Total Mercury Ban Alarms Scientists

Total Mercury Ban Alarms Scientists

London — The global treaty that would totally ban mercury has alarmed scientists because of its great importance in the preservation of many vaccines for known diseases and infections. Scientists warned officials that negotiating a global treaty should be properly and carefully analyzed before implementing.  Officials will meet in Nairobi later this month to discuss the ban option but a final treaty might be expected only by 2013.

The World Health Organization lists Mercury as one of the ten most dangerous and highly toxic chemicals on earth.  The worry for mercury contamination is highly centered on burning coal mercury emissions, mercury-contaminated fishes eaten by people and gold mining. Mercury is a substance also found in small amounts in batteries, light bulbs and thermometers. The WHO urges many countries to ban thermometers and switch to digital ones instead.

The proposed ban will also include the banning of thiomersal. It is a mercury compound used to extend the shelf life and preserve many known vaccines. Currently, thiomersal is helpful in preserving 300 million shots of vaccines worldwide including tetanus, flu, meningitis and hepatitis B.

David Wood, WHO expert for vaccines, said totally banning mercury is not a viable option. Currently, there is no feasible and available alternative to thiomersal.  If ever it would be banned, pharmaceutical companies around the world would likely switch to vaccines without preservatives. It will affect the supply chain of vaccines in poor countries.

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday October 25 2011, 4:56 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0