Ethyl Mercury Versus Methyl Mercury
One of the proposed links between Mercury and Autism is Thimerosal, a compound that has been used in vaccinations. A new study [PDF of abstract] from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA has examine the different effects of ethyl mercury, used in Thimerosal, and methyl mercury, commonly used in industrial processes. Most of the toxicology data on mercury is based on accidental exposure to Methyl Mercury in the work place.
The study inject new born monkeys with either ethyl mercury (in the form of thimerosal) or methyl mercury in doses equivalent to that found in vaccinations for human babies. Mercury levels were then monitored and it was found that the ethyl mercury cleared from the body a lot quicker than the methyl mercury. Critically brain concentrations of total mercury were significantly lower by about three-fold for the thimerosal exposed infants when compared to the methyl mercury infants. This is important because mercury causes brain damage only through long-term exposure (a fact that gave us the phrase ‘as mad as a hatter‘). Thus if the body is cleaning itself quickly of the ethyl mercury, it doesn’t have the chance to build up and cause damage.
Coverage from Rueters: Mercury in Vaccines Different, Study Shows
Find Out More:
Books:
- Signs of Autism in Infants: Recognition and Early Intervention
- Making the Brain Body Connection: A Playful Guide to Releasing Mental, Physical & Emotional Blocks to Success
- Power Brain Kids
- Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
- Learning to Learn: Strengthening Study Skills and Brain Power (Kids’ Stuff)
May 12th, 2005
Autism, Science, Autism and Mercury
Comments on: Ethyl Mercury Versus Methyl Mercury
what is the difference between methyl mercury VS ethyl mercury?
Posted by: Laura June 22nd, 2005 at 4:44 am
Other than they are different chemical compositions of mercury I don’t know what the differences are. For further information I suggest the Mercury entry on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_%28element%29
Posted by: Chris Tregenza June 22nd, 2005 at 9:37 am
A flu shot has 25micrograms of ethyl mercury. The EPA recommends limiting mercury to 0.1 micrgrams per kilogram of weight per day. The FDA (oddly enough) thinks 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of weight per day is “safe”. If the brain concentration for ethyl mercury is 1/3 that of methyl mercury, by my math that is still too high for infants and toddlers. As an example, 20 lbs = 9.1 kilograms. Using the less stringent FDA guidelines, 0.4 x 9.1 = 3.63 micrograms of mercury per day. This is more than SIX TIMES the “safe” level (by FDA guidelines) in a standard flu shot for a 20 lb toddler! By EPA guidelines it’s more than 24 TIMES the “safe” level. No thank you, vaccine maunfacturers.
Posted by: Valerie Holstein October 7th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
http://www.lidc.sfu.ca/broadcast/archive/vaccine/session1.php
Check it out! Great website on mercury and vaccinations
Posted by: Andrea C June 7th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Valerie Holstein, you are confusing “micrograms” and “micrograms per day”, which are two very very different things. By your own math you come up with a safe level of 3.63 micrograms of mercury per day for a sample toddler, and you site a level of 25 micrograms of ethyl mercury in a flu shot.
By the FDA guidelines you cite (and assuming no other exposure sources) it would be safe to give that toddler ONE SHOT PER WEEK, for life. By the more stringent EPA guidelines you cite it would be acceptable to give that toddler a flu shot every month, for life.
So no. A single shot or even one shot every couple of months is a non-issue, even by the the more stringent limits.
Studies have been done, and there is no link between vaccinations and the illnesses blamed on them. Children who do not get these vaccines get the same illnesses at the same rate. I’m all for mercury-free vaccines, but don’t scapegoat valuable lifesaving vaccines just because we are at a loss for the TRUE cause of autism or others. I’d give myself or my child a few dozen mercury-loaded vaccines… far safer and genuinely beneficial compared to all the diseases that vaccines prevnet.
Posted by: Anonymous February 11th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Dear Anonymous:
You say “I’d give myself or my child a few dozen mercury-loaded vaccines…far safer and genuinely beneficial compared to all the diseases that vaccines prevent.”
Let’s take a look at what vaccines are CURRENTLY on the CDC Schedule and see if they all are indeed worse than injecting your child straight into an autistic prison, shall we??
3 Doses of HepB - a sexually transmitted disease. Is your child having sexual intercourse or using IV drugs?? Mine’s not!
3 Doses of Rotavirus - Rotavirus=Bad diarhea…um thanks, but we’ll deal with the diarhea…especially in light of the original recalls on the first round of this vaccine which caused intestinal blockages and killed several children.
4 Doses of DTaP - made with twice the pertusses toxin as when I was a child to really overload the developing immune system. Read the warnings on the vaccine insert - can cause encephalitis and death. A necessary vaccine, but poorly executed! These need to be split into single vaccines and given 1 month apart.
4 Doses of Hib - to help prevent meningitis
4 Doses of pneumococcal - to prevent ear infections. Only covers 8 of some 80+ strains of the pneumococcal bacteria. My son had this and 1 year later needed ear tubes b/c of 12 ear infections. Great vaccine!
4 Doses of IPV
Yearly doses of Influenza - 2 per year - Seriously???? When they get the vaccine wrong almost every year and it’s loaded with 25 mcg of thimerosal in each dose????
2 Doses of MMR
2 Doses of Varicella - Chicken pox??? Since when is that something for which we need a vaccine in childhood?? It STRENGTHENS the immune system!! The vaccine leads to greater chance of shingles later in life and only lasts for 10 years.
2 Doses of HepA
So, that’s a total of 38 shots between birth and 5. By my count, only a maximum of 16 are even questionably necessary (DTap, Hib, IPV, MMR, HepA). Do NOT be confused. The CDC Schedule is designed to keep the vaccine industry in business, parents at work and campaign dollars flowing into the right places. And you better thank whatever god you worship that your child has a good ability to excrete the toxic soup of chemicals in the vaccines they received and didn’t slip away before your eyes like mine did. You have no idea what it is like. I would take a bout of rotovirus or chiken pox or influenza ANYDAY over watching my son deal with autism EVERYDAY!
Educated Autism Mom
Posted by: SR April 1st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Actually, I can prove vaccines aren’t neurotoxins. I give these as examples.
University of Rochester did a new study on infants testing the levels of ethyl-mercury in their systems after given thermisal vaccine. Study shows that ethyl-mercury is expelled from the body quicker then originally thought. In fact, it is expelled from the body ten times faster then methyl-mercury, which is found in fish. The entire reason mercury is toxic is because it stays in the body and bio-accumulates in the brain, and sense the entire basis for”thermisol is evil” is that mercury is neurotoxin and mercury is mercury is mercury, this debunks the myth.
University of Washington, Seattle did their own study, which confirms the above.
A series of papers published in the most recent issue of New England Journal of Medicine suggests that exposure to ethyl-mercury has no effect on the neuropsychological functioning in children
The second part of this myth is “My kid got his shot, and then turned autistic” which also isn’t true. Actually what happened is autistic regression, a key point in the diagnosis is this syndrome. Many times, a child will seem normal until they’re 1 or 2 years old, and then suddenly and quickly deteriorated into autistic behavior. Considering that vaccines are given at this age, and this happens in non-vaccinated children just as often, it’s safe to call this a coincidence.
Mercury is only dangerous thought longer term exposure, ethyl-mercury is out of the system in four, there’s no way it has time to cause these kinds of problems.
I’d rather see this myth go down the toilet then watch a poor family have to bury their child because they fell for the anti-vaccine propaganda.
Educated mom, diagnosed on the spectrum.
Posted by: goche21 July 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
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