Little Action After Lots of Green TalkIn Search of Quiet PlacesUnderground Diner Supports Local FarmersEmotions Run High Over Dam Removal QuestionsInvasive Species and Toxic ChemicalsSelling Asian Carp to ChinaOil Spill Creates Manufacturing BoomSenate Debate & Swine Flu Vaccine
Host: Lester Graham
Show date: 10/28/2009
Summary:
It's official... the Senate is taking
on climate change. Lester Graham
reports on the first committee hearing.
Members of President Obama's cabinet
testified along with others. But for the
most part, minds have been made up.
And... risk the shot... or risk the
flu. Some people worry about thimerosal
in some vaccines. But many experts
say those worries are unfounded. Julie
Grant reports on the fears surrounding
the swine flu vaccine.
More…
The Senate starts debating the climate bill.
This is The Environment Report. I’m Lester Graham.
A Senate committee held the first hearing on the bill… but really… most of the Senators….. have already made up their minds.
For Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the climate bill is a jobs killer and costs too much.
“Cap and trade is very expensive. We’re talking about somewhere between three and four-hundred billion dollars a year. That’s something the American people can’t tolerate and I don’t believe they will.”
That 300 to 400 billion is revenue from a cap-and-trade plan that would go to taxpayers to help with higher costs of polluting fossil fuel and to invest in renewable energy such as wind and solar.
One of the authors of the Senate climate bill, Democrat John Kerry from Massachusetts took issue with Senator Inhofe’s characterization of the bill.
“We need to move forward to deal with climate change and in doing so, Senator Inhofe, we will actually improve every sector of our energy economy from coal to nuclear wind and solar. We will take crucial strides toward energy independence which strengthens America’s national security. And, critically, we create millions of jobs, new jobs and entire new industries will stay in the United States of America.”
The Senate climate bill makes a lot of compromises to win votes. But, it’s not clear that any of those compromises will actually sway any of the senators.
(STING)))
This is The Environment Report.
Public health officials want people to get vaccinated for swine flu. But many parents say they’re worried about vaccine. Julie Grant reports some government policies may have inadvertently made people concerned about vaccine safety.
((( … and then there’s finding the vaccine. Good luck. That’s TER. I’m LG.)))
________
Some of the schools near where I live have absentee rates of 20-percent. Kids are reporting flu-like symptoms. Some schools are even closing down to keep more people from getting sick.
At the same time, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health finds that only 51-percent of parents nationwide plan to get their kids vaccinated against the new swine flu.
The vaccine is having a serious public relations problem.
One reason people are worried: thimerosal.
Thimerosal is a preservative used in vaccines. It prevents bacteria and fungus from contaminating vaccine bottles. Thimersosal is almost half mercury – by weight. And that makes a lot of people nervous.
As a precaution, it was taken out of most American vaccines about twenty years ago. But it’s still used a lot in flu shots.
Lynn Gregor has two little children. She’s been leaning toward getting them vaccinated for swine flu.
But she just heard about thimerosal, and she’s concerned:
GREGOR: BECAUSE EVEN IF IT’S A TEENY, TINY BIT OF MERCURY, WHICH IS WHAT THAT PRODUCT IS CONNECTED WITH. BECAUSE A TEENY TINY BIT OF MERCURY CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT. [:11]
The Centers for Disease Control says the type of mercury in thimerosal is different than the kind that’s in fish – [or in thermometers. ck] Lots of people think thimerosal is linked with increased autism rates. But public health officials say science does not bear that out.
MOYER: THERE HAS BEEN NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OF A HARM THAT’S LINKED TO THIMEROSAL. [:05]
That’s Donn Moyer. He’s spokesman for the Washington state Department of Health.
Moyer says even though thimerosal is safe, Washington passed a law making it illegal to give young children and pregnant women flu shots that contain thimerosal.
Moyer says the health department didn’t ask for the law.
Politicians wanted to appease people concerned about thimerosal’s effects on infants and pregnant women.
MOYER: THEY KNOW WHEN THEY GO TO THE DOCTOR, THEY DON’T HAVE TO ASK IS THIS IS THE ONE THAT HAS MERCURY IN IT, OR THIMEROSAL IN IT. THEY CAN JUST BE ASSURED THAT IT DOESN’T. [:09]
Washington’s concern is not about the actual safety of thimerosal. The concern is over the public’s perception of thimerosal.
MOYER: THE GOAL WAS TO MAINTAIN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN VACCINE PROGRAMS AND TO ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO HAVE THEIR KIDS VACCINATED. [:08]
But now that the new swine flu is here, Washington is suspending its law. The swine flu seems to be hitting young children especially hard, and Moyer says infants and pregnant women should get immunized – even if the only shots available contain thimerosal.
MOYER: WITHOUT A DOUBT, WE BELIEVE THAT FOR THOSE PEOPLE, THEY MAY WANT TO CONSIDER GETTING A SWINE FLU SHOT THAT HAS THIMEROSAL IN IT BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE ANY CREDIBLE RISK OF HEALTH EFFECT FROM THE THIMEROSAL AND IT COULD PROTECT AGAINST A VERY VERY SERIOUS INFLUENZA INFECTION. [:17]
But this seems like a mixed message to parents –
and is adding to the confusion about whether the vaccine is safe.
SOUND: FOX NEWS MUSIC INTRO.
ANCHOR: WE ARE TRACKING H1N1 AND HEALTH OFFICIALS HERE IN THE US…
On this Fox news report Dr. Kent Holtorf is labeled an “infectious disease expert”, and he warns people against the vaccine.
ANCHOR: THIMEROSAL. IT’S AN ANTISEPTIC PRESERVATIVE. AND HASN’T THAT BEEN LINKED IN SOME CASES TO AUTISM?
HOLTORF: IT HAS. AND IT’S BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE AUTISM IN CHILDREN WITH MITCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION. IT’S CONTROVERSIAL, THOUGH HIGHLY IMPLICATED. [:20]
ANCHOR: WOULD YOU GIVE IT TO YOUR KIDS?
HOLTOF: I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT. [:05]
Some political commentators on the right have been even more harsh – Rush Limbaugh actually swore at the Secretary of Health and Human Services on his radio show when discussing whether he would get vaccinated.
Pundits on the left haven’t been much better. One natural health newsletter I get put out a special edition warning against vaccination.
This all leaves federal health officials with a big job to do: use the preponderance of science to convince people that swine flu is potentially more dangerous than the vaccine and thimerosal.
Mother Lynn Gregor wants her kids to be protected from swine flu, so she wants to get them vaccinated
GREGOR: IF THEY DON’T GET IT, I’M GOING TO BE REALLY WORRIED ALL WINTER. I’M GOING TO BE REALLY CONCERNED. [:07]
But when Gregor hears so many people are opting out of the vaccine – and that some states have actually ban thimerosal most of the time, she’s not sure what to do.
So, by banning thimerosal for pregnant women and young children to encourage people to vaccinate, Washington and the five other states that have banned it, might be inadvertently feeding into the concern that the vaccine is not safe.
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This is The Environment Report. I’m Lester Graham.
A Senate committee held the first hearing on the bill… but really… most of the Senators….. have already made up their minds.
For Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the climate bill is a jobs killer and costs too much.
“Cap and trade is very expensive. We’re talking about somewhere between three and four-hundred billion dollars a year. That’s something the American people can’t tolerate and I don’t believe they will.”
That 300 to 400 billion is revenue from a cap-and-trade plan that would go to taxpayers to help with higher costs of polluting fossil fuel and to invest in renewable energy such as wind and solar.
One of the authors of the Senate climate bill, Democrat John Kerry from Massachusetts took issue with Senator Inhofe’s characterization of the bill.
“We need to move forward to deal with climate change and in doing so, Senator Inhofe, we will actually improve every sector of our energy economy from coal to nuclear wind and solar. We will take crucial strides toward energy independence which strengthens America’s national security. And, critically, we create millions of jobs, new jobs and entire new industries will stay in the United States of America.”
The Senate climate bill makes a lot of compromises to win votes. But, it’s not clear that any of those compromises will actually sway any of the senators.
(STING)))
This is The Environment Report.
Public health officials want people to get vaccinated for swine flu. But many parents say they’re worried about vaccine. Julie Grant reports some government policies may have inadvertently made people concerned about vaccine safety.
((( … and then there’s finding the vaccine. Good luck. That’s TER. I’m LG.)))
________
Some of the schools near where I live have absentee rates of 20-percent. Kids are reporting flu-like symptoms. Some schools are even closing down to keep more people from getting sick.
At the same time, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health finds that only 51-percent of parents nationwide plan to get their kids vaccinated against the new swine flu.
The vaccine is having a serious public relations problem.
One reason people are worried: thimerosal.
Thimerosal is a preservative used in vaccines. It prevents bacteria and fungus from contaminating vaccine bottles. Thimersosal is almost half mercury – by weight. And that makes a lot of people nervous.
As a precaution, it was taken out of most American vaccines about twenty years ago. But it’s still used a lot in flu shots.
Lynn Gregor has two little children. She’s been leaning toward getting them vaccinated for swine flu.
But she just heard about thimerosal, and she’s concerned:
GREGOR: BECAUSE EVEN IF IT’S A TEENY, TINY BIT OF MERCURY, WHICH IS WHAT THAT PRODUCT IS CONNECTED WITH. BECAUSE A TEENY TINY BIT OF MERCURY CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT. [:11]
The Centers for Disease Control says the type of mercury in thimerosal is different than the kind that’s in fish – [or in thermometers. ck] Lots of people think thimerosal is linked with increased autism rates. But public health officials say science does not bear that out.
MOYER: THERE HAS BEEN NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OF A HARM THAT’S LINKED TO THIMEROSAL. [:05]
That’s Donn Moyer. He’s spokesman for the Washington state Department of Health.
Moyer says even though thimerosal is safe, Washington passed a law making it illegal to give young children and pregnant women flu shots that contain thimerosal.
Moyer says the health department didn’t ask for the law.
Politicians wanted to appease people concerned about thimerosal’s effects on infants and pregnant women.
MOYER: THEY KNOW WHEN THEY GO TO THE DOCTOR, THEY DON’T HAVE TO ASK IS THIS IS THE ONE THAT HAS MERCURY IN IT, OR THIMEROSAL IN IT. THEY CAN JUST BE ASSURED THAT IT DOESN’T. [:09]
Washington’s concern is not about the actual safety of thimerosal. The concern is over the public’s perception of thimerosal.
MOYER: THE GOAL WAS TO MAINTAIN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN VACCINE PROGRAMS AND TO ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO HAVE THEIR KIDS VACCINATED. [:08]
But now that the new swine flu is here, Washington is suspending its law. The swine flu seems to be hitting young children especially hard, and Moyer says infants and pregnant women should get immunized – even if the only shots available contain thimerosal.
MOYER: WITHOUT A DOUBT, WE BELIEVE THAT FOR THOSE PEOPLE, THEY MAY WANT TO CONSIDER GETTING A SWINE FLU SHOT THAT HAS THIMEROSAL IN IT BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE ANY CREDIBLE RISK OF HEALTH EFFECT FROM THE THIMEROSAL AND IT COULD PROTECT AGAINST A VERY VERY SERIOUS INFLUENZA INFECTION. [:17]
But this seems like a mixed message to parents –
and is adding to the confusion about whether the vaccine is safe.
SOUND: FOX NEWS MUSIC INTRO.
ANCHOR: WE ARE TRACKING H1N1 AND HEALTH OFFICIALS HERE IN THE US…
On this Fox news report Dr. Kent Holtorf is labeled an “infectious disease expert”, and he warns people against the vaccine.
ANCHOR: THIMEROSAL. IT’S AN ANTISEPTIC PRESERVATIVE. AND HASN’T THAT BEEN LINKED IN SOME CASES TO AUTISM?
HOLTORF: IT HAS. AND IT’S BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE AUTISM IN CHILDREN WITH MITCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION. IT’S CONTROVERSIAL, THOUGH HIGHLY IMPLICATED. [:20]
ANCHOR: WOULD YOU GIVE IT TO YOUR KIDS?
HOLTOF: I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT. [:05]
Some political commentators on the right have been even more harsh – Rush Limbaugh actually swore at the Secretary of Health and Human Services on his radio show when discussing whether he would get vaccinated.
Pundits on the left haven’t been much better. One natural health newsletter I get put out a special edition warning against vaccination.
This all leaves federal health officials with a big job to do: use the preponderance of science to convince people that swine flu is potentially more dangerous than the vaccine and thimerosal.
Mother Lynn Gregor wants her kids to be protected from swine flu, so she wants to get them vaccinated
GREGOR: IF THEY DON’T GET IT, I’M GOING TO BE REALLY WORRIED ALL WINTER. I’M GOING TO BE REALLY CONCERNED. [:07]
But when Gregor hears so many people are opting out of the vaccine – and that some states have actually ban thimerosal most of the time, she’s not sure what to do.
So, by banning thimerosal for pregnant women and young children to encourage people to vaccinate, Washington and the five other states that have banned it, might be inadvertently feeding into the concern that the vaccine is not safe.