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RFK Jr. Calls for Global Ban on Mercury in Vaccines
All countries should remove mercury from vaccines following the precedent set by the U.S., Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said via a video address during the Nov. 3 meeting of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Geneva, Switzerland. “The Minamata Convention was born from a shared moral conviction that no human being should suffer from exposure to mercury,” Kennedy said. “Article 4 of the Convention calls on parties to cut mercury use by phasing out listed mercury-added products. But in 2010, as the treaty took shape, negotiators made a major exception.
Thimerosal-containing vaccines were carved out in the regulation,” Kennedy said, referring to the mercury-based preservative used to prevent microbial growth in vaccines. The treaty, which began to phase out mercury in cosmetics and lamps, opted to allow the substance to be used in products that are injected into vulnerable people, pregnant women, and babies, the health secretary said. “We have to ask: why? Why do we hold a double standard for mercury? Why do we call it dangerous in batteries, in over-the-counter medications, and makeup, but acceptable in vaccines and dental fillings?” he asked.
Kennedy said thimerosal has never undergone proper safety testing in human beings. He said that hundreds of peer-reviewed studies have identified the substance as a potent neurotoxin, carcinogen, endocrine disruptor, and mutagen.
Despite Recent Turmoil at FDA, White House Praises the Agency’s Leader
The White House is rallying behind U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary after the abrupt ousting of one of his top deputies over the weekend, the latest tumult in an agency that’s seen plenty this year. A new top drug regulator will likely be installed on Wednesday to replace George Tidmarsh as director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official granted anonymity to discuss personnel planning.
That individual will not be Vinay Prasad, the controversial head of the FDA’s biologics center, in charge of vaccines, who also works as the agency’s chief medical and scientific officer, they added. “President Trump pledged to lower costs and Make America Healthy Again by cutting red tape and embracing innovation,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai wrote in an email.
“The FDA under Marty Makary’s leadership has consistently delivered on this pledge, and the White House maintains total confidence in the FDA and the entire HHS team to continue delivering more victories for the American people.” Makary also has the backing of his boss, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Illinois Lawmakers Approve State-Specific Vaccine Guidelines, Punt on Gambling Bill
Capitol News Illinois reported:
Illinois lawmakers passed two-dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty. House Bill 767 would allow IDPH Director Sameer Vohra to issue state-specific guidelines while granting more authority to the Immunization Advisory Committee — a group of doctors, nurses and public health professionals who offer guidance to the director.
“This bill makes important changes that both codify the role of trusted experts in our vaccine recommendation process and ensure science-based vaccine access through Illinois-regulated insurance plans,” Vohra said in a news release. The bill builds on an executive order Gov. JB Pritzker issued in September directing IDPH to develop vaccine guidelines.
That directive came amid federal vaccine guideline changes initiated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic of vaccine safety and efficacy. Among those were the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision in August to rescind emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines. That meant removing approval of the vaccine for children and adults ages six months to 64 years who have no underlying risk conditions. Kennedy also fired the agency’s director, Susan Monarez, and dismissed the entire board of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Ohio Scrapped a Key Tool to Fight Air Pollution. Advocates Want It Back.
As of Sept. 30, Ohio lawmakers eliminated a key legal tool used to rein in air pollution from power plants and industrial sites. Now, advocates are suing to restore that right.
For decades, environmental groups in Ohio and elsewhere have used air nuisance rules in state plans as a catchall way to enforce the federal Clean Air Act.
Ohio’s version let people take legal action against companies whose emissions “endanger the health, safety or welfare of the public, or cause unreasonable injury or damage to property.” The rule dates back more than 50 years.
Environmental groups have used air nuisance rules to file or threaten lawsuits against coal-burning power plants, iron and steel facilities, coke plants, and other industrial operations, which emit not only planet-warming greenhouse gases but also harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead.
