Emergency response excessive

As retired assistant director, Minerals and Geology Management for the U.S. Forest Service, one of my responsibilities, pursuant to an international agreement, was to assist the government of Venezuela in reducing the use of mercury by gold miners. This was a real problem with serious health consequences from metallic and methyl mercury.

The incident at Lake City High School with the release of a minuscule amount of mercury resulted in a gross overreaction by the EPA (“Mercury cleanup closes CdA school for 2nd day,” March 24). The closure of the school, EPA contractors wearing moon suits, scary scenarios all indicate that the EPA does not have a sense of real risk, they have too much money to spend or they were using the situation as a training exercise.

In any case, this was a disservice to the public and makes one wonder how they would respond in a true emergency.

David Fredley

Newport, Wash.

Mercury filled with dangers

I commend Linda Miller, a Coeur d’Alene high school parent, for her concern about the lag time in notifying parents of the inadvertent release of mercury reported in Friday’s article, “Mercury cleanup closes CdA school for 2nd day.”

However, I’m more concerned that the young man involved is being suspended when he had “no idea” of how toxic common mercury amalgams actually are. Many people don’t realize that mercury, in very minute concentrations, is among the most toxic substances known to man.

And who would know that Disperalloy is considered a hazardous substance prior to being put in one’s mouth, as well as after the filling is replaced or removed? Not to mention that it constantly releases mercury gas while in the mouth.

So Dr. Terence Neff’s quote: “It takes recurrent exposures to high levels of mercury to cause any issue” should make all parents angry. How about the dangers of “off-gassing mercury amalgams” coupled with RhoGam shots injected into pregnant Rh negative women, each shot containing 30 mg of thimerosal (49.6 percent ethyl mercury), and their babies subjected to repeated doses of mercury through their childhood vaccines? Isn’t Dr. Neff aware that symptoms of autism and mercury poisoning are virtually identical?

Ingri Cassel

Spirit Lake, Idaho

Call for mercury ban

The mercury exposure at Lake City High School was cause for alarm because mercury is a known neurotoxin and one of the most toxic substances known to man. Acute mercury exposure can permanently damage the nervous system, brain, spinal cord, kidneys and developing fetus. Then why are dentists still using mercury amalgam to fill cavities, many containing 50 percent methyl mercury?

The majority of vaccines contain thimerosal, a preservative containing 49.6 percent ethyl mercury, and the cumulative effect of several shots certainly does cause harm. Autism, a neurological disorder, used to be 1 in 10,000 children and is now 1 in 166 children, according to the CDC. It is an absolute epidemic.

We have also seen a tremendous increase in people with Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. Yet we continue to allow public health agencies to administer and promote mercury-containing vaccines.

On Jan. 1, 2006, statutes banning mercury in vaccines went into effect in Iowa, Illinois and Delaware. California, New York and Missouri already have these laws on the books. Legislation is pending in Washington, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and other states. Go to www.NoMercury.org and write your representatives to end this travesty.

Tanya Osterson

Coeur d’Alene