🗣AAAAAAAAAUGH!
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AAAAAAAAAUGH! ❝ Kennedy claimed at one point: “Something happened in the mid-90s that changed our children, and it has to be an environmental exposure.” ❞
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-vaccines-executive-order-measlesi am one of those mothers who had her child have an anaphylactic reaction to the MMRs in the 1990s and am here to tell you this fascist fuckwad should know it had nothing to do with the #vaccines and everything to do with the changes to FDA regulation that happened in 1994 during the Clinton administration
🧵…
in 1993-94, i started work at Colgate-Palmolive as an occasional translator for their Consumer Affairs department. ended up writing their whole intranet knowledge-base (in DOS thank you very much).
my title was “tech writer” but, in truth? was the person who would take the bullshit from sales & marketing, discussed the science with R&D then went to legal to massage the message that went into the knowledge-base.
the CEO & VPs were rabidly against the scripts legal wanted the reps to parrot 🧵…
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in 1993-94, i started work at Colgate-Palmolive as an occasional translator for their Consumer Affairs department. ended up writing their whole intranet knowledge-base (in DOS thank you very much).
my title was “tech writer” but, in truth? was the person who would take the bullshit from sales & marketing, discussed the science with R&D then went to legal to massage the message that went into the knowledge-base.
the CEO & VPs were rabidly against the scripts legal wanted the reps to parrot 🧵…
i created the compromise between fielding thousands of daily phone calls about the company’s products and the script legal wanted to ward off any liabilities from the multimillion dollar lobbying for changes to the FDA’s regulatory powers.
at play? PATENTS.
companies like CP are too old to hold their original patent monopolies. this meant either buying companies with new patents or investing gobs of money in new R&D.
🧵…
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i created the compromise between fielding thousands of daily phone calls about the company’s products and the script legal wanted to ward off any liabilities from the multimillion dollar lobbying for changes to the FDA’s regulatory powers.
at play? PATENTS.
companies like CP are too old to hold their original patent monopolies. this meant either buying companies with new patents or investing gobs of money in new R&D.
🧵…
CP had spent millions into greasing palms in DC for changes like:
Federal Register, Volume 59 Issue 116 (Friday, June 17, 1994) - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-06-17/html/94-14503.htm
Federal Register, Volume 59 Issue 190 (Monday, October 3, 1994) - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-10-03/html/94-24052.htm
these involve the definition of antimicrobial and the testing and labeling of pharmaceutical products, including cosmeceuticals like toothpaste (fluoride is a pharmaceutical, toothpaste a teeth cosmetic, hence a cosmeceutical)
🧵…
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CP had spent millions into greasing palms in DC for changes like:
Federal Register, Volume 59 Issue 116 (Friday, June 17, 1994) - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-06-17/html/94-14503.htm
Federal Register, Volume 59 Issue 190 (Monday, October 3, 1994) - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-10-03/html/94-24052.htm
these involve the definition of antimicrobial and the testing and labeling of pharmaceutical products, including cosmeceuticals like toothpaste (fluoride is a pharmaceutical, toothpaste a teeth cosmetic, hence a cosmeceutical)
🧵…
why were they spending so much money on these changes:
you have to understand the public health context of 1994: we are still at the height of the #AIDS #pandemic but, after 12 years of fascist antigay policy from Reagan and Bush, 1994 felt like a pivot towards destigmatizing the disease.
so some genius at CP thought it would be great for the company to pivot to “antimicrobial all the things!”
not because soap and water weren't enough…
not because it would stop the spread of AIDS but… 🧵
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why were they spending so much money on these changes:
you have to understand the public health context of 1994: we are still at the height of the #AIDS #pandemic but, after 12 years of fascist antigay policy from Reagan and Bush, 1994 felt like a pivot towards destigmatizing the disease.
so some genius at CP thought it would be great for the company to pivot to “antimicrobial all the things!”
not because soap and water weren't enough…
not because it would stop the spread of AIDS but… 🧵
they wanted to exploit fears about #AIDS by deregulating from “industry only” to “mass market” the triclosan hand detergent they only sold to hospitals and meat processing plants.
they also wanted to side-step all the testing involved for such a move. they claimed statistical evidence would suffice for proving the soap or toothpastes were already safe, so they should only focus on the active ingredient… by redefining safety… 🧵…
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they wanted to exploit fears about #AIDS by deregulating from “industry only” to “mass market” the triclosan hand detergent they only sold to hospitals and meat processing plants.
they also wanted to side-step all the testing involved for such a move. they claimed statistical evidence would suffice for proving the soap or toothpastes were already safe, so they should only focus on the active ingredient… by redefining safety… 🧵…
1994 brought us clintonian triangulation to food and drug safety:
the bar was completely removed by basically defining safety as “it does not immediately kill you”.
this one change is what fucked up a lot of people with weird reactions to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics they had used without a problem… 🧵…
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1994 brought us clintonian triangulation to food and drug safety:
the bar was completely removed by basically defining safety as “it does not immediately kill you”.
this one change is what fucked up a lot of people with weird reactions to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics they had used without a problem… 🧵…
since the focus on safety was now only on ACTIVE ingredients, pharma companies went to town changing INACTIVE ingredients to cut as many costs as they could and maximize profits.
OH! did i mention that these changes went hand-in-hand with the ability of a company to "protect" their patents?
patents were based on the original pharma recipe. not anymore. now companies could use old recipes, change one ingredient and have a completely new patent, lowering the cost of R&D, so… 🧵…
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since the focus on safety was now only on ACTIVE ingredients, pharma companies went to town changing INACTIVE ingredients to cut as many costs as they could and maximize profits.
OH! did i mention that these changes went hand-in-hand with the ability of a company to "protect" their patents?
patents were based on the original pharma recipe. not anymore. now companies could use old recipes, change one ingredient and have a completely new patent, lowering the cost of R&D, so… 🧵…
why do i give you this background context to discuss this #RFK #MMR #vaccines nonesense?
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS IN HOW INACTIVE INGREDIENTS ARE TREATEDmy son had an anaphylactic reaction to the MMRs. you don't want to know how it feels to have the limp body of your baby after doing the “right thing” and being a responsible parent.
but the gaslighting about inactive ingredients in vaccines and immunotherapy is what also almost killed me during chemo… 🧵…
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why do i give you this background context to discuss this #RFK #MMR #vaccines nonesense?
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS IN HOW INACTIVE INGREDIENTS ARE TREATEDmy son had an anaphylactic reaction to the MMRs. you don't want to know how it feels to have the limp body of your baby after doing the “right thing” and being a responsible parent.
but the gaslighting about inactive ingredients in vaccines and immunotherapy is what also almost killed me during chemo… 🧵…
Thank you for sharing this background and history. I'm so sorry your son had a true allergic reaction to a vaccine.
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why do i give you this background context to discuss this #RFK #MMR #vaccines nonesense?
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS IN HOW INACTIVE INGREDIENTS ARE TREATEDmy son had an anaphylactic reaction to the MMRs. you don't want to know how it feels to have the limp body of your baby after doing the “right thing” and being a responsible parent.
but the gaslighting about inactive ingredients in vaccines and immunotherapy is what also almost killed me during chemo… 🧵…
NOT ONCE NOT TWICE THREE ANAPHYLACTIC REACTIONS TO CHEMOTHERAPYmy oncologist had to scream at the hospital administrator to go deal with the insurance company so she could use the un-mixed version of my chemo.
the insurance and the hospital decided that us poors should stick to the pre-mixed, additive-laden solution to cut costs.
that solution almost killed me 3 times.
but because it is NOT the active ingredient doing the harm, that cheaper version will still be peddled… 🧵…
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NOT ONCE NOT TWICE THREE ANAPHYLACTIC REACTIONS TO CHEMOTHERAPY
my oncologist had to scream at the hospital administrator to go deal with the insurance company so she could use the un-mixed version of my chemo.
the insurance and the hospital decided that us poors should stick to the pre-mixed, additive-laden solution to cut costs.
that solution almost killed me 3 times.
but because it is NOT the active ingredient doing the harm, that cheaper version will still be peddled… 🧵…
ALLERGIES TESTING SHOULD BE STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR PREVENTIVE MEDICINEwe could see immediately, in our own toothpastes, how those changes in 1994 were wrecking havoc for some people.
changes in sweetners were triggering allergic reactions by the thousands, but the biggest, OMFG was the base of the paste itself.
🧵…
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why do i give you this background context to discuss this #RFK #MMR #vaccines nonesense?
BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS IN HOW INACTIVE INGREDIENTS ARE TREATEDmy son had an anaphylactic reaction to the MMRs. you don't want to know how it feels to have the limp body of your baby after doing the “right thing” and being a responsible parent.
but the gaslighting about inactive ingredients in vaccines and immunotherapy is what also almost killed me during chemo… 🧵…
Ah yes. Like how Benadryl has a red dye that is a known allergen in it. And people who are most likely to need Benadryl are the people who are more likely to have an allergy or sensitivity to this particular dye, so they have to look for "hypoallergenic antihistamines". Blew my mind when I had to research this stuff for my own health.
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ALLERGIES TESTING SHOULD BE STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
we could see immediately, in our own toothpastes, how those changes in 1994 were wrecking havoc for some people.
changes in sweetners were triggering allergic reactions by the thousands, but the biggest, OMFG was the base of the paste itself.
🧵…
some fuckwad in one of the subsidiaries decided to try creating a compound with silica to save money on the chalk used over 100 years to make toothpaste.
it ended up as exactly as you can imagine: the company paying up for “personal injury” cases and gagging people about mentioning anything in public.
which takes me back to the point of the triclosan patent: they literally were trying to create a need for an antimicrobial that wasn’t there…🧵
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some fuckwad in one of the subsidiaries decided to try creating a compound with silica to save money on the chalk used over 100 years to make toothpaste.
it ended up as exactly as you can imagine: the company paying up for “personal injury” cases and gagging people about mentioning anything in public.
which takes me back to the point of the triclosan patent: they literally were trying to create a need for an antimicrobial that wasn’t there…🧵
with the #AIDS crisis, they believed #triclosan would be the inevitable product to buy, cementing the company’s market dominance in all things detergent… because they didn't even want to make soap. it was cheap chemicals all the way to the bank for this group of Fortune 500 money-grubbing morons.
they stuck triclosan into everything they could. after all, they held the patent to the chemical.
so when i asked them if they had done any studies on the effects on normal skin & gut flora 🧵…
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with the #AIDS crisis, they believed #triclosan would be the inevitable product to buy, cementing the company’s market dominance in all things detergent… because they didn't even want to make soap. it was cheap chemicals all the way to the bank for this group of Fortune 500 money-grubbing morons.
they stuck triclosan into everything they could. after all, they held the patent to the chemical.
so when i asked them if they had done any studies on the effects on normal skin & gut flora 🧵…
@blogdiva omg I am reading this whole thread while holding my breath!!
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some fuckwad in one of the subsidiaries decided to try creating a compound with silica to save money on the chalk used over 100 years to make toothpaste.
it ended up as exactly as you can imagine: the company paying up for “personal injury” cases and gagging people about mentioning anything in public.
which takes me back to the point of the triclosan patent: they literally were trying to create a need for an antimicrobial that wasn’t there…🧵
@blogdiva Hace poco hubo alertas sanitarias en varios países de América Latina por un ingrediente de la crema dental Colgate, justamente un aditivo para bajar costos https://remac-dent.mx/blogs/nuevos/retiran-una-pasta-colgate-lo-que-todo-dentista-debe-saber-y-que-si-recomendar-a-sus-pacientes
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with the #AIDS crisis, they believed #triclosan would be the inevitable product to buy, cementing the company’s market dominance in all things detergent… because they didn't even want to make soap. it was cheap chemicals all the way to the bank for this group of Fortune 500 money-grubbing morons.
they stuck triclosan into everything they could. after all, they held the patent to the chemical.
so when i asked them if they had done any studies on the effects on normal skin & gut flora 🧵…
they not only said they were following FDA guidelines ―which they helped rewrite, by the way― and the testing proved triclosan didn't kill people immediately, so the products were safe to use under those guidelines.
not only everything i wrote going forward had to be approved by several suits in legal, this is now their legacy:
Antibiotic resistance linked to common household disinfectant triclosan | ScienceDaily - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170703085348.htm
🧵…
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they not only said they were following FDA guidelines ―which they helped rewrite, by the way― and the testing proved triclosan didn't kill people immediately, so the products were safe to use under those guidelines.
not only everything i wrote going forward had to be approved by several suits in legal, this is now their legacy:
Antibiotic resistance linked to common household disinfectant triclosan | ScienceDaily - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170703085348.htm
🧵…
Triclosan: A Widespread Environmental Toxicant with Many Biological Effects - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4774862/
Frontiers | The impact of triclosan on the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00780/full
Triclosan: an Instructive Tale - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5118979/
so, to recap:
1. i was there, working in one of the companies investing in the deregulation of not just testing of new pharmaceuticals but redefining testing… 🧵
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Triclosan: A Widespread Environmental Toxicant with Many Biological Effects - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4774862/
Frontiers | The impact of triclosan on the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00780/full
Triclosan: an Instructive Tale - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5118979/
so, to recap:
1. i was there, working in one of the companies investing in the deregulation of not just testing of new pharmaceuticals but redefining testing… 🧵
@blogdiva that's definitely a case of "they should have looked at the barebones physical facts about the substance and realized maybe this would be bad to let loose in the environment". it hits a kind of "sour spot" (opposite of a sweet spot heh) in terms of being low in solubility (so it doesn't wash away quickly) and slow to release its chlorine compared to hypochlorites. But my guess is that it's just these two traits that made it seem like a great thing to put in toilets and such
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Triclosan: A Widespread Environmental Toxicant with Many Biological Effects - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4774862/
Frontiers | The impact of triclosan on the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00780/full
Triclosan: an Instructive Tale - PMC - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5118979/
so, to recap:
1. i was there, working in one of the companies investing in the deregulation of not just testing of new pharmaceuticals but redefining testing… 🧵
2. i’ve outlined my experience with both sides of the changes:
- 2a. ACTIVE ingredients, like triclosan ―which were always problematic
- 2b. INACTIVE ingredients in pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals that are the most often involved in what the industry called “personal injury” cases. in my case it involved cancer immunotherapy. in my son’s case, immunization.
all this to say: in spite of those 1994 changes, we should have more than one choice of #vaccines BECAUSE OF #ALLERGIES 🧵…
