rejected for publication in the ST forum

Here's the e-mail reply from the ST:

Thank you for writing to us. We do appreciate your making the effort.

We receive 70 letters on average each day. Limited space means we can
publish only about a dozen every weekday.
This means having to make often-difficult editorial judgments on which
letters to publish.

We regret we are unable to publish your letter this time, and hope you will
appreciate the constraints on space we face every day.
We hope you will continue taking an interest in the Forum Page.

Yours sincerely

Ms Noor Aiza
for Forum Editor
The Straits Times

And here's my e-mail letter to the ST

24/05/2005 03:34PM
Subject: Response to a letter on thimerosal-containing vaccines (ST May 23)

To The Forum Editor (The Straits Times),

I refer to the letter by the Health Sciences Authority, Thimerosal-containing vaccines have little risk (ST, May 23). The letter referred to a study, among others, by researchers at the University of Rochester. The results of this study were published in The Lancet (Pichichero, M. E. et al, 2002. Volume 360, pages 1737 1741). There are certain points that I should bring to your readers attention.

First, the study did not address the issue of the vaccine safety, per se. It is a study on the levels of mercury in infants after vaccination.

Second, the safe level of 29 nmol/L was taken from a study on toxicity in mice, not humans. (Nielsen, J. B. et al, 1994. Archives of Toxicology, volume 68, pages 317 321). It is not uncommon in toxicology research for a finding of toxicity to be noted when symptoms are manifested and not by the measurement of blood concentrations. It is known that the symptoms of mercury poisoning may not be immediately obvious and are often felt years later.

Third, the study revealed that the average amount of mercury in stools of infants who received vaccines containing thimerosal was 81.8 ng/g while that of the control group (i.e. infants on thimerosal-free vaccines) was 22 ng/g. This finding does not prove that vaccines with mercury are safe. We should, instead, be aware that infants are subjected to almost four times the amount of mercury when vaccines with thimerosal are used.

Forth, the safe level of mercury is a widely debated topic. There are as many recommended safety levels as there are researches. In the study, a dose of Hepatitis B vaccine contained 12.5 micrograms (mcg) of mercury. Taking the average birth weight of an infant as 3 kg would mean injecting over 4 mcg/kg of mercury at birth (which, incidentally, is when the first dose of this vaccine is given to babies born here). However, it is interesting to note that a WHO committee of experts on food safety had suggested in June 2003 that the safe level of mercury in food should not exceed 1.6 mcg/kg.

Fifth, mercury is sequestered in organs where it does most damage. Measuring blood levels does not tell us how much mercury is concentrated in the organs. What are needed are studies into the levels of mercury in organs and the correlation of such levels with toxicity.

There is research linking mercury with developmental problems, for example autism. Health care providers in Singapore should make thimerosal-free vaccines available to parents, who should be allowed this option for their children, instead of being forced into a one-size-fits-all vaccination regime. An acceptable standard in another community (often with people of different genetic make-up) does not make the product safe here. It is important that the health authorities and medical profession in Singapore conduct research to develop safety standards suitable for the local population and to critically review those adopted by other countries.

Sincerely,

...Letter ends...

For all concerned parents out there, especially those who are worried about autism, please, please request for mercury-free vaccines for your kids. The jury is still out on this issue, so play safe...