| You've seen the news stories. The mercury in | | | | vaccines, is a different form of mercury. |
| childhood vaccinations has been linked to | | | | Ethylmercury is broken down in the body and |
| everything from mental illness to developmental | | | | excreted relatively quickly. While methylmercury is |
| disorders. But are these stories actually credible or | | | | stored in the tissues of the body, ethylmercury is |
| are they the result of an overzealous "natural" | | | | not.The danger of mercury poisoning was |
| movement? Let's look at the facts. Studies by | | | | graphically illustrated in Iraq in the early 1970s. In |
| four completely separate research teams working | | | | 1971, Iraq imported a large amount of |
| on three different continents have failed to | | | | mercury-laden grain which Iraqi farmers later |
| provide any evidence linking autism to the | | | | made into bread. At least 6500 Iraqis were |
| mercury in childhood vaccines. Over and over, | | | | sickened and 450 died as a result of mercury |
| vaccines have been proven safe and effective | | | | poisoning. Pregnant women who ate the bread |
| for the vast majority of children.Why Parents Are | | | | delivered babies suffering from epilepsy and |
| WorriedDespite the fact that an overwhelming | | | | retardation but the incident of autism remained |
| majority of mainstream physicians endorse | | | | the same.And if mercury was really related to |
| vaccines as a safe, effective way to prevent | | | | autism we would see an increased incident of this |
| childhood illnesses, the media has afforded | | | | developmental disorder in breastfed babies. A |
| anti-vaccine proponents a significant amount of | | | | baby who is nursed exclusively will absorb more |
| attention on both the national and local levels. | | | | than ten times the amount of mercury used in all |
| Using scientifically shaky research, these | | | | his childhood vaccines combined yet there's no |
| marginalized scientists have built compelling cases | | | | evidence that suggests breastfed babies are at |
| by preying on the fears of worried parents who | | | | any higher risk than formula-fed infants.The Real |
| have neither the time nor resources to de-bunk | | | | TragedyParents in the 1940s and 1950s knew all |
| them.The truth is that autism is typically | | | | too well what polio, measles and other childhood |
| diagnosed at about the same time a child receives | | | | diseases could do to a child's body. They feared |
| most of his vaccines. Because the two | | | | the disease much more than they feared the |
| events--vaccinations and the diagnosis of | | | | potential side-effects of the vaccines. By contrast, |
| autism--occur with months of each other, parents | | | | today's young parents have likely never seen a |
| just naturally associate the two. But the alleged | | | | child paralyzed by polio or brain-damaged by |
| cause-and-effect relationship is nothing more than | | | | measles. They simply don't realize that these |
| mere coincidence.Evidence to the ContraryIt's | | | | once-common illnesses are still very real threats |
| important to realize that the form of mercury we | | | | to their children. And that's the real tragedy. |
| normally associate with mercury poisoning is very | | | | Thousands of children for whom vaccines are |
| different from the form of mercury used to | | | | both safe and appropriate are being put at risk by |
| preserve vaccines. Methylmercury, which is the | | | | parents who, for various reasons, choose not to |
| "natural" form of mercury found in the | | | | vaccinate.Lisa Barger is a traditional naturopath |
| environment, has long been recognized as a toxin, | | | | specializing in natural health education. To learn |
| especially in high doses. However, ethylmercury, | | | | more about Ms. |
| the form of mercury used to preserve some | | | | |