LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From the issue of April 20, 2006.

Biondi thanked for vaccine bill
To the editor:
   I’m writing today to thank Assemblyman Peter Biondi for introducing legislation A1324, which removes mercury from vaccines. The legislation was drafted to protect children and adults from a preservative called thimerosal, which is almost 50 percent ethyl mercury.
   The bill phases out mercury in vaccines over the next three years, and is a very necessary bill to protect the New Jersey population.
   Mercury is a known neurotoxin and the second most toxic element known to man.
   In 1999 the government and pharmaceutical companies acknowledged that the amount of mercury in routine childhood vaccinations was rather large, and so the government asked the pharmaceuticals to take thimerosal out. The AAP agreed, stating in July 2001 "Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."
   Flash forward to 2006. Thimerosal was removed, over time, from routine childhood vaccinations. But the flu shot was added to recommended vaccinations starting from age 6 months.
   The flu vaccine for children under age 3 contains 12.5 micrograms of mercury; for age 3 and up a whopping 25 micrograms. To put that in perspective, toxic waste is 200 parts per billion; flu vaccine with thimerosal is 50,000 parts per billion.
   The flu vaccine is a perfect example of why this bill is important. Without regulations, the manufacturers will continue to do what is less costly, and what allows them to follow less stringent cleanliness rules in manufacturing.
   The AAP, who opposed this bill at a recent New Jersey assembly committee hearing on March 13, should be ashamed of themselves. We all know mercury is toxic. The AAP knows mercury is toxic, as per their July 2001 statement.
   There are so many good reasons to take thimerosal out of vaccines. There are other preservatives, and vaccine manufacturers are willing to make single-dose vials which don’t require a preservative at all. Thimerosal has never in 75 years been tested for safety. Thimerosal was the preservative used in the Chiron flu vaccine which was recalled due to bacterial contamination in 2004, thus the preservative is not only dangerous but also ineffective.
   Thimerosal has been banned in Denmark, Austria, Great Britain, all of Scandinavia, Russia and Japan; plus seven states so far (California, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, New York, and most recently Washington state).
   So please if you see Assemblyman Biondi around town, thank him for his hard work in championing this legislation. Write your assemblymen/women and senators and ask them to cosponsor A1324 in the assembly and S618 in the senate.
   And remember to ask if your flu shot is mercury-free before getting your vaccination.
H. Anne Downing

Hillsborough

Hunting not best for controlling deer
To the editor:
   This letter is in response to Tom Slinsky’s argument which justifies hunting to solve the deer population problem.
   In his letter, he argues that "Hunting is still most humane and will remain the safest, most cost effective way of controlling wildlife population." How can this be true?
   Last time I checked, killing innocent animals in an effort to control population is NOT humane. How is killing humane?
   He also says "We need to start seeing the big picture and stop being myopic on this subject."
   His reasoning is fundamentally flawed, though. How is killing something, as a means of population growth, a long-range solution? Because we have too much of something, we should kill it? What’s next then – birds? Squirrels? Killing is not a long-term solution.
   Furthermore, hunting is not 100 percent safe. Amateur hunters make numerous errors in their average hunting day.
   For example, look at the error with Vice-president Dick Cheney accidentally shooting his friend. These are amateurs not professionals.
   Hiring sharpshooters to reduce the deer population is not that safe either. Humans, by nature, make mistakes. The bullets from these sharpshooters’ guns can sometimes travel up to two and a half miles. Imagine the tragedy that could result from a missed shot striking a 5 year old boy playing in his backyard.
   The idea that hunting is the most cost effective method is not entirely true. GonaCon is an immunocontraceptive vaccine that works with an animal’s hormones to completely suspend sexual activity. The vaccine causes these animals to be in a nonreproductive state for up to four years.
   The cost of this vaccine is $2-$10 per dose. It is estimated that the cost of trapping the animal and injecting or darting it would be about $500. Recently, the cost to hire sharpshooters to kill deer in Princeton was about $300 per deer.
   An adult doe can produce one to two fawns per year. At the end of four years, this would yield a minimum of four new deer. The cost to kill these deer would be $1,200.
   However, if the doe had been shot with GonaCon it would have only cost $500. The results would be the same at the end of those four years under both options in the sense that the population would not have increased. The difference is that the non-lethal option nets at least $700 in savings for the taxpayers.
   Animals have rights too. They have the right not to be slaughtered as a means towards population reduction. There are non-lethal ways to solve this overpopulation.
Joe Vazzano

Garretson Lane