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Traditional Research Paper

Vaccines were first introduced in the 1800s and were almost immediately
controversial. This was widely due to the lack of research and knowledge on them at the
time, to the point that they regularly did what many people accuse them to do today,
such as the vaccine causing the disease it was supposed to fight, vaccines containing
pus, sores, and other disease ridden substances, and doctors not informing patients
what is in vaccines or the information not being available [1]. As the years passed and
more and more research was done on them, vaccines became less and less
dangerous. However, the controversy surrounding vaccines has evolved right alongside
them. While both sides make some good points, and many not-so-good points, there
has yet to be a definitive answer as to whether or not vaccines are effective. One of the
most controversial, and arguably easily preventable, issues with vaccines are potentially
harmful ingredients present in them. Ingredients such as aluminum, formaldehyde, and
the topic of this paper, mercury are present in vaccines [4].
Mercury is an element which occurs naturally in earths crust [2] and is toxic to
the central and peripheral nervous systems [2]. An average adult human male can safely
process and expel 8.17 micrograms of mercury per day. However, not everyone is an
adult male. The effects of mercury can vary in severity based on age, sex, and size. As
it turns out, variation in effect can be based on: the type of mercury, how much mercury,
the age and/or weight of the person, how long exposure is, and the method of exposure
[2]

. Out of these factors, several are problematic. How much mercury varies based on

the vaccine, but not based on the persons weight or age. Because they are one size
fits all [3]. The method of exposure is injection, which many consider the most

dangerous due to the lack of protection otherwise provided by the respiratory or


digestive systems [7]. And lastly, the duration is however long it takes for each subject to
expel the mercury. The amount of mercury that is safe to be in the human body is 0.1
micrograms or mercury per kilogram of bodyweight. The type of mercury this
information applies to is known as methyl mercury, while the mercury found in vaccines
is knows as thimerosal or ethyl mercury. However, they both contain 50% mercury by
mass, so the information still stands. According to
http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/Vaccines/Thimerosal.html the mandated limit for
mercury is two parts per billion (ppb). While the amount of mercury present for liquid
waste to be considered a toxic hazard is 200 ppb, the amount of mercury in a
thimerosal-free vaccine is 600 ppb [4], not to mention the 25,000 ppb found in infant flu
shots [4] and 50,000 ppb found in regular flu shots.

[4]

Knowing all of this, the next question is why is mercury in vaccines? According
to the FDA [4], mercury is in vaccines as a preservative to prevent bacterial growth.
However, as discussed above, the human body can deal with mercury to a certain
degree. But there is a bit more of a pressing question: is it worth it? This question is
rather vague, and may not have a definitive answer, but it requires a fair amount of
analysis. Above it was stated that 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of bodyweight is safe,
and that there are 25,000 ppb found in infant flu vaccines. That equates to 25
micrograms. Therefore, for an infant flu shot to be safe for an infant, said infant would
have to weigh (25mcg = 0.1mcg/kg * Xkg, Xkg = 25/0.1 = 250kg, 250/0.454 = 551.2lb) well
over 500 pounds. It is also known that a regular flu vaccine contains twice that much,
meaning the patient would have to weigh over half a ton for it to be safe.

Overall mercury is extremely dangerous, and is considered the fifth deadliest


element known to man [6]. However, removing it would not necessarily mean that
vaccines are completely safe. There are several other ingredients in vaccines that are
potentially harmful. These ingredients include formaldehyde and aluminum. Not only are
those ingredients present, but there are factors outside of whats inside of vaccines that
makes them a possible threat, such as interactions between vaccines, the same way
different prescription medication can interact. This is not saying that vaccines are bad,
or that no one should get vaccines. This is pointing out is that vaccination as a
treatment is a flawed system, and something needs to change before it is learned if they
are harmful or not.

References:
[1] http://drsuzanne.net/dr-suzanne-humphries-vaccines-vaccination/
[2] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs361/en/
[3] https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safetyprevention/immunizations/Pages/Vaccine-Doses.aspx
[4] http://vaxtruth.org/2011/08/vaccine-ingredients/
[5]http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096
228
[6] http://www.planetdeadly.com/nature/10-dangerous-chemical-elements

[7] http://www.naturalnews.com/042012_vaccine_facts_vaccinedamaged_children_CDC.html

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