Your view: Know the facts about mercury
By Paul Anderson | Mooretown, Ontario, Canada

Although I am not a resident of the region your publication serves, I have become aware of the aforementioned letter through the Web site Respectful Insolence: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/05/what_is_it_about_winona_mn_and_antivacci.php

It contains some very alarming claims. Regrettably, these claims have little basis in fact. I would like to chiefly address the question of mercury.
The authors of this letter treat mercury as a single substance. This is not entirely correct. Mercury is contained in many compounds, and each have varying characteristics. Much of the concern about thimerosal content in vaccines has been in regard to exposure levels for methyl mercury. Thimerosal does not, in fact, contain methyl mercury, but rather ethyl mercury. Recent studies have demonstrated that ethyl mercury is excreted from the body far more quickly than methyl mercury. As has been mentioned, in spite of there being no evidence of thimerosal being harmful, it was removed from the few remaining vaccines which contained it.

I am greatly alarmed that this letter may cause some parents to choose to not have their children vaccinated. The fears are not founded in science.

The danger of the diseases these vaccinations prevent is being very much understated. Put simply, any parent who chooses to not have their child vaccinated is gambling with that child’s life. We are already beginning to see outbreaks of diseases like measles and pertussis.

These diseases continue to take lives in parts of the world where vaccination is less common.

I urge your readers to consult their physician and have their children vaccinated.

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