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FEATURE: Brian Deer What makes an expert? BMJ 2007; 334: 666-667 [Full text]

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Mercury the culprit?

George Dale   (14 August 2007)

Don't Tell On SIDS

John C Fryer   (17 October 2007)

Mercury the culprit? 14 August 2007
George Dale, Retired general practitioner Retired FY6 BZ Send response to journal: Re: Mercury the culprit?	Dear Sir, Some time ago on listening to the radio I heard that a new quadruple vaccine was to be introduced. In addition to the increased protection, mercury was no longer to be used in the manufacture. I was somewhat surprised to hear that mercury had ever been used; as in my time as a medical student, some 65yrs ago, it was found that mercury in cooling powders, used for febrile infants, was the cause of Pink's Disease. a potentially fatal disease of young children. When the mercury was withdrawn from the powders the disease ceased to be a problem. In the light of the findings published in the article by Brian Deer on research into the link between Autism and vaccine, and my experience of the link between mercury and Pinks disease in children, it would appear that my observations might be relevant Competing interests: None declared
Don't Tell On SIDS 17 October 2007
John C Fryer, retired scientist Dinan France 22100 Send response to journal: Re: Don't Tell On SIDS	From my chemistry classes of the 1960's I had the same thoughts about mercury being bad for us. The safe level in 1967 for mercury was ZERO by for example the UK PSD (Pesticide Safety Directorate). In the USA you attract huge fines if the water supply contains more than 2 ppb (parts per billion) of mercury. In vaccines they put 50 000 ppb of a mercury compound designed to enter the brain and destroy it at 5 times the puissance of the related methyl mercury in the near zero exposure suffered by Karen Wetterhan Chemist who died from its sinister effects. Thimerosal is not likely to cause autism then but it may just kill you. It was clever to remove it though, or have they? Shhh Don't Tell On SIDS. John Fryer MSc BSc Advanced Analytical Chemist Competing interests: Chemist investigating health issues related to chemical exposures