Pharmaceutical birth control pollution in drinking water could cause
Transcription
Pharmaceutical birth control pollution in drinking water could cause
Pharmaceutical birth control pollution in drinking water could cause fertility apocalypse in U.S. If you and your family still drink water right out of the tap, you might want to reconsider in light of a new study released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For the past several years, we’ve been warning our readers that pharmaceutical drug residues persist in unfiltered tap water, and the USGS has now confirmed that birth control drugs are among those present, threatening a possible widespread infertility epidemic in the coming years. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the USGS study looked at the effects of the synthetic hormone 17aethinylestradiol, or EE2, a common additive in most contraceptive pills, on Japanese medaka fish exposed to it through drinking water during their first week of development. Although the exposed fish and their immediate offspring appeared to be unaffected by the drugs, the second generation was affected. According to the National Catholic Register, the second generation of exposed medaka fish experienced difficulty fertilizing their eggs, suffering an astounding 30 percent reduction in reproduction capacity. Their embryos were also much less likely than those of their parents to survive. Those that did survive, representing the third generation of fish, also suffered the effects of exposure to 17a-ethinylestradiol, showing a 20 percent impairment in fertility and survival rates. “This study shows that even though endocrine disruptors may not affect the life of the exposed fish, it may negatively affect future generations,” explained lead author Ramji Bhandari, a USGS visiting scientist and assistant research professor from the University of Missouri. “If similar trends were observed in subsequent generations, a severe decline in overall population numbers might be expected by the F4 generation.” Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in public water and tainted food are destroying the male species The paper also looked at the effects of exposure to bisphenolA (BPA), a prolific endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) that is still used in the manufacture of plastics, thermal receipt paper and food can linings. Just like 17a-ethinylestradiol, BPA was found to disrupt the normal reproductive cycles of the medaka fish, impairing their ability to produce offspring and maintain survival in subsequent generations. If this can happen to fish, it most certainly can happen to humans as well, say scientists. All sorts of EDCs, chemical byproducts and industrial waste products are present in American sewers, and existing water purification systems are unable to capture all of them. This means that people who drink the water from an average city tap are also downing trace amounts of contraceptives, antidepressants, statins, SSRIs and more. You might recall the Associated Press (AP) report we covered back in 2008 that found that the drinking water consumed by some 41 million Americans is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs. AP researchers who took water samples from 50 of the largest cities in the U.S., as well as from 52 smaller communities, found that nearly all of them contained traces of painkillers, hormone drugs, antibiotics and more. A USGS survey conducted between 1999 and 2000 made similar findings, concluding that at least 80 percent of water samples collected from 139 American rivers and streams in 30 states were contaminated with a range of pharmaceuticals ranging from antibiotics and antidepressants to hormone replacement pills and contraceptives. “…male reproductive organs are sensitive to estrogens, which interfere with normal function,” says Frederick vom Saal, a professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, another one of the study’s authors. “[E]strogens have a contraceptive effect in males,” he added, with the National Catholic Review noting that EE2 has been linked to causing testicular tumors. “EE2 can cause effects in human tissues at concentrations in blood below one part per trillion, so this is an extremely potent drug.” Sources: http://www.ncregister.com http://www.naturalnews.com Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/050383_birth_control_tap_water_phar maceutical_contamination.html# Author: Jonathan Benson 21-year-old woman suffers fatal blood clot one month after starting on birth control pills While newer, “third generation” types of the Pill are said to come without the frustrations of weight gain and headaches that typically come with taking older types of oral contraceptives, it has an extremely serious drawback: the potential to cause clots and lead to death. That’s exactly what the mother of 21-year-old Fallan Kurek says happened to her daughter, who collapsed within one month of taking the newer version of the Pill. She maintains that the contraceptive, which was prescribed to the U.K. resident to help regulate her periods, caused her to collapse and then die just days later from a blood clot in her lungs. This accusations are not baseless; a study has linked the progestogen hormone called levonorgestrel, which is found in the newer forms of the Pill that Kurek happened to be taking, to being two-and-a-half more times likely to experience clots than not taking oral contraceptives at all. Pills containing the hormone estrogen also have this life-threatening potential. Latest study more thorough than others before it, links blood clots with newer preparations contraceptive drug While many studies have indicated links between birth control pills and possible blood clots, this particular one, conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham in the U.K., is thought to be more conclusive due to the fact that it didn’t use as many testing methods as past studies. For example, it is noted that studies from the past often used only healthy subjects (non-smokers or those at a healthy weight, for example), didn’t provide dosage details, or had a variety of methodological approaches; their study took these factors into consideration and made adjustments accordingly. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), states: In these population based, case-control studies using two large primary care databases, risks of venous thromboembolism associated with combined oral contraceptives were, with the exception of norgestimate, higher for newer drug preparations than for second generation drugs. To clarify, venous thromboembolism is also referred to as VTE and is the same thing as a blood clot. As for the exception of norgestimate, experts say this exclusion is due to a difference in how it metabolizes, making its classification as a third-generation drug not entirely established. Some contraceptives have an increased risk of causing blood clots by as much as four times Even more disturbing is their finding that the detrimental issues aren’t just relegated to hormones such as levonorgestrel and estrogen, which could result in a whopping two-and-a-half-times likelihood of clot formation. In fact, their finding also involves the fact that women taking newer forms of the Pill containing “…drospirenone, gestodene, cyproterone, and desogestrel within the last 28 days had around a four times increased risk of VTE.” Ultimately, the published study concludes: This study, based on two large primary care databases, investigated risks of VTE associated with combined oral contraceptives prescribed to the general female population in the UK. We believe this study has the statistical power and sufficient adjustment for relevant confounders to be regarded as an important clarifying study, which has produced the most reliable possible risk estimates using currently available UK prescription data. Risks associated with combined oral contraceptives were, apart from norgestimate, higher for newer drug preparations than for second generation drugs. High percentage of women taking oral contraceptives makes study alarming Unfortunately, Kurek’s death isn’t the first instance of a person dying from taking a third-generation oral contraceptive, which are often also prescribed to clear problem skin or regulate menstrual periods. The latter was the case for London’s Nancy Berry, who died of a blood clot at the age of 16. She was taking a third-generation contraceptive pill for only a month prior to her death. Experts say that 28 percent of women in the U.K. and 18 percent of women in developed countries worldwide are using oral contraceptives, which raises serious health concerns in the event they are given these more dangerous types. Sources: (1) http://www.dailymail.co.uk (2) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150526215027.htm (3) http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2135 Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/049946_oral_contraceptives_blood_cl ots_hormones.html Author: Jennifer Lilley Is It Time to Acknowledge Round-Up as a Contraceptive? How much longer will we deny the growing body of research linking Roundup to infertility before calling this chemical a contraceptive? Following closely on the heels of the EPA’s decision to allow Roundup herbicide residues in your food at concentrations a million times higher than shown carcinogenic, a concerning new study published in the journal Free Radical Medicine & Biology implicates the herbicide, and its main ingredient glyphosate, in male infertility, at concentration ranges well within the EPA’s “safe level” for food.[1] Performed by Brazilian researchers, the study found acute Roundup exposure at low doses (36ppm, 0.036g/L) for 30 minutes induced cell death in Sertoli cells in prepubertal rat testis. Sertoli cells are known as “mother” or “nurse” cells within the testicles, as they are responsible for maintaining the health of sperm cells, and are required for normal male sexual development. Roundup herbicide exposure was found to induce oxidative stress and to activate multiple-stress response pathways within affected cells, and was associated with an increase in intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration leading to Ca2+ overload, and cell death. Thirty minute incubation tests with glyphosate alone (36 ppm) also increased Ca2+ uptake, and both Roundup and glyphosate were observe to downregulate reduced glutathione levels. As glutathione is an antioxidant (electron donor) found within every cell in the human body, protecting it against oxidative stress, as well as maintaining a wide range of biochemical reactions such as DNA and protein synthesis and repair, amino acid transport, prostaglandin synthesis, amino acid and enzyme activation, a dysregulation of glutathione can result in a wide range of adverse effects. The researchers noted Glyphosate has been described as an endocrine disruptor affecting the male reproductive system; however, the molecular basis of its toxicity remains to be clarified. We could propose that Roundup® toxicity, implicating in Ca2+ overload, cell signaling misregulation, stress response of the endoplasmic reticulum and/or depleted antioxidant defenses could contribute to Sertoli cell disruption of spermatogenesis that could impact male fertility. This study adds to a growing body of research implicating Roundup herbicide in male infertility: A 2007 study published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found that Roundup herbicide altered the structure of the testis and epididymal region (part of the tubular spermatic duct system), as well as the serum levels of testosterone and estradiol, in male ducks, leading the researchers to conclude that Roundup “…may cause disorder in the morphophysiology of the male genital system of animals.”[2] A 2010 male rat study published in the Archives of Toxicology revealed prepubertal exposure to commercial formulation of the herbicide glyphosate alters testosterone levels and testicular morphology, leading researchers to describe the herbicide as “a potent endocrine disruptor.”[3] A 2011 male rat study published in the Archives of Toxicology revealed maternal exposure to glyphosate disturbed the masculinization process and promoted behavioral changes and histological problems in reproductive parameters.[4] and endocrine A 2011 study published in the journal Toxicology In Vitro found a glyphosate-based herbicide induced necrosis and apoptosis in mature rat testicular cells in vitro, and testosterone decrease at lower levels.[i] In the study, Roundup and glyphosate at concentrations as low as 1 part per million produced a testosterone decrease in sperm cells by 35%. A more recent 2013 study in male rats published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Reproductive Safety found glyphosate (in combination with another pesticide) provoked severe oxidative stress in male testes, resulting in inhibited testosterone production and disrupted gonadotropin levels.[5] Given the growing body of research clearly revealing Roundup’s toxicity to the germline of animal species, the argument can be made that this chemical has contraceptive properties and therefore genocidal consequences. By directly affecting the biologically immortal cells within the testes, whose DNA contains over 3 billion years worth of information essential for there being a future for our species as a whole, Roundup should be considered an instrument of mass destruction. At the very least, the precautionary principle should be applied, and any chemical that signals the potential to disrupt or destroy our species’ germline cells, should be banned unless the manufacturer can prove beyond a reasonable doubt its safety to exposed populations. For additional research on the wide spectrum of adverse health effects now linked to glyphosate-based herbicide formulations such as Roundup, view our research articles on GMOs, as well as view and download our free biomedical PDF on glyphosate/Roundup research. Article Resources [1] Vera Lúcia de Liz Oliveira Cavalli, Daiane Cattani, Carla Elise Heinz Rieg, Paula Pierozan, Leila Zanatta, Eduardo Benedetti Parisotto, Danilo Wilhelm Filho, Fátima Regina Mena Barreto Silva, Regina Pessoa-Pureur, Ariane Zamoner. Roundup Disrupted Male Reproductive Functions By Triggering Calcium-Mediated Cell Death In Rat Testis And Sertoli Cells. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013 Jun 29. Epub 2013 Jun 29. PMID: 23820267 [2] André G Oliveira, Luiz F Telles, Rex A Hess, Germán A B Mahecha, Cleida A Oliveira. Effects of the herbicide Roundup on the epididymal region of drakes Anas platyrhynchos. Reprod Toxicol. 2007 Feb;23(2):182-91. Epub 2006 Nov 11. PMID: 17166697 [3] R M Romano, M A Romano, M M Bernardi, P V Furtado, C A Oliveira. Prepubertal exposure to commercial formulation of the herbicide glyphosate alters testosterone levels and testicular morphology. Arch Toxicol. 2010 Apr;84(4):309-17. Epub 2009 Dec 12. PMID: 20012598 [4] Marco Aurelio Romano, Renata Marino Romano, Luciana Dalazen Santos, Patricia Wisniewski, Daniele Antonelo Campos, Paula Bargi de Souza, Priscila Viau, Maria Martha Bernardi, Maria Tereza Nunes, Claudio Alvarenga de Oliveira. Glyphosate impairs male offspring reproductive development by disrupting gonadotropin expression. Arch Toxicol. 2011 Nov 26. Epub 2011 Nov 26. [5] Mariana Astiz, Graciela E Hurtado de Catalfo, Marcela N García, Susana M Galletti, Ana L Errecalde, María J T de Alaniz, Carlos A Marra. Pesticide-induced decrease in rat testicular steroidogenesis is differentially prevented by lipoate and tocopherol. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2013 May ;91:129-38. Epub 2013 Mar 7. PMID: 23465731 [i] Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage, Carine Travert, GillesÉric Séralini. A glyphosate-based herbicide induces necrosis and apoptosis in mature rat testicular cells in vitro, and testosterone decrease at lower levels. Toxicol In Vitro. 2011 Dec 19. Epub 2011 Dec 19. PMID: 22200534 By Sayer Ji Contributing Writer for Wake Up World The “Cancer-Causing Convenience” All Women Should Avoid Human and animal studies show that a group of genes called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) can influence odor. In general, females prefer the odor of mates with a dissimilar MHC — but this effect is reversed in women on oral contraceptive pills. A study found that that single women preferred the odor of MHC-similar men, but women in relationships preferred the opposite. This means that that the use of contraceptive pills could influence mate preference. According to FYI Living: “The women on pills preferred men with similar MHC genes. Studies indicate that, ‘women consider the olfactory domain to be an important factor in their assessment of potential partners.’ Thus, due to serious alterations in odor preference, the use of oral pills could influence partner choice.” This is something that most people would rarely ever consider, but according to researchers, women who are on birth control pills may inadvertently be misled to select less compatible long-term partners than women who aren’t on the Pill€¦ Whether or not this is of any real concern to most is debatable, but contraceptive pills may also wreak havoc in your life in more direct ways, which I’ll review in a moment. How the Pill May Influence Woman’s Choice of Partner a It’s a fairly well-known fact that odor plays an important role when selecting a partner. This includes the scents that you cannot consciously detect, such as pheromones. (A few years ago, researchers discovered that a specific olfactory nerve, dubbed “Nerve O,” appears to be the route through which pheromones are processed. Nerve “O” has endings in your nasal cavity, but the fibers go directly to the sexual regions of your brain. Because Nerve O bypasses your olfactory cortex, it does not register a conscious smell, but rather identifies chemical sexual cues.) Humans, like animals, also have major histocompatibility complex-associated (MHC) odor preferences that influence their choice of mates. Researchers have discovered that women, in general, prefer the body odor of men with dissimilar MHC. It is believed that this may be part of a natural selection process to prevent and control genetic inbreeding. When partners have similar MHC, their chances of successfully reproducing are diminished. However, when a woman is on the Pill, her odor preferences change. The Pill essentially mimics pregnancy, and when a woman is pregnant, she tends to prefer the scent of men with similar MHC as her ownperhaps as a biological cue to now seek out and bond with supportive family members as opposed to potential mates. What this means is that when you’re taking a hormonal contraceptive, you interfere with your biology and risk producing a hormonal imbalance that might make you more attracted to men with similar chemical makeup. If you were on the pill when you met your mate, you might, therefore, feel less attracted to him when you stop taking itor worse, you may have greater trouble getting pregnant. Needless to say, either of these scenarios could cause problems within the relationship… However, there’s another issue that may be of even greater importance, and that is the health effects that birth control pills have on the female body. Artificially controlling your menstrual cycle with synthetic hormones may certainly seem like an ideal method of a highly effective, relatively inexpensive and easily reversible birth control. And contraceptive pills are a convenient way to prevent pregnancy €¦ but that’s where their benefits end. Birth control pills are linked to numerous very serious health risks, so it’s important to carefully weigh the benefit of convenience against its considerable risks. Artificially Manipulating Your Hormones is a Risky Proposition Most birth control pills, patches, vaginal rings, and implants contain a combination of the derivatives of the hormones estrogen and progestin. They work by mimicking these hormones in your body to fool your reproductive system into producing the following effects: Preventing your ovaries from releasing eggs Thickening your cervical mucus to help block sperm from fertilizing an egg Thinning the lining of your uterus, which makes it difficult for an egg to implant, should it become fertilized However, your reproductive system does not exist in a bubble €¦ it is connected to all of your other bodily systems, and therefore the Pill is capable of altering much more than your reproductive status. Well-Documented Risks of Synthetic Estrogen and Progestin If you’re on one of the hormonal birth control methods (whether it’s the pill, patch, vaginal ring or implant), it is important to understand that you are taking synthetic progesterone and synthetic estrogen — something that is clearly not advantageous if you want to maintain optimal health. These contraceptives contain the same synthetic hormones as those used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which has well-documented risks, including an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, heart attack, and breast cancer. In fact, studies have found that HRT increases post-menopausal women’s breast cancer risk by at least one percent per year, and HRT with progestin increases your risk by eight percent per year, potentially going as high as 30 percent after just four years of use! So, what are the risks for women who start taking synthetic hormones at an early age and stays on them for up to 15 years or longer? In exchange for the convenience of preventing pregnancy (which you can do naturally just as well, and I’ll explain how below), you are putting yourself at risk of: Cancer: Women who take birth control pills increase their risk of cervical and breast cancers, and possibly liver cancer as well. Fatal blood clots: All birth control pills increase your risk of blood clots and subsequent stroke. And if your prescription contains the synthetic hormone desogestrel, your risk of fatal blood clots nearly doubles! Migraines Thinner bones: Women Heart disease: Longwho take birth term use of birth control pills control pills havelower bone mayincrease plaque mineral density (BMD) artery buildups in than women who have your body that may never used oral raise your risk of contraceptives. heart disease. Impaired muscle gains: A recent study Long-term sexual dysfunction: The Pill may interfere found that oral with a protein that contraceptive keeps testosterone use impairs muscle unavailable, leading gains from resistance to long-term sexual exercise training in dysfunction women. including decreased desire and arousal. Weight gain and mood changes Yeast overgrowth and infection Newer Hormonal Birth Control Methods May be Even Riskier Two of the newer hormonal contraceptivesthe hormonereleasing vaginal ring, NuvaRing, and the combination pills Yaz and Yasmin, which also contain the hormone drospirenone in addition to estrogen and progestinmay be of even greater concern than the older “classics.” The NuvaRing is a flexible vaginal ring that is replaced once a month. It releases estradiol and etonogestrel. The latter is known as a “third generation” progestin desogestrel, which has been linked to serious health concerns and may double your risk of blood clots when compared to second generation contraceptives. The NuvaRing delivers a relatively high dose of this hormone. Other types of birth control also contain this third generation hormone, including some implants. More than 4,000 lawsuits have also been filed against Bayer for serious side effects suffered by women taking the newer birth control pills Yaz and Yasmine. The four most common adverse effects are blood clots, gallbladder disease, heart attack and stroke. The first trial is scheduled to begin in September, and according to some legal estimates, the number of lawsuits filed may at that point reach 30,000. Safer Options ExistTop Eight Natural Birth Control Methods Because the health risks of hormonal contraceptives are so significant, and other safer options exist, I strongly advise against them. Nearly all patients who visit my Natural Health Center are asked to stop using hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills as soon as possible. Many women opt for hormonal contraceptives because they’re unaware of the other effective birth control methods out there. The following options, which include both natural family planning and barrier methods, are effective ways to prevent pregnancy without damaging your health. Male condoms: Condoms have a 98 percent effectiveness rate when used correctly. A water-based lubricant will increase the effectiveness; do not use an oilbased lubricant, however, as they break the latex. Female condoms: These thin, soft polyurethane pouches fitted inside the vagina before sex are 95 percent effective. Female condoms are less likely to tear than male condoms. Diaphragm: Diaphragms, which must be fitted by a doctor, act as a barrier to sperm. When used correctly with spermicidal jellies, they are 92 to 98 percent effective. Cervical cap: This heavy rubber cap fits tightly against the cervix and can be left in place for 48 hours. Like the diaphragm, a doctor must fit the cap. Proper fitting enhances the effectiveness above 91 percent. Cervical sponges: The sponge, made of polyurethane foam, is moistened with water and inserted into the vagina prior to sex. It works as a barrier between sperm and the cervix, both trapping and absorbing sperm and releasing a spermicide to kill them. It can be left in for up to 24 hours at a time. When used correctly, the sponge is about 89-91 percent effective. Aside from these barrier methods, there are also natural family planning (NFP) tools that a woman can use to track her ovulation. Many women feel empowered by NFP because it allows them to get in touch with their fertility cycle. Some of the most popular NFP methods include: Calendar Method: Abstention from sex during the week the woman is ovulating. This technique works best when a woman’s menstrual cycle is very regular. However, it may not work very well for couples who use it as the sole means of contraception, as its success rate is only around 75 percent. You can boost its effectiveness by combining it with the temperature and mucus methods described below. The Temperature Method: This is a way to pinpoint the day of ovulation so that sex can be avoided for a few days before and after. It involves taking your basal body temperature (your temperature upon first waking) each morning with an accurate “basal” thermometer, and noting the rise in temperature that occurs after ovulation. Beware that illness or lack of sleep can change your body temperature and make this method unreliable by itself, but when it is combined with the mucus method, it can be an accurate way of assessing fertility. The two methods combined can have a success rate as high as 98 percent. The Mucus Method: This involves tracking changes in the amount and texture of vaginal discharge, which reflect rising levels of estrogen in your body. For the first few days after your period, there is often no discharge, but there will be a cloudy, tacky mucus as estrogen starts to rise. When the discharge starts to increase in volume and becomes clear and stringy, ovulation is near. A return to the tacky, cloudy mucus or no discharge means that ovulation has passed. As you can see, there are many alternatives to the Pill and other hormonal contraceptives out there, and my advice to women is to seriously evaluate the risks versus benefits before taking any type of birth control pills. Posted By Dr. Mercola | June 29 2011 Are New Vaccines Laced with Birth-Control Drugs? During the early 1990s, the World Health Organization (WHO) had been overseeing massive vaccination campaigns against tetanus in a number of countries, among them Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Philippines. In October 1994, HLI received a communication from its Mexican affiliate, the Comite’ Pro Vida de Mexico, regarding that country’s anti-tetanus campaign. Suspicious of the campaign protocols, the Comite’ obtained several vials of the vaccine and had them analyzed by chemists. Some of the vials were found to contain human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), a naturally occurring hormone essential for maintaining a pregnancy. hCG and Anti-hCG Antibodies In nature the hCG hormone alerts the woman’s body that she is pregnant and causes the release of other hormones to prepare the uterine lining for the implantation of the fertilized egg. The rapid rise in hCG levels after conception makes it an excellent marker for confirmation of pregnancy: when a woman takes a pregnancy test she is not tested for the pregnancy itself, but for the elevated presence of hCG. However, when introduced into the body coupled with a tetanus toxoid carrier, antibodies will be formed not only against tetanus but also against hCG. In this case the body fails to recognize hCG as a friend and will produce anti-hCG antibodies. The antibodies will attack subsequent pregnancies by killing the hCG which naturally sustains a pregnancy; when a woman has sufficient anti-hCG antibodies in her system, she is rendered incapable of maintaining a pregnancy.(1) HLI reported the sketchy facts regarding the Mexican tetanus vaccines to its World Council members and affiliates in more than 60 countries.(2) Soon additional reports of vaccines laced with hCG hormones began to drift in from the Philippines, where more than 3.4 million women were recently vaccinated. Similar reports came from Nicaragua, which had conducted its own vaccination campaign in 1993. The Known Facts Here are the known facts concerning the tetanus vaccination campaigns in Mexico and the Philippines: * Only women are vaccinated, and only the women between the ages of 15 and 45. (In Nicaragua the age range was 12-49.) But aren’t men at least as likely as young women to come into contact with tetanus? And what of the children? Why are they excluded? * Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) hormone has been found in the vaccines. It does not belong there — in the parlance of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, the vaccine has been “contaminated.” * The three since more, vaccination protocols call for multiple injections — within three months and a total of five altogether. But, tetanus vaccinations provide protection for ten years or why are multiple inoculations called for?(3) * WHO has been actively involved for more than 20 years in the development of an anti-fertility vaccine utilizing hCG tied to tetanus toxoid as a carrier — the exact same coupling as has been found in the Mexican-Philippine-Nicaragua vaccines.(4) The Anti-Fertility Gang Allied with the WHO in the development of an anti-fertility vaccine (AFV) using hCG with tetanus and other carriers have been UNFPA, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Population Council, the Rockefeller Foundation, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and a number of universities, including Uppsala, Helsinki, and Ohio State.(5) The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (part of NIH) was the supplier of the hCG hormone in some of the AFV experiments.(6) The WHO begain its “Special Programme” in human reproduction in 1972, and by 1993 had spent more than $356 million on “reproductive health” research.(7) It is this “Programme” which has pioneered the development of the abortificant vaccine. Over $90 million of this Programme’s funds were contributed by Sweden; Great Britain donated more than $52 million, while Norway, Denmark and Germany kicked in for $41 million , $27 million, and $12 million, respectively. The U.S., thanks to the cut-off of such funding during the ReaganBush administrations, has contributed “only” $5.7 million, including a new payment in 1993 by the Clinton administration of $2.5 million. Other major contibutors to the WHO Programme include UNFPA, $61 million; the World Bank, $15.5 million; the Rockefeller Foundation, $2.5 million; the Ford Foundation, over $1 million; and the IDRC (International Research and Development Centre of Canada), $716.5 thousand. WHO and Philippine Health Department Excuses When the first reports surfaced in the Philippines of tetanus toxoid vaccine being laced with hCG hormones, the WHO and the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) immediately denied that the vaccine contained hCG. Confronted with the results of laboratory tests which detected its presence in three of the four vials of tetanus toxoid examined, the WHO and DOH scoffed at the evidence coming from “right-to-life and Catholic” sources. Four new vials of the tetanus vaccine were submitted by DOH to St. Luke’s (Lutheran) Medical Center in Manila — and all four vials tested positive for hCG! From outright denial the stories now shifted to the allegedly “insignificant” quantity of the hCG present; the volume of hCG present is insufficient to produce anti-hCG antibodies. But new tests designed to detect the presence of hCG antibodies in the blood sera of women vaccinated with the tetauns toxoid vaccine were undertaken by Philippine pro-life and Catholic groups. Of thirty women tested subsequent to receiving tetanus toxoid vaccine, twenty-six tested positive for high levels of anti-hCG! If there were no hCG in the vaccine, or if it were present in only “insignificant” quantities, why were the vaccinated women found to be harboring anti-hCG antibodies? The WHO and the DOH had no answers. New arguments surfaced: hCG’s apparent presence in the vaccine was due to “false positives” resulting from the particular substances mixed in the vaccine or in the chemicals testing for hCG. And even if hCG was really there, its presence derived from the manufacturing process. But the finding of hCG antibodies in the blood sera of vaccinated women obviated the need to get bogged down in such debates. It was no longer necessary to argue about what may or may not have been the cause of the hCG presence, when one now had the effect of the hCG. There is no known way for the vaccinated women to have hCG antibodies in their blood unless hCG had been artificially introduced into their bodies! Why A Tetanus Toxoid “Carrier”? Because the human body does not attack its own naturally occurring hormone hCG, the body has to be fooled into treating hCG as an invading enemy in order to develop a successful anti-fertility vaccine utilizing hCG antibodies. A paper delivered at the 4th International Congress of Reproductive Immunology (Kiel, West Germany, 26-29 July 1989) spelled it out: “Linkage to a carrier was done to overcome the immunological tolerance to hCG.”(8) Vaccine Untested by Drug Bureau After the vaccine controversy had reached a fever pitch, a new bombshell exploded; none of the three different brands of tetanus vaccine being used had ever been licensed for sale and distribution or registered with the Philippine Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), as required by law. The head of the BFAD lamely explained that the companies distributing these brands “did not apply for registration.”(9) The companies in question are Connaught Laboratories Ltd. and Intervex, both from Canada, and CSL Laboratories from Australia. It seemed that the BFAD might belatedly require re-testing, but the idea was quickly rejected when the Secretary of Health declared that, since the vaccines had been certified by the WHO — there they are again! — there was assurance enough that the “vaccines come from reputable manufacturers.”(10) Just how “reputable” one of the manufacturers might be is open to some question. In the mid-`80s Connaught Laboratories was found to be knowingly distributing vials of AIDS-contaminated blood products.(11) Epilogue At this juncture, evidence is beginning to appear from Africa.(12) HLI has called for a Congressional investigation of the situation, inasmuch as nearly every agency involved in the development of an anti-fertility vaccine is funded, at least in part, with U.S. monies. NOTES: (1) “Abortifacient vaccines loom as new threat,” HLI Reports, November 1993, pp. 1-2. (2) World Council Reports, 28 November 1994, pp. 4-5. (3) A call placed by this writer on 5 May 1995 to the Montgomery County (Maryland) Health Department, Epidemology Division — Infectious Diseases — Adult Immunizations, elicited the following information: Q. For how long a time does the tetanus vaccination offer protection? A. 10 years. Q. Have you ever heard of any adult requiring three tetanus vaccinations within a 3 or 4 month time period, and a total of 5 vaccinations in all within a year or so? A. Whaaaat! Never. No way! Reports from the Philippines appear to confirm the 10-year immunity afforded by tetanus toxoid vaccinations: prior to the campaigns begun in 1993, the so-called booster shots were given only every 10 years. (4) More than a score of articles, many written by WHO researchers, document WHO’s attempts to create an antifertility vaccine utilizing tetanus toxoid as a carrier. Some leading articles include: “Clinical profile and Toxicology Studies on Four Women Immunized with Pr-B-hCG-TT,” Contraception, February, 1976, pp. 253-268. “Observations on the antigenicity and clinical effects of a candidate antipregnancy vaccine: B-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin linked to tetanus toxoid,” Fertility and Sterility, October 1980, pp. 328-335. “Phase 1 Clinical Trials of a World Health Organisation Birth Control Vaccine,” The Lancet, 11 June 1988, pp. 1295-1298. “Vaccines for Fertility Regulation,” Chapter 11, pp. 177-198, Research in Human Reproduction, Biennial Report (1986-1987), WHO Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (WHO, Geneva 1988). “Anti-hCG Vaccines are in Clinical Trials,” Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, Vol. 36, 1992, pp. 123-126. (5) These institutional names are garnered from the journal articles cited in the previous footnote. (6) Lancet, 11 June 1988, p. 1296. (7) Challenges in Reproductive Health Research, Biennial Report 1992-1993, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1994, p. 186. (8) G.P. Talwar, et al, “Prospects of an anti-hCG vaccine inducing antibodies of high affinity…(etc),” Reproductive Technology 1989, Elsevier Science Publishers, 1990, Amsterdam, New York, p. 231. (9) “3 DOH vaccines untested by BFAD,” The Philippine Star, 4 April 1995, pp. 1, 12. (10) “BFAD junks re-testing of controversial shot,” Manila Standard, 7 April 1995; “DOH: Toxoid vaccines are safe,” The Philippine Star, 7 April 1995. (11) “Ottawa got blood tainted by HIV.” Ottawa Citizen, 4 April 1995. (12) A nearly two-year old communique from Tanzania tells a familiar story: tetanus toxoid vaccinations, five in all, given only to women aged 15-45. Nigeria, too, may have been victimized; see The Lancet, 4 June 1988, p. 1273. Credit: Copyright June/July 1995 by James A. Miller, special correspondent for Human Life International. This article was originally published in HLI Reports, Human Life International, Gaithersburg, Maryland; June/July 1995, Volume 13, Number 8. Permission to reprint granted to Thinktwice/New Atlantean Press.