Warning about flu vaccines

Below is an email by Cliff Shoemaker, forwarded to the Kindred office.

'Since our public health officials do not seem concerned about protecting the pregnant women and children in this country, I am forced to ask that everyone who gets this message forward it to all your family and friends.

There are two kinds of influenza vaccines (both regular flu and swine flu) available this year - one contains Thimerosal (a mercury based preservative) and the other does not. As a general rule, the vaccines that come in single dose packages do not contain mercury, while the multi-dose vials do. However, some clinics pre-fill syringes from multi-dose vials. Thus, you need to verify that the syringe was filled by the vaccine’s manufacturer and not by anyone else, if you are offered a flu-shot dose in a syringe.

The amount of mercury in the Thimerosal preserved vaccines is about 25 micrograms. The EPA safe dose (confirmed by the National Academy of Science in 2001) for exposure to methyl mercury that should not be exceeded is .1 microgram per kilogram of body weight per day. This standard is set for "methyl" mercury. Neither FDA nor EPA has set a "safe" level for "ethyl" mercury, the active ingredient in Thimerosal, but the FDA considers them equivalent in its risk evaluation. Although they are similar organic molecules, studies show that an equivalent dose of "ethyl" mercury can actually deposit more mercury in the brain. So, if a child receives a shot with 25 micrograms of mercury, the child would have to weigh 550 pounds to remain within the recommended safe level of exposure. With regard to injecting these vaccines into pregnant women, we know that some of the mercury will cross the placental barrier to the fetus. We tell pregnant women not to eat fish, and yet our government is not warning them about having mercury injected into their bodies while they are pregnant. In my opinion, this is inexcusable.

If you receive the swine flu vaccine this year, be sure to keep the card they give you, and make sure the card lists the manufacturer and lot number of the vaccine. But if you are injured by the vaccine, you will not be able to go to the no fault vaccine court that is available for other vaccine injuries. You will have to apply for compensation to a special program, from which there is no appeal and no right to pursue any kind of civil litigation. The industry demand for complete immunity is yet another reason to doubt government claims that mercury-containing vaccines are "safe." CDC admitted at a meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting on September 15 that none of the safety trials of the H1N1 vaccines would be completed on either pregnant women or infants prior to launch of these vaccines, yet they still "believe" them to be safe.

If you try to get a mercury free flu vaccine and are unable to do so or if this letter has reached you after you already received your flu shot and you discover the one you received had mercury in it, please contact the people at CoMeD (The Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs) by emailing them your story and detailed contact information using the "Contact Us" link provided on the CoMeD website: http://www.Mercury-freeDrugs.org'


Cliff Shoemaker is an attorney working on vaccine issues.