018

second and third trimesters. As of 2013, more cal damage. Genetic susceptibilities occur along Genetic
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than half of influenza vaccines were still pre- a continuum, but the growing movement to
served with thimerosal, with the availability mandate vaccines has so far failed to recognize susceptibilities
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of non-thimerosal versions subject to supply- this complex reality. occur along
and-demand dynamics. A thimerosal-free flu a continuum,
vaccine shortage during the 2015 flu season OTHER EXPOSURES TO MERCURY
led California’s governor to sign an exception A number of other products have exposed but the
allowing thimerosal-containing vaccines to be consumers to mercury over time. Until the growing
administered to infants and children despite a 1960s, teething powders for babies contained movement
previous statewide restriction. mercury in the form of calomel, and broken mer-
Like the multidose influenza vaccines, some cury thermometers were a common exposure to mandate
multidose meningococcal meningitis vaccines risk in many countries up to the early 2000s. vaccines has
and tetanus toxoid (booster) vaccines (not rec- Contact lens solutions contained thimerosal, so far failed
ommended for children under six years of age) and the once widely used antiseptic called Mer-
also contain thimerosal as a preservative, in curochrome contained the mercury-bromine to recognize
amounts ranging from 12.5 to 25 micrograms compound merbromin. this complex
per dose. 27,28 As of 2016, some other childhood In 1998, the FDA banned mercury as an reality.
vaccine preparations, such as the multidose active ingredient in over-the-counter products,
DTaP and the DTaP/Hib combination vaccines, declaring that it was not “generally recognized
still utilize thimerosal in the manufacturing pro- as safe” (GRAS). Nevertheless, the FDA con-
cess. In these vaccines, most of the thimerosal tinues to allow use of mercury as an inactive
is then filtered out, leaving “trace amounts” of ingredient, provided its content is under sixty-
thimerosal, according to the CDC. The end five parts per million. In the cosmetics realm,
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result, according to thimerosal researchers, is FDA regulations regarding cosmetics do not
that “the approximate maximum lifetime expo- require labeling disclosure of ingredients that
sure to [mercury] from Thimerosal-preserved make up less than 1 percent of the product. As
vaccines…is now more than double what it a result, some brands of mascara still contain
would have been had the pre-2000 vaccination thimerosal as an antimicrobial and preservative.
schedule been maintained.” 22 Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) typically
A few isolated court cases in the U.S. and contain about four milligrams (four thousand
elsewhere have recognized post facto that a micrograms) of mercury, some of which is
limited number of well-documented genetic released upon breakage in the form of mercury
susceptibilities to vaccine injury—including vapor. Table 3 compares the concentration of
some mitochondrial disorders—have caused this toxic release to various regulatory safety
certain children to suffer permanent neurologi- standards. CFL proponents argue that the en-

TABLE 3: MERCURY EXPOSURE FROM COMPACT FLUORESCENT LAMPS (CFLs)
(MICROGRAMS PER METER OF AIR)
3

CFL exposure
Estimated initial release from typical broken CFL 61 200-800
Selected U.S. regulatory standards for inhalation of mercury vapor

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 10,000
(NIOSH) “Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health” 62
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “Permissible 100
Exposure Limit” (PEL) for healthy workers exposed 40 hours per week
63
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry “Mini- 0.2
mal Risk Level” (safe limit for continuous exposure) 64

SPRING 2018 Wise Traditions 19