Illinois Passes Mercury-Free Vaccine Bill

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PRESS RELEASE: 25 August 2005
Contact: Barbara Alexander Mullarkey: Pres/spokeswoman - 708-848-0166 Sherry Wied: Secretary - 847-836-0488

Illinois Vaccine Awareness Coalition appreciates that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed Public Act 094-0614, the Mercury-Free Vaccine Act.
(www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/ful ... 614&GA=094)

We are indebted to Rep. Kurt Granberg and Senators Mattie Hunter and Don Harmon for shepherding HB511 through both houses. Thanks to co-sponsors:
House - 10 Democrats and 1 Republican and Senate - 5 Democrats and 1 Republican. The House vote was 114-0 and the Senate vote was 56-1.

The Mercury-Free Vaccine Act provides:

Beginning January 1, 2006 - no person shall be vaccinated with a mercury-containing vaccine that contains more than 1.25 micro grams of mercury per dose.

Beginning January 1, 2008 - no person shall be vaccinated with a vaccine or injected with any product that contains, or prior to dilution, had contained as an additive, any mercury based product, whether at preservative or trace amount levels;

Provides that the Department of Public Health may exempt the use of a vaccine from the Act if the Department makes certain findings and specified conditions are met.

ON July 5, 2005, the Food and Drug Administration released a list of vaccines with thimerosal (49.6 percent ethyl mercury). The following vaccines, still contain mercury as part of their manufacturing process or as a preservative. (www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3)

DtaP - Tripedia, Aventis Pasteur, Inc.
Dtap-HepB-IPV - Pediarix, GlaxoSmithKline DT - Aventis Pasteur, Inc DT - Aventis Pasteur, Ltd.
Td - Massachusetts Public Health
Td - Decavac - Aventis Pasteur, Inc
Td - Aventis Pasteur, Inc.
Hepatitis B - Energix, GlaxoSmithKline
Hepatitis B - Recombivax HB(adult/adolescent available in preservative-free & thimerosal (mercury) containing vaccines; HepA/HepB - Twinrix - GlaxoSmithKiline
Influenza: ALL INJECTED FLU VACCINES
Japanese Encephalitis - JE-VAC, Biken
Meningococcal - Menomune - Avantis Pasteur, Inc.

According to Barbara Mullarkey, IVAC president, "Many researchers and parents link neurotoxic mercury in vaccine to neurological disorders and increased rate of children's autism. Parents nationwide are concerned that 1 in 166 children are autistic. In the 1930's, Eli Lily first produced vaccines' thimerosal."

Illinois provides vaccination exemptions based on personal religious beliefs for grammar, high school and college students.