By Kenneth Barbalace

Politically motivated fear mongering has become a routine part of the partisan discourse with some media outlets. This is an unfortunate part of the current political reality. There are occasions, however, when this fear mongering goes far beyond being just political hatchet jobs and become a true public menace. Tonight FOX News' Glen Beck crossed that line and became a true public health menace.

I don't have cable or satellite TV specifically because I don't want to in any shape form or fashion help enable or support the cable news channels and what they try to pass off as news. As such I didn't see Glen Beck's program tonight, however, I did get the following email from one of his viewers this evening:

I am a concerned citizen trying to find information on some chemical compounds to make a more informed decisions.

I hope you can point me in the right direction or give me some information as I am not a scientist, but want some scientific facts, and possibly to see written results of tests. I want my family to be safe, but I am also concerned about toxins .

I was watching Glenn Beck tonight, and was told that thimerosal was in the H1N1 shots, which said contains Ethyl Mercury in high amounts, and the past reports I have researched said that the safe doses for this chemical was 0.1kg and that current shots contained 237MG. How much difference is this?

Does this constitute poison, or toxicity build up, and if its stored in the brain, does your body ever rid the chemicals of ethyl mercury or thimerosal?

Also can you tell me where to find MSDS on Ethyl Mercury, and facts about over dosages, has it ever been tested on people, in the same dose compared to weight in animals for testing?

I found this link http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/thimerosal.pdf is this document
correct?

Can you tell me what the effects of Ethyl Mercury vs Methyl Mercury are, if a person was overdosed with this is there any cure for it?

Glenn's doctors also said that it is stored in the brain.

Is Ethyl Mercury toxic like regular mercury, and how can a person know if the shot
contains Ethyl or Methyl Mercury?

What other effect if any, do you know if Ethyl Mercury stops bacteria? Does bacterias affect peoples brains from flu's?

Anyway I am a little confused, but I want third opinions as I don't like to make decisions on a whim when concerning everyone who lives here.

Thank you for your time.

On average, according to the Center for Disease Control, 36,171 people die each year in the U.S. from seasonal flu. This year with the H1N1 Swine flu we could be heading into one of the worst flu outbreaks since the 1918 flu pandemic. To stem the spread of the H1N1 flu, and reduce the number of people who die from it, it is critical to get as many people vaccinated as is possible, especially if they are in the high risk categories. Yet what does Glen Beck do? He tries to use the vaccine as yet another opportunity to stir up fear in his TV audience to convince them that President Obama and his administration are out to get them.

The email I received, is proof that Glen Beck's irresponsible behavior has indeed sowed fear, uncertainty and doubt into the minds of his viewers who were probably already concerned about the flu itself. Thanks to his spreading of paranoid delusions, there will undoubtedly be many individuals who will, out of fear, not get the vaccine. As a result, they will get sick and either die themselves or help spread the virus to others who in turn get sick and die. Glen Beck's actions and fear mongering are not just opportunistic, but they are incredibly irresponsible and should not be tolerated. His fear mongering has undoubtedly set in motion a chain of events, which will result in needless deaths.

In regards to the email I received above, here is the reply I sent them:

There have been several high profile cases of individuals trying to blame vaccines and ethyle mercury for all kinds of things including autism without one shred of scientific evidence to back up their claims. Studies have been conducted into these fears in the past and no causation could be shown. One must separate real science from pseudoscience and one must look at Glen Beck's history of outrageous statements that can not stand up to the slightest bit of scrutiny. His motivation is purely political and it is to spread fear and doubt.

You must ask yourself, who would you trust more about the safety of vaccines? Health care professionals who are working very hard to keep us from getting sick or a TV personality who makes a living being as outrageous as possible? I personally have no concerns about the safety of the vaccine and my entire family plans to get the vaccine when it becomes available.

The threat of H1N1 is very real. The supposed dangers of the vaccine are a figment of Glen Beck's imagination.

If you have the slightest doubt about this issue, I would suggest you consult your family physician. They are in the best position to explain the details to you. Just don't base your health care decisions on the paranoid delusions of some famous TV personality.

To answer your question about weights:
1kg = 1,000g = 1,000,000mg

Thus 237mg = 0.000237kg

Based on your note for maximum safe dosage and Ethyl Mercury concentration, you would have to get 421 injections of the H1N1 vaccine to reach the maximum safe dosage. You probably get more mercury in your diet from eating fish on a regular basis (especially if you sport fish).

Sincerely,
Ken Barbalace

Glen Beck has gone way beyond being a partisan hack with paranoid delusions. He has become a true menace to society and FOX News needs to remove him from their programming.

UPDATE
Leave it to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to put the fear mongering around the N1H1 flu vaccine into perspective.

By Kenneth Barbalace

Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays and intellectual retardation are among the neurodevelopmental disorders that extract an enormous emotional, mental and financial toll in terms of compromised quality of life and lifelong disability. Additionally, these require special education, psychological and medical support services that drain resources and contribute to further stress on the families and communities. While it is generally accepted that the cause for these disabilities is likely to include genetic and environmental factors, for a vast majority of these disabilities, the cause remains unknown.

Many factors contribute in complex ways to brain development. These include gene expression, heredity, socioeconomic factors, stress, drugs, nutrition and chemical contaminants. Brain development is a long, complicated process involving cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and cell death (apoptosis). There are multiple ways by which chemicals can disrupt neurological development such as influencing gene expression, protein pathways and hypothyroidism.....

Read entire article by Mona S. Gupta, Ph.D.

By Kenneth Barbalace

Every day it seems we learn of new products that were made in China being recalled because they contain lead and/or other harmful substances. From the food we eat or feed our pets to personal hygiene products like toothpaste to the toys we give our children, "made in China" is becoming the new "skull and crossbones" warning label. In May of 2006 we reported on a Russian ban on Norwegian salmon due to elevated levels of the heavy metal cadmium. It turned out that the cadmium had been fed to the fish as a result of contaminated batches of the mineral supplement zinc sulphate, which was added to the fish food and had been imported from China. Since then, the trickle of "isolated" contamination events of Chinese made products has turned into a raging torrent of product recalls. Although one can't help but wonder if the problem existed all along and the sudden torrent of recalls is simply because more attention is being paid to this issue.

A review of product recalls on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website that were posted between January 1, 2007 and August 17, 2007 found 36 recalls of products (mostly for children) that contained unacceptable levels of lead or other chemical hazards. Of those 36 recalls (which each can represent dozens of products) 33 were for products manufactured in China (which includes 2 recalls for products from Hong Kong), 2 were for products manufactured in India, and 1 had no country of origin listed. This means that on average for the beginning of 2007, the CPSC was issuing a recall for products that posed an unacceptable lead or chemical danger every single week. Also of the 36 recalls, 21 were for children's costume jewelry (19 from China, 2 from India).

On top of the CPSC recalls there was also a well publicized ban on some farmed fish from China, a toothpaste scare where many brands of toothpaste imported from China turned out to contain the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol, and contaminated wheat gluten which had found its way into pet and livestock feed.

For the most part, goods imported into the United States are not inspected or tested by government agencies for safety. Rather, the responsibility for ensuring the safety of products being imported is left to the companies importing the goods. Commonly it is only when a problem is discovered that government agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission step in and investigate the situation.

The risks posed by lead

Lead is a serious health risk for infants, children, and women of child bearing age. In children lead can cause: nervous system and kidney damage; learning disabilities including attention deficit disorder and decreased intelligence; speech, language, and behavioral problems; etc. In adults lead can cause: increase chances of illness during pregnancy; harm a fetus including causing brain damage; fertility problems; nervous system disorders; memory and concentration problems; etc. High levels of lead exposure can cause seizures, unconsciousness, and even death (source CPSC publication: "Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home" – PDF). Lead can enter the blood stream via ingestion or inhalation.

Home test kits

Consumers can protect their children from potentially ingesting lead by getting home lead test kits and testing products around one's home. There are two different styles of kits. One style requires the consumer to take samples and mail them in to the testing laboratory. The other style of test kit can show test results immediately without being mailed in. We have not tested any of these kits so we can not make recommendations as to what works best. When buying these tests online, be really careful to buy them from a reliable source. Another source for these test kits are pottery supply stores that sell "raw materials" (e.g. clays, glazes, kilns, etc.). The types of products that should be tested are those that a child could be put in their mouth, could be eaten, or could come in contact with food either directly or indirectly (e.g. crystal glasses, dishes, hands, etc.). It should be noted that most garden hoses do contain lead and are not safe to drink water from unless the hose is labeled as safe for potable water. Also, most Christmas tree lights contain lead and one should wash their hands after handling these lights and before handling any food.

Food for thought

Do you know where your food comes from? The odds are that some of the food every American ate today, or at least some ingredients in the processed food they ate, came from China because China is the number one exporter of food to the United States, with food imports from China doubling between 2004 and 2007. In fact, China now supplies around 80% of the world's supply of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and much of the world's supply of vitamin B-12. So, if you run down the ingredient list of any food you buy and it includes "ascorbic acid" you can be almost certain that the ascorbic acid came from China. Making matters worse of the imported products the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for inspecting, only one percent of them actually get inspected with only half of those inspections including analytical testing (source NPR). By comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects nearly 16% of meat and poultry imported into the U.S. (source USA Today).

In spite of only inspecting one percent of imports they are responsible for inspecting, in July 2007 alone the FDA refused entry for products from China 130 times. Reasons blocking Chinese food imports included: unapproved ingredients; poisonous substances and/or unsafe additives; being contaminated with animal drugs and/or pesticides; being tainted with salmonella; etc. Between August 2006 and July 2007, the FDA refused the importation of products from China around 1,877 times. Think about this for a minute; the FDA inspects only one percent of imports and still rejected Chinese goods 1,877 times. So just how much unsafe food made it past FDA inspectors and onto the dinner table of American households?

Avoid products that are most commonly hazardous

Looking at the recall list below, one can see a trend that the cheapest goods are on the recall list the most. It also seems that it is very common for tainted, dangerous, and/or counterfeit goods to end up at deep discount and/or dollar type stores. This is another point where one can vote with their wallet. Do not shop at these types of stores. Especially do not buy children cheap toys or jewelry from these discount and/or dollar stores and don't let them buy toy jewelry from vending machines. In fact, with the way things are going, one should not buy their children any of the really cheap costume jewelry because it seems to be recalled for lead the most of any product type.

Buying toys made in America, in Western European countries or other countries that have strict product safety laws can greatly reduce the risk of getting defective or contaminated products. Yes, a wooden train set that is made in the U.S.A. might be more expensive that a Chinese made equivalent, but we all know toddlers and young children put everything in their mouths and the cheaper price of the Chinese version of the toy just isn't worth the potential health risks of a child ingesting lead.

Take action and demand better product safety

Consumers should write their elected officials, including the President, and ask them to enact as well as enforce measures that would help improve inspection programs to ensure the safety of imported products. Consumers should also make their demands for safe products known by using their wallets. Boycotting Chinese made toys and/or goods would be an appropriate way to get China's attention, such that they make real reforms not just hold show trials and make empty promises. Ask grocery stores to disclose the country of origin for all fish, meats, and produce. When possible, buy produce from local farmer's markets or grow your own (home grown produce tastes better anyways). It may not be possible to avoid Chinese made goods all together, but one could certainly greatly limit the number and types of products made in China that one buys.

It will take more than the Chinese government to enact product safety laws to address this problem. It will require the Chinese people themselves to come to the realization that product safety is extremely important to their own economic well being. If the demand for Chinese made goods starts to significantly decline, then the Chinese people and businesses in China will start to take product safety more seriously and start to hold themselves more accountable.

CPSC recalls for products containing lead or other chemical hazards between Jan 1, 2007 and Aug 15, 2007

The following is the list of 36 recalls we found on the CPSC's website. Keep in mind that individual recall notices can represent dozens of products. Unless otherwise noted, all recalls below were voluntary recalls by the manufacturer/retailer and the recalled products were manufactured in China.

1. Mattel Recalls "Sarge" Die Cast Toy Cars Due To Violation of Lead Safety Standard
2. Fisher-Price Recalls Licensed Character Toys Due To Lead Poisoning Hazard
3. Children's Earrings Sold at Wal-Mart Stores in Florida Recalled by Uncas Manufacturing Co. Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
4. AAFES Expands Recall of "Soldier Bear" Toy Sets Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard (made in Hong Kong, which is part of China)
5. Children's Metal Jewelry Recalled by Future Industries Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
6. Children's Necklaces Recalled by GeoCentral Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
7. RC2 Corp. Recalls Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
8. Silver Stud Earrings Sold Exclusively at Kmart Recalled by Crimzon Rose Accessories Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
9. Gemmy Industries Corp. Recalls Flashing Eyeball Toys Due to Chemical Hazard (the liquid the eye balls floated in was kerosene)
10. Children's Metal Jewelry Sold at Limited Too and Justice Stores Recalled by Tween Brands Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
11. Toy Drums Recalled by The Boyds Collection Ltd. Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
12. AAFES Recalls "Soldier Bear" Toy Sets Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard (made in Hong Kong, which is part of China)
13. Troy-Bilt Recalls Children's Gardening Gloves Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
14. Children's Rings Recalled By Cardinal Distributing Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
15. High Lead Levels Prompt Recall of Children's Metal Jewelry By Spandrel Sales and Marketing Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
16. CPSC Warns About Worn Vinyl Baby Bibs (country of manufacturer not listed, but news reports have stated China)
17. Lead Poisoning Hazard Prompts Cardinal Distributing to Again Recall Children's Rings (Made in India)
18. Target Recalls Anima Bamboo Collection Games Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
19. Oriental Trading Company Inc. Recalls Children's Necklaces Due to Lead Hazard
20. 900,000 Children's Necklaces and Charm Bracelets Recalled by Cardinal Distributing Co. Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard (Made in India)
21. Various Metal Key Chains Recalled by Dollar General for Lead Poisoning Hazard
22. A&A Global Industries Recalls Children's Bracelets Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
23. Regent Products Corp. Recalls Stuffed Ball Toys Due to Lead Hazard
24. Children's Mood Necklaces Recalled by Rhode Island Novelty Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
25. Children's Necklaces Sold Exclusively at Claire's Stores Recalled Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
26. Toys "R" Us Recalls "Elite Operations" Toy Sets Due to Lead and Laceration Hazards
27. Children's Necklaces Sold Exclusively at Accessories Palace Recalled by United Imports Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
28. Discount School Supply Recalls Children's Two-Sided Easels Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
29. H & M Recalls Boy's Jackets Due to Choking, Poisoning Hazards
30. Children's Rings Sold at Big Lots! Stores Recalled By Lari Jewelry Company Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
31. Children's Jewelry Sold Exclusively at Kmart Recalled by Crimzon Rose Accessories Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
32. Samara Brothers Recalls Boys' Jackets Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
33. Children's Bracelets Recalled by DM Merchandising Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
34. Children's Rings Recalled by Shalom International Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
35. U.S. Toy Co. Recalls More Children’s Butterfly Necklaces Due to Lead Poisoning
36. Samara Brothers Recalls Children's Two-Piece Overall Sets, Snaps Contain Lead

US Food and Drug Administration actions and warnings

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration Import Refusal Reports for OASIS
• FDA issues warning about tooth paste imported from China containing poisonous chemical - In May of 2007 the FDA started issuing warnings about toothpaste from China, which contained the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG).
• FDA: Pet Food Recall (Melamine)/Tainted Animal Feed
• FDA Detains Imports of Farm-Raised Chinese Seafood

Selected news articles

Reading the following articles is highly recommended

• From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine (New York Times – subscription may be required)
• China food safety head executed (BBC News)
• Chinese product scares prompt US fears (BBC News)
• Where did that food come from? Your guess is as good as the label (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
• Food Imports Often Escape Scrutiny (NY Times – subscription may be requires)
• U.S. food imports outrun FDA resources (USA Today)

By Kenneth Barbalace

Due to the practice of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies many infants who are fed powdered or reconstituted baby formula are getting too much fluoride in their diet, which may lead to health problems. Among other recommendations parents or caregivers who are on municipal water supplies that are or may be fluoridated should consider using bottle water to reconstitute baby formula. Small children should also be monitored while brushing their teeth to make sure they spit out toothpaste and do not accidentally swallow it. Read entire article at EnvironmentalChemistry.com

By Kenneth Barbalace

Adding fluoride to public water systems stirs up a great deal of debate and controversy and much of this controversy is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what Fluorine and Fluoride are. Another fundamental misunderstanding is that whether something is harmful or helpful all depends upon the quantity consumed/ingested. For instance we have to drink water to survive, but drinking too much water can screw up the electro light balance in our body and kill us. Read more

By Kenneth Barbalace

Each year consumers paint their lawns with various fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals can be deadly and it is important to use them correctly.

This article reminds consumers of important safety tips in regards to the safe handling, usage and storage of lawn chemicals.

By Kenneth Barbalace

The quality of Norwegian farmed salmon has recently come into question with the Russian ban, illegal nitrate use, and a building body of evidence that consumers should limit their consumption.

This article was a serious coup for EnvironmentalChemistry.com as its writer was actually a senior scientist in seafood safety for the Norwegian government at the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) and as a result was at the center of the storm. American's may not have heard much about this issue, but in Europe (especially Norway) it has been very big news.

By Kenneth Barbalace

Perc has been shown to be a potential human carcinogen and to have other human health risks, yet the vast majority of America's dry cleaners use perc - are there viable alternatives? The three most prominent non-perc cleaning options are examined and compared. Are there Realistic Dry-Cleaning Alternatives to Perc?

By Kenneth Barbalace

Teflon^® is in household products we use every day, from the coatings on our non-stick pots and pans to the stain resistant coating on the clothes we wear, but evidence is coming to light that this miracle chemical is not as safe as DuPont has lead us to believe. Court records and internal documents have shown that DuPont^® has been covering up the true dangers of Teflon for decades.

By Kenneth Barbalace

Putting on your fresh, dry-cleaned clothes, have you ever noticed that sweet odor? It is not enough to bother many people, and after a few minutes as you rush off to work you likely will forget about it, but it's not something that should be forgotten: it is a toxic chemical called "percholorethylene" or "perc" for short, and you are wearing it next to one of your body's most sensitive organs: your skin.

According to the EPA, we all may be exposed to perc because it is found in the air and drinking water nationwide.

By Kenneth Barbalace

In the news, we hear about air pollution and its effect on a global scale. With our growing population becoming ever the more reliant on automobiles, chemicals, and other potentially hazardous substances, air pollutants can cause major health problems to your health. Some obvious causes of air pollution would be your car, but there are many not so obvious products that you may use everyday that are potentially damaging to your health. Effects of Air Pollution on your health

By Kenneth Barbalace

Emissions from outdoor wood burning stoves drift across property lines raising health concerns for neighbors who inadvertently breathe the smoke filled air. The Heat facing Outdoor Wood Furnaces and Boilers

By Kenneth Barbalace

PCBs a notoriously hazardous group of chemicals have infiltrated our food chain. PCBs are in the Foods You Love

By Kenneth Barbalace

Dec. 2005
In spite of the health benefits provided by omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils, people are decreasing fish in their diets due to high levels of mercury found in some fish. Mercury in Fish vs. the The Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Fish Oils