Kanawha County Mom Wants Mercury Ban
Posted Thursday, February 22, 2007 ; 06:29 PM
Updated Thursday, February 22, 2007 ; 09:03 PM
Watch Video
Bill would keep thimerosal out of West Virginia vaccines.
Story by Sara Gavin Email | Bio
CHARLESTON -- Near his first birthday, Chase McAllister's parents noticed a drastic shift in his behavior.
"He just kind of closed up and we lost eye contact. He wouldn't answer to his name," said Ginger McAllister, the boy's mother. A few months later, a diagnosis confirmed their suspicions - Chase is autistic.
McAllister is convinced his condition was caused by a vaccine.
"He had two rounds of the flu vaccine which I found out later has 12.5 micrograms of mercury," she said.
Chase's twin sister Chelsea had the same round of shots and didn't show a change. Still, McAllisterand many other parents of autistic kids are concerned that a chemical called thimerosal is causing an adverse reaction in some children.
Thimerosal is a preservative derived from mercury that appears in trace amounts in some vaccines required for children all across the US.
Some versions of the flu vaccine can contain more than 12 times that amount.
"These are our babies, these are infants. They depend on us and we're injecting neurotoxins and it's just wrong," said McAllister.
Joined by Bridgeport native Jamie Bailey, McAllister is now championing a bill to get lawmakers to ban thimerosal from all vaccines in West Virginia.
It's a move the director of the state's immunization program staunchly opposes.
"It would make vaccines cost more, it would cause a disruption in the supply of vaccines, parent confidence in the safety of vaccines would come into question, immunization rates would drop, disease outbreaks would rise," said Jeff Neccuzi.
The Centers for Disease Control has not established a link between mercury or thimerosal and autism or any other disorder ,and the State Health Department insists there is no reason for parents to be at all worried about vaccines.
However, seven other states have passed legislation similar to what Ginger is proposing.
"There is nothing we have gotten confirmed from the government that suggests we need to take these vaccines off the shelf," said Del. Don Perdue, D-Wayne, Chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee. However, McAllister has vowed not to abandon her plight.
Professor X here, I've heard a great amount about this but, for my own thoughts on this manner I feel Mercury poisoning causing Autism is to me hard to fully accept however; my mind is always opened to a variety of suggestions Yet, personally I don't really care how I came this way only that people should treat me with humanity that's all.
Professor X
23 Feb 2007, 12:39 pm
