http://www.greenbaynewschron.com/page.html?article=126854Quote
Heavy metal toxicity has been studied for years. Recently, a group of parents of autistic children have discovered what appears to be selective use of data to eliminate the associations in earlier studies between autism and vaccines containing mercury.
Mercury is recognized as a dangerous neurotoxin, and ethyl mercury is used in Thimerosal, a preservative used in numerous vaccines. During the 1990’s, several more vaccines were added to the list of mandatory vaccines, but no one at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had done the simple addition that would show that tiny two-month old babies were then getting up to 62.5 micrograms of mercury, nearly 118 times the EPA’s limit for daily exposure for an adult. Tests of baby teeth have shown very high levels of mercury after inoculations at that age. There is a four to one ratio of boys to girls affected by autism-the same ratio applies to mercury poisoning. Testosterone may be a factor in the different ratios. Exposure to mercury is linked to an epidemic of neurobehavioral disease in children, e.g. ADHD, Autism, and learning disabilities - one out of every six children in the US is now affected.
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President Bush signed into law a bill that establishes a Department of Homeland Security. According to Bob Herbert, columnist for the New York Times, “Buried in this massive bill, snuck into it in the dark of night by persons unknown (actually, it's fair to say by Republican persons unknown), was a provision that - incredibly - will protect Eli Lilly and a few other big pharmaceutical outfits from lawsuits by parents who believe their children were harmed by Thimerosal.” House Majority Leader Dick Armey later admitted that he inserted the language and is proud of it. Senator John McCain of Arizona said, "This language will primarily benefit large brand-name pharmaceutical companies which produce additives to children's vaccines - with substantial benefit to one company in particular. It has no bearing whatsoever on domestic security." And yet, the bill is law. Armey says the White House instructed him to insert the language at the last minute to avoid debate. This section was repealed following efforts of parents all over the nation.
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Congressman Dave Weldon, M.D., has introduced HR 4169, which will ban Thimerosal from vaccines nationwide. Representative Weldon may not know that one manufacturer of Thimerosal, Eli Lilly, has a very close relationship with the Bush family. George H.W. Bush served on the Eli Lilly board in the 1970’s, and White House budget director, Mitch Daniels, former director of the Office of Management and Budget under G.W. Bush, was once an Eli Lilly executive. Sidney Taurel, Eli Lilly CEO, serves on the president's Homeland Security Advisory Council. How chummy it must be.
Also interesting is this article:
Pollution levels up under Bush
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/072604/opi_edi1001.shtmlQuote
Mercury occurs naturally in the environment at low levels, but man-made sources have been adding to the natural levels. Coal-fired power plants are the largest single source of mercury emissions in the United States, accounting for 48 tons each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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The EPA estimates one out of every six women of childbearing age has an increased risk of having a baby with neurological impairment from exposure to methyl-mercury in utero.
Environmental issues rarely help decide elections, but with the presidency on the line this year we think President Bush ought to explain why his administration chose to roll back federal environmental laws designed to protect people against pollution-related disease.
Federal policy put in place before Bush took office mandated the reduction of coal-fired power plant pollution by 90 percent by 2008. The Bush administration's rule calls for a 70 percent reduction in power plant mercury pollution by 2018.