Metals
SYNOPSIS
British and Swedish scientists raise concerns about limited understanding of vaccine aluminum’s impact on the human body, raise risk of autoimmune response.
TITLE
The immunobiology of aluminium adjuvants: how do they really work?
CITATION
Exley C, Siesjo P, Eriksson H. Trends in Immunology. 2010;31:103-109.
SUMMARY
“Boys vaccinated as neonates had threefold greater odds for autism diagnosis compared to boys never vaccinated or vaccinated after the first month of life. Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with the hepatitis B vac- cine prior to 1999 (from vaccination record) had a threefold higher risk for parental report of autism diagnosis compared to boys not vaccinated as neonates during that same time period.”
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Vaccine aluminum injected into mice created significant motor deficits and motor neuron degeneration.
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Aluminum hydroxide injections lead to motor deficits and motor neuron degeneration
CITATION
Christopher A. Shaw and Michael S. Petrik. Journal Inorganic Biochemistry, 2009 November; 103(11): 1555.
SUMMARY
“Aluminum-treated mice showed significantly increased apoptosis of motor neurons and increases in reactive astrocytes and microglial proliferation within the spinal cord and cortex. Morin stain detected the presence of aluminum in the cytoplasm of motor neurons with some neurons also testing positive for the presence of hyper-phosphorylated tau protein, a pathological hallmark of various neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. A second series of experiments was conducted on mice injected with six doses of aluminum hydroxide. Behavioural analyses in these mice revealed significant impairments in a number of motor functions as well as diminished spatial memory capacity. The demonstrated neurotoxicity of aluminum hydroxide and its relative ubiquity as an adjuvant suggest that greater scrutiny by the scientific community is warranted. Overall, the results reported here mirror previous work that has clearly demonstrated that aluminum, in both oral and injected forms, can be neurotoxic.”
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Newborn monkeys given a mercury-containing hepatitis b vaccine had significant delays in neonatal reflexes and neurological development.
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Delayed acquisition of neonatal reflexes in newborn primates receiving a thimerosal-containing Hepatitis B vaccine: Influence of gestational age and birth weight
CITATION
Laura Hewitson, Lisa A. Houser, Carol Stott, Gene Sackett, Jaime L. Tomko, David Atwood, Lisa Blue, E. Railey White, Andrew J. Wakefield. NeuroToxicology, 2009; doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2009.09.008.
SUMMARY
“In summary, this study provides preliminary evidence of abnormal early neurodevelopmental responses in male infant rhesus macaques receiving a single dose of Th-containing HB vaccine at birth and indicates that further investigation is merited.”
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French scientists report aluminum from vaccines causes chronic cognitive dysfunction.
TITLE
Long-term persistence of vaccine-derived aluminum hydroxide is associated with chronic cognitive dysfunction
CITATION
Maryline Couette, Marie-Françoise Boisse, Patrick Maison, Pierre Brugieres, Pierre Cesaro, Xavier Chevalier, Romain K. Gherardi, Anne-Catherine Bachoud-Levi, François-Jérôme Authier. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 2009.
SUMMARY
“In conclusion, long-term persistence of vaccine-derived aluminum hydroxide within the body assessed by MMF is associated with cognitive dysfunction, not solely due to chronic pain, fatigue and depression. In conclusion, this work is the first firm demonstration that cognitive dysfunction is a central feature in MMF, this dysfunction being much more frequent and severe than suspected by routine neurological evaluation. Instead of being a non-specific bystander effect of pain, fatigue or depression, MACD seems to reflect an underlying organic, inflammatory or toxic, brain involvement.”
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Thimerosal injections cause increased mercury in brain, liver and kidney of rats and induces long-term reduction in pain sensitivity (hypoalgesia). Might this contribute to self-injurious behavior in autism?
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Neonatal administration of a vaccine preservative, thimerosal, produces lasting impairment of nociception and apparent activation of opioid system in rats.
CITATION
SUMMARY
The preservative thimerosal added to vaccines is approximately 49% mercury by weight. Once inside the body it converts to a persistent inorganic mercury. Thimerosal has been used for decades despite not undergoing sufficient safety studies. This study utilized an animal model to investigate the distribution of mercury in brain, kidney and liver after injection of thimerosal (THIM) in newborn rats at various timeframes postnatally. The schedule used was meant to be similar to that given to humans. One group of rats that had not previously gotten thimerosal as newborns (naïve group) received a single dose as an adult. It was determined that the kidneys accumulated the largest amount of mercury, followed by the liver then the brain. Individuals with autism have been known to engage in self-injurious behaviors (SIB) and to demonstrate a decrease sensitivity to pain (hypoalgesia). Studies of individuals with autism have reported a reduction in SIB when treated with naloxone. Naloxone is an opioid receptor antagonist which would allow a person to more profoundly feel their pain upon participation in SIBs. A secondary consideration of this study was to determine if thimerosal exposure modulates sensitivity to painful stimuli. Using a hot plate test, it was demonstrated that thimerosal induces hypoalgesia. The long-term impairment in pain sensitivity seen among the neonates exceeded that of the naïve adults that received a single acute dose indicating young rats are more sensitive than adults. If rats were given a dose of naloxone prior to the hot plate test, it significantly mitigated the thimerosal induced hypoalgesia thereby indicating a role of the opioid system. The authors conclude, “…our study shows that administration of THIM to suckling or adult rats causes persistent impairment of pain sensitivity, which appears to involve increased activity of endogenous opioids.”
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Higher aluminum intake from drinking water is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort
CITATION
Rondeau V, Jacqmin-Gadda H, Commenges D, Helmer C, Dartigues JF. Aluminum and silica in drinking water and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline: findings from 15-year follow-up of the PAQUID cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;169(4):489-496.
SUMMARY
A long-term study in Southern France found that a higher intake of aluminum from drinking water was linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, an increase in silica intake (10 mg/day) reduced the risk of dementia. A unique feature of the study, which followed elderly individuals for 15 years, was its measurement of individual daily intake of drinking water (both tap and bottled water), in addition to assessing the geographical concentrations of aluminum and silica.
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A CDC-sponsored database showed much higher rates of neurodevelopmental disabilities from mercury-containing vaccines.
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Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: An assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink
CITATION
Young HA, Geier DA, Geier MR. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2008;121:626-631.
SUMMARY
“Consistent significantly increased rate ratios were observed for autism, autism spectrum disorders, tics, attention deficit disorder, and emotional disturbances with Hg [mercury] exposure from TCVs [thimerosal-containing vaccines]. By contrast, none of the control outcomes had significantly increased rate ratios with Hg exposure from TCVs.”
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The mercury used as a vaccine preservative is far more neurotoxic than the mercury found in fish.
TITLE
Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
CITATION
Thomas M. Burbacher, Danny D. Shen, Noelle Liberato, Kimberly S. Grant, Elsa Cernichiari, and Thomas Clarkson. Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 113, Number 8, August 2005.
SUMMARY
The mercury used in vaccines (and still in the flu vaccine given to pregnant women) is far more toxic than the mercury found in fish, because it stays in the brain at much higher levels. “Data from the present study support the prediction that, although little accumulation of Hg in the blood occurs over time with repeated vaccinations, accumulation of Hg in the brain of infants will occur. Thus, conclusion regarding the safety of thimerosal drawn from blood Hg clearance data in human infants receiving vaccines may not be valid, given the significantly slower half-life of Hg in the brain as observed in the infant macaques. There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg in the brain of thimerosal monkeys than in the brains of MeHg monkeys (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the thimerosal-exposed monkeys were approximately twice that of the MeHg monkeys.”
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Many heavy metals increase the apparent toxicity of low levels of mercury.
TITLE
Mercury toxicity: Genetic susceptibility and synergistic effects
CITATION
Haley BE. Medical Veritas. 2005;2:535–542.
SUMMARY
This article discusses mercury intoxication and several normally appearing factors that increase the susceptibility to mercury toxicity. Boys with autism represent a subset of the population that is more susceptible to the toxic effects of mercury and thimerosal because they are not efficient excretors of these toxic materials. Research confirms that a lead-toxic person would be more susceptible to mercury toxicity than a healthy, non-toxic person. Researchers routinely observe that many heavy metals increase the apparent toxicity of low levels of mercury. In other words, the synergistic effects of other heavy metals, diet, antibiotics, etc. on mercury toxicity make it impossible to define a “safe level of mercury exposure.”
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In utero exposure to methylmercury from power plants and seafood is associated with lifelong loss of intelligence and billions of dollars in lost productivity.
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Public health and economic consequences of methyl mercury toxicity to the developing brain
CITATION
Trasande L, Landrigan PJ, Schechter C. Public health and economic consequences of methyl mercury toxicity to the developing brain. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005;113(5):590-596.
SUMMARY
This study shows that the IQ losses associated with methylmercury toxicity cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost productivity each year. Hundreds of thousands of American children in any given year have cord blood levels of methylmercury associated with lowered intelligence, traceable to in utero exposure to power plant emissions or to maternal seafood consumption. The loss of intelligence that results “causes diminished economic productivity that persists over the entire lifetime of these children”—amounting to about $8.7 billion annually.
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Vaccine mercury depletes a vital antioxidant, glutathione.
TITLE
Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated with Glutathione Depletion: Protection with Glutathione Precursors
CITATION
S.J. James, William Slikker, Stepan Melnyk, Elizabeth New,
Marta Pogribna, Stefanie Jernigan. NeuroToxicology, 26 (2005) 1–8.
SUMMARY
“Thimerosal is an antiseptic containing 49.5% ethyl mercury that has been used for years as a preservative in many infant vaccines and in flu vaccines. Environmental methyl mercury has been shown to be highly neurotoxic, especially to the developing brain. Because mercury has a high affinity for thiol (sulfhydryl (-SH)) groups, the thiol-containing antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), provides the major intracellular defense against mercury-induced neurotoxicity. Cultured neuroblastoma cells were found to have lower levels of GSH and increased sensitivity to thimerosal toxicity compared to glioblastoma cells that have higher basal levels of intracellular GSH. Thimerosal-induced cytotoxicity was associated with depletion of intracellular GSH in both cell lines. Although Thimerosal has been recently removed from most children’s vaccines, it is still present in flu vaccines given to pregnant women, the elderly, and to children in developing countries.”
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Scientists identify vaccine mercury’s role in blocking crucial neurodevelopmental pathways.
TITLE
Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal
CITATION
M Waly, H Olteanu, R Banerjee, S-W Choi, JB Mason, BS Parker, S Sukumar, S Shim,
A Sharma, JM Benzecry, V-A Power-Charnitsky and RC Deth. Molecular Psychiatry , (2004) 9, 358–370.
SUMMARY
“The ethylmercury-containing preservative thimerosal inhibited both IGF-1- and dopamine-stimulated methylation with an IC50 of 1nM and eliminated MS activity. Our findings outline a novel growth factor signaling pathway that regulates MS activity and thereby modulates methylation reactions, including DNA methylation. The potent inhibition of this pathway by ethanol, lead, mercury, aluminum and thimerosal suggest that it may be an important target of neurodevelopmental toxins.”
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French scientists tie aluminum adjuvant in vaccine to macrophagic myofasciitis.
TITLE
Macrophagic myofasciitis lesions assess long-term persistence of vaccine derived aluminum hydroxide in muscle
CITATION
R.K. Gherardi, M. Coquet, P. Cherin, L. Belec, P. Moretto, P.A. Dreyfus. Brain, 2001, 124, 1821-1831.
SUMMARY
“Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is an emerging condition of unknown cause, detected in patients with diffuse arthromyalgias and fatigue, and characterized by muscle infiltration by granular periodic acid-Schiff’s reagent-positive macrophages and lymphocytes. Intracytoplasmic inclusions have been observed in macrophages of some patients. To assess their significance, electron microscopy was performed in 40 consecutive cases and chemical analysis was done by microanalysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. Inclusions were constantly detected and corresponded to aluminium hydroxide, an immunostimulatory compound frequently used as a vaccine adjuvant.”
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Infants receiving mercury-containing vaccines developed speech disorders, sleep disorders and autism, according to CDC scientists.
TITLE
Increased risk of developmental neurologic impairment after high exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccine in first month of life
CITATION
Verstraeten TM, Davies R, Gu D, DeStefano F. Proceedings of the Epidemic Intelligence Service Annual Conference, April 2000.
SUMMARY
“This analysis suggests that high exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines in the first month of life increases the risk of subsequent development of neurologic development impairment.”
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Vaccines with mercury significantly raised the body levels of mercury in infants.
TITLE
Iatrogenic exposure to mercury after hepatitis B vaccination in preterm infants
CITATION
Gregory V. Stajich, Gaylord P. Lopez, Sokei W. Harry, and William R. Sexson. Journal of Pediatrics, 2000, 136, 679-81.
SUMMARY
“Thimerosal, a derivative of mercury, is used as a preservative in hepatitis B vaccines. We measured total mercury levels before and after the administration of this vaccine in 15 preterm and 5 term infants. Comparison of pre- and post-vaccination mercury levels showed a significant increase in both preterm and term infants after vaccination. Additionally, post-vaccination mercury levels were significantly higher in preterm infants as compared with term infants. Because mercury is known to be a potential neurotoxin to infants, further study of its pharmacodynamics is warranted.”
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A high percentage of autistic children with positive antibodies to the measles and/or human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) also have autoantibodies to brain components. Might the MMR vaccine be an early event in brain autoimmunity?
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Serological association of measles virus and human herpesvirus-6 with brain autoantibodies in autism.
CITATION
SUMMARY
Environmental exposures to toxins as well as viral infections are known to be triggers for autoimmunity. Individuals with autism suffer from a variety of immunological abnormalities with 55-70% having autoantibodies to brain antigens that include myelin basic protein (MBP), neuron-axon filament proteins (NAFP), and serotonin receptor. Many parents have reported the onset of autism soon after receiving a vaccine for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and/or diptheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT). The authors point out that both measles virus and human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) can manifest neurologic sequelae, show molecular mimicry with MBP and NAFP, and are associated with demyelination. To understand a possible association of viruses to brain autoimmunity, these researchers investigated virus serology of the measles virus and HHV-6. Children diagnosed with autism using the DSM-IIIR criteria were compared to normal controls. Both the controls and the children with autism had a high percentage of positive titers to measles as well as HHV-6 antibodies. According to the authors this was to be expected given that, “A high proportion (78%) of general populations is known to have positive titers of HHV-6 antibody.” The high percentage of measles antibody titers (85%) in children with autism was also expected. There is a high rate of seroconversion post MMR vaccination and none of the children had a history of exposure to the wild-type measles infection. An interesting finding was revealed when comparing the virus serology to brain autoantibodies. Among the control group, there were no brain autoantibodies found in any participant. However, among autistic subjects:
“approximately 90% of measles-IgG-positive sera also had anti-MBP”
“73% of measles-IgG- positive sera also had anti-NAFP”
“84% of HHV-6-IgG-positive sera also had anti-MBP”
“72% of HHV-6-IgG-positive sera also had anti-NAFP.”
“the higher the virus antibody titer the greater the chance of brain autoantibody”
The report closing by stating, “In conclusion, we suggest that while the etiology is not known, it is quite instructive to consider environmental factors, for example measles virus and HHV-6, as etiological agents linked to autoimmunity in autism.”
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Thimerosal used in vaccines increases risks of side effects.
TITLE
Thimerosal induces toxic reaction in non-sensitized animals
CITATION
Uchida T, Naito S, Kato H, Hatano I, Harashima A, Terada Y, Ohkawa T, Chino F, Eto K. Thimerosal induces toxic reaction in non-sensitized animals. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. 1994;104(3):296-301.
SUMMARY
A two-decades-old study in mice showed that thimerosal in vaccines may “augment” vaccine side effects in humans. Injection of a thimerosal-containing solution into mice resulted in hypersensitive reactions, including severe swelling and acute inflammation at the injection site with an hour of receiving the injection.
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Aluminum caused tics and grand mal seizures in monkeys.
TITLE
Experimental Epilepsy in the Monkey Following Multiple Intracerebral Injections of Alumina Cream
CITATION
Joseph G. Chusid, Lenore M. Kopeloff, Ph.D. and Nicholas Kopeloff, Ph.D. The Bulletin, 1953.
SUMMARY
The multiple intracerebral injection of alumina cream (aluminum hydroxide cream) into a principal cerebral sensorimotor cortical area is effective in producing chronic epilepsy in monkeys. In all injected animals a variable degree of contralateral hemiparesis was obvious immediately after operation. In five of the six monkeys injected unilaterally, spontaneous contralateral focal motor seizures were evident three to four weeks after operation. Initially there occurred almost continuous twitch-like movements of varying amplitude and regularity, involving the musculature of the contralateral face and limbs. Excitement, agitation, movement or stress readily aggravated and accentuated this type of motor activity and sometimes led to Jacksonian spread with full-blown generalized convulsive seizure and exhaustion.