Today, I was beset by moments of incredulity.  Three to be exact.  I’ll write about the other two in a moment.

The first was shared with me through an email reposting of an article that came out in the Journal Sentinel today.

Apparently, when you get a flu shot, you also getting a dose of mercury through a preservative that is used to create cost-savings for the corporations that are making them.  Thimerosal has been used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s. It is 49.6% mercury by weight and is metabolized into ethyl mercury and thiosalicylate. 

The negative effects of mercury have been known for some time.  Here is the EPA’s website on the effects of mercury.

The EPA classifies a liquid with 200 parts per billion of mercury as hazardous waste. The limit for drinking water is 2 parts per billion.

A typical 0.5 milliliter flu shot contains 25 micrograms — or 50,000 parts per billion — of mercury.

There has even been some conjecture that mercury is connected with autism.  It does make you wonder.  Babies and children are recommended to get flu shots - this year, according to the article, they are recommending that babies get TWO flu shots.  So, 100,000 parts per billion of mercury. 

The thing is that you don’t have to have a vaccine with mercury.  You can request one without.  But no one knows about this because - well - no one knows that there is mercury in the vaccines.

It’s not only Flu vaccines that have mercury.  Check out the table here with information about which vaccines have thimerosal.

Groups that are keeping abreast of the issues with thimerosal and mercury include the website Thimerosal News.

 Incredulity #1 done.  Onto #2 in the next post.