Environment

Mercury Treaty Finalized: Mercury Stays in Vaccines

January 19, 2013 by admin in Vaccines with 2 Comments

Mercury will continue to be used in vaccines. So sayeth a UN treaty. As Gaia Health has said, ‘The upcoming mercury treaty will not ban mercury in vaccines. Instead, it will most likely have the opposite effect. It will probably prevent nations from banning mercury-laden vaccines.’

Caduceus Entwining Hypodermic on Mercury Background (background by Patrick Hoesly

by Heidi Stevenson

Some time back during a flurry of hopeful claims saying that Africa would resist mercury in vaccines, Gaia Health resisted the urge to jump on the bandwagon. Rather than tell people what they wanted to hear, the reality was explained. And now, that reality has come real. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has finalized a mercury treaty that leaves those most at risk fully exposed. Vaccinated children will receive no protections whatsoever.

Mercury in the form of thimerosal (also called thiomersal) will continue to be used in vaccines.

You can read the original article here.

This treaty, though, could spell even worse. Trade laws require so-called harmonization, which means that any country that signs this treaty must acquiesce to it. Therefore, the countries, like the US, that have largely phased mercury out of vaccines can expect to be sued by corporations insisting that it puts an unfair burden on them in producing vaccines.

Gaia Health explained that, in spite of an impassioned and informed argument put forth by CoMeD, Inc to a UNEP meeting, and despite that agency’s press releases indicating a presence at UNEP’s meetings, the reality is that a report issued shortly after their presentation effectively dismissed CoMeD’s representatives, Geier and Geier. Here’s what was stated:

GACVS [Global Advisory Committee on Vacine Safety] also reviewed a series of studies by Geier and Geier alleging reduction of neurodevelopmental disorders in the United States of America following discontinuation of thiomersal-containing vaccines in the national immunization programme. The Committee found a number of limitations, including: … The Committee therefore found the conclusions made by these authors unconvincing.^[1]

The topic of banning mercury in vaccines was effectively dead. No amount of argument about the Geiers being right mattered. The vaccine industry won. And today, that fact is clear as the mercury treaty agreement is announced.

A Weak Treaty

The truth is that the treaty is weak. Another extremely serious source of mercury is the coal industry. However, the treaty requires only that mercury emissions be reduced “where feasible”. Small gold mining operations, another highly significant source of mercury pollution, will have no limitations placed on them. The now-ubiquitous fluorescent light bulb, which contains mercury, is also given a pass.

Countries are not required to create plans to reduce mercury. With the exception of a gradual phase-out of dental amalgam that includes mercury and a ban on mercury in cosmetics, little of value will come from UNEP’s mercury treaty.

Strong Treaties for Corporate Will

There is one probable exception to the power of UNEP’s mercury treaty. Eventually, we can expect that any government that has banned mercury in vaccines will be sued for creating a barrier to free trade. It has already happened in regard to country-of-origin labeling on products. The World Trade Organization (WTO) insists that such labels interfere with trade. You can read about that here.

Treaties once functioned primarily as instruments insuring peace between nations. Now, though, they’re the primary tool of corporations to force nations to bow to their will. The people are rapidly losing their right to determine their own destiny. If what the people want conflicts with what a corporation wants, then you can be sure that a treaty will be written to enforce its will over that of the people.

Therefore, there is little good that can come of this treaty. Perhaps, one day, dental amalgams with mercury will be phased out as a result, and there are already signs that the FDA is addressing mercury in cosmetics. However, an unintended side effect could very well be the removal of restrictions against using mercury in vaccines. Don’t be too surprised if your right to even know what’s in vaccines is also eliminated, just as your right to know where your food comes from is nearly gone.