But air "fresheners"? There is no good reason for them. None. They do not make life easier. They make it smell. Like chemicals.
Yes, maybe some people like that; or they are addicted to them. But there is no reason to think that chemical fragrances are safe, let alone good for you. They clearly make some people sick, quickly. In Europe, many of the same products are unsafe for wildlife. No such labels in the US. That's politics, not science. Please, put them in the trash. Or hazardous waste. Now.
Might the air "fresheners" might be causing your grandson's wheezing? We know they cause real problems for my family. Same for scented laundry products and other chemically scented things.
Last week, I let my daughter eat a slice of bright yellow turmeric cake. She is trying to conceive. My family don't want to hear the facts, but, you are right, they should not have to.
At dinner tonight with another couple and one person said they just bought round up bc “I just want to get rid of the weeds!” I did respond some but dang I feel like a stick in the eye. I need a presentation on how to not be a killjoy. Maybe making fun while offering info IDK
Amara’s Law in Mn testifying to the legislature. There’s no shortage of need sadly. I’m so sorry for your loss Marie. We’ll fight on for your daughter and the too many harmed. We are not alone.
Thanks so much, Heidi. I remember reading about Amara. And to think 3M was once thought of positively as a major employer in the Twin Cities -- which have been such an inspiration in many ways, of late! Indeed too many have been harmed. If it's any help at the next dinner, I might try thinking how helpful you are being in sharing the information with them: "You may not know this, but...." People are more likely to be persuaded by personal stories told by people they know. <3
Well put, I feel the same way when talking about Aluminium in vaccines,
The standard protocol for inducing allergic airway disease in a mouse is to sensitize the animal by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (a protein antigen from chicken egg) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide, followed by airway challenge with the same antigen. The mouse develops airway eosinophilia, elevated IgE, mucus hyperproduction, and airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. This is the stock method of every laboratory studying allergic asthma. Wilson and colleagues demonstrated in 2009, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, that the same aluminum-adjuvanted route produces Th17-dependent neutrophilic airway hyperresponsiveness.¹⁵ Mishra and colleagues in 2015, in Nature Communications, demonstrated the same mechanism for house dust mite sensitization.¹⁶
Aluminum hydroxide is the most common vaccine adjuvant in the pediatric schedule. It is the same substance that, when injected into mice with a protein antigen, produces the murine model of the human condition. The formula is not contested. It is described in published protocols, used in thousands of studies, and produces the condition reliably.
The occupational confirmation is in the human literature. In 1994, Desjardins and colleagues at the University of Montreal published a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine titled “Aluminium potroom asthma confirmed by monitoring of forced expiratory volume in one second.” Workers in aluminum smelters developed asthma from inhalation exposure to aluminum fluoride fumes. The condition has its own name in occupational medicine: potroom asthma.¹⁷ Kongerud’s 1994 Norwegian cohort study documented the same relationship: a close correlation between fluoride exposure levels and work-related asthmatic symptoms, confirmed by serial peak flow monitoring.¹⁸
In 2023, Matthew Daley and colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Colorado published in Academic Pediatrics the largest study yet conducted on cumulative vaccine aluminum exposure and asthma. The cohort was 326,991 children drawn from the CDC’s own Vaccine Safety Datalink. The exposure was total aluminum from vaccines administered before 24 months. The outcome was persistent asthma diagnosis at 24–59 months. Children exposed to more than 3 mg of vaccine aluminum were 36% more likely to develop persistent asthma (95% CI 1.21–1.53). Among children with eczema — the group Lester and Parker identify as having the compromised skin elimination pathway that forces toxic burden toward the lungs — those exposed to more than 3 mg of aluminum were 61% more likely to develop persistent asthma (95% CI 1.04–2.48).¹⁹
15. Wilson RH, Whitehead GS, Nakano H, Free ME, Kolls JK, Cook DN. “Allergic sensitization through the airway primes Th17-dependent neutrophilia and airway hyperresponsiveness.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2009;180(8):720–30.
16. Mishra A, Yao X, Saxena A, et al. “Dendritic cells induce Th2-mediated airway inflammatory responses to house dust mite via DNGR-1 independent pathways.” Nature Communications 2015;6:6224.
17. Desjardins A, Bergeron JP, Ghezzo H, Cartier A, Malo JL. “Aluminium potroom asthma confirmed by monitoring of forced expiratory volume in one second.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 1994;150(6 Pt 1):1714–17.
18. Kongerud J, Boe J, Søyseth V, Naalsund A, Magnus P. “Aluminium potroom asthma: the Norwegian experience.” European Respiratory Journal 1994;7(1):165–72.
19. Daley MF, Reifler LM, Glanz JM, et al. “Association between aluminum exposure from vaccines before age 24 months and persistent asthma at age 24 to 59 months.” Academic Pediatrics 2023;23(1):37–46.
Thank you, Andrew, for a thoughtful overview of a controversial and understudied topic.
As you probably know, aluminum is more difficult to measure than many other metals, which may help explain why it has received less attention than lead, mercury, or arsenic.
The studies you cited raise legitimate questions about sensitization, lung function, and asthma (e.g., Daley, 2023). In contrast, a much larger Danish cohort study of more than 1.2 million children found no increased risk of asthma with higher aluminum exposure from vaccines (Andersson, 2025). Given the inconsistency of the findings—and the greater weight of evidence from the larger Danish study—the authors concluded that the available evidence does not support a causal association between aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines and asthma, while acknowledging the need for additional research.
Still, the Danish study did not measure aluminum levels directly, and it would not be surprising if some children were more susceptible because of genetic or other biological factors. Moreover, I found only two studies that examined this specific question (Doyon-Plourde, 2026), which is hardly enough to settle the issue.
I have not conducted a comprehensive review of the evidence, but I think the topic warrants one. An independent assessment by experts in immunology, toxicology, epidemiology, pediatrics, and environmental health would help clarify what is known, what remains uncertain, and where the research gaps lie.
The Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Medicine, ACIP, WHO, and others have reviewed the safety of aluminum-containing vaccines. However, I am not aware of a dedicated National Academy consensus report focused specifically on aluminum adjuvants, comparable to the major reviews conducted for environmental contaminants.
In principle, randomized trials would provide stronger evidence about the effects of aluminum adjuvants on immune responses and long-term health outcomes. The trade-off, of course, is that reducing or removing adjuvants could diminish vaccine effectiveness and increase susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Given the widespread use of aluminum adjuvants, a rigorous and independent review focused specifically on aluminum would be a reasonable next step. Such a review should examine toxicokinetics, cumulative exposure, susceptibility factors, and long-term outcomes. Reviews of this depth have been conducted repeatedly for environmental contaminants, but not, to my knowledge, for aluminum adjuvants.
We should never stop asking questions about vaccines or other population strategies. Their great strength is that they can deliver enormous benefits across entire populations. Yet because they affect so many people, even small risks can have important consequences. The answer is neither complacency nor fear, but rigorous surveillance, ongoing research, and a willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Andersson NW, et al. Aluminum-adsorbed vaccines and chronic diseases in childhood: A nationwide cohort study. Ann Intern Medicine 2025;178: 1369-1377.
Doyon-Plourde P, et al. Aluminum adjuvants in vaccines and potential health effects: systemic review. BMJ 2026;393;e088921. doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-088921
What a beautiful letter, Bruce! Rachel is frozen in time in my mind as the little girl who used to come visit us in the "romper room" at RGH. Wonderful to hear that she has a little boy-who in turn is lucky to have a loving and caring grandfather like you.
Thanks Bruce, I will be citing your article in an oped I am just completing, if that is okay. Thank you. In the 70's when I first started my environmental journey I was so mad that the burden was being put on people, and the companies and corporations doing major polluting were not doing anything, I refused to recycle until they did their part. lt has taken years to not overcome my madness, but to diligently at least do my part. I am thrilled that this week we just had an induction stove installed. I have been cooking on small countertop induction hot plates and convection air fryers for a couple years, because I would not turn on the gas stove.
Children are our greatest treasure, grand parenting our greatest joy. I understand your reticence in sending the letter and appreciate how many drafts you must have written. As a grandparent we walk a fine line between caring and overbearing. Thank you for sharing this very personal communication, Bruce - following our chat about these topics in relation to children it is very timely. The podcast episode will be published this month on What We Teach Our Children.
Thank you for this. I’ve also been to friends’ and family’s homes and had the same thoughts - microwaving foods in plastic, air fresheners, lots of plastic and ultra-processed foods, etc. It’s so hard to make the best decision to say something or not, especially when there’s also chronic illness present. I don’t want to be a killjoy all the time, and I’ve found that most people are not interested in what I have to say anyways. Sometimes I’ll carefully introduce the topic, in an abstract way, and gauge the reaction whether I should go on. It’s usually a no. And, as you say, it’s not fair that people are put in the position of having to be a detective in choosing the best products to support their health. People have other priorities and worries, and I think the assumption is that if it’s on the market it’s safe, which is completely not true.
The child is wheezing and there are plug-ins. Given such poor air quality, the plastic food containers hardly matter. The plug-ins and all air "fresheners" MUST be removed from the home.
And please warn parents not to allow their children to play on plastic "synthetic-turf" playfields and rubber playgrounds . Breathing in plastic and rubber bits and the chemicals and heavy metals in them as they play. And both plastic carpets and rubber surfaces get hotter than asphalt in the sun! #NoChildFriedOutside www.safehealthyplayjngfields.org
Fabulous letter! However, all bets are off when it comes to poisoning our children with vaccines, which literally reduce one's ability to deal with day to day toxins even in those who are somewhat plugged into all you say. Once sensitized to the willful damage from vaccines there is no turning back...
Oh yes. A difficult conversation.
But air "fresheners"? There is no good reason for them. None. They do not make life easier. They make it smell. Like chemicals.
Yes, maybe some people like that; or they are addicted to them. But there is no reason to think that chemical fragrances are safe, let alone good for you. They clearly make some people sick, quickly. In Europe, many of the same products are unsafe for wildlife. No such labels in the US. That's politics, not science. Please, put them in the trash. Or hazardous waste. Now.
Might the air "fresheners" might be causing your grandson's wheezing? We know they cause real problems for my family. Same for scented laundry products and other chemically scented things.
Informative, balanced, and inspiring as always.
Last week, I let my daughter eat a slice of bright yellow turmeric cake. She is trying to conceive. My family don't want to hear the facts, but, you are right, they should not have to.
"We have turned protection into a private responsibility, asking families to solve problems that should never have become theirs alone."
At dinner tonight with another couple and one person said they just bought round up bc “I just want to get rid of the weeds!” I did respond some but dang I feel like a stick in the eye. I need a presentation on how to not be a killjoy. Maybe making fun while offering info IDK
So real—it is difficult to feel like Debbie Downer. But what is really difficult is having to bury your child. https://poisoningchildren.substack.com/p/she-would-have-been-thirty-two-today
Like Bruce, dare to have the difficult conversations.
We are fighting for Amara and
Amara’s Law in Mn testifying to the legislature. There’s no shortage of need sadly. I’m so sorry for your loss Marie. We’ll fight on for your daughter and the too many harmed. We are not alone.
Thanks so much, Heidi. I remember reading about Amara. And to think 3M was once thought of positively as a major employer in the Twin Cities -- which have been such an inspiration in many ways, of late! Indeed too many have been harmed. If it's any help at the next dinner, I might try thinking how helpful you are being in sharing the information with them: "You may not know this, but...." People are more likely to be persuaded by personal stories told by people they know. <3
Freddy has a great grandpa!
Thank you Cathy!
Well put, I feel the same way when talking about Aluminium in vaccines,
The standard protocol for inducing allergic airway disease in a mouse is to sensitize the animal by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (a protein antigen from chicken egg) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide, followed by airway challenge with the same antigen. The mouse develops airway eosinophilia, elevated IgE, mucus hyperproduction, and airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. This is the stock method of every laboratory studying allergic asthma. Wilson and colleagues demonstrated in 2009, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, that the same aluminum-adjuvanted route produces Th17-dependent neutrophilic airway hyperresponsiveness.¹⁵ Mishra and colleagues in 2015, in Nature Communications, demonstrated the same mechanism for house dust mite sensitization.¹⁶
Aluminum hydroxide is the most common vaccine adjuvant in the pediatric schedule. It is the same substance that, when injected into mice with a protein antigen, produces the murine model of the human condition. The formula is not contested. It is described in published protocols, used in thousands of studies, and produces the condition reliably.
The occupational confirmation is in the human literature. In 1994, Desjardins and colleagues at the University of Montreal published a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine titled “Aluminium potroom asthma confirmed by monitoring of forced expiratory volume in one second.” Workers in aluminum smelters developed asthma from inhalation exposure to aluminum fluoride fumes. The condition has its own name in occupational medicine: potroom asthma.¹⁷ Kongerud’s 1994 Norwegian cohort study documented the same relationship: a close correlation between fluoride exposure levels and work-related asthmatic symptoms, confirmed by serial peak flow monitoring.¹⁸
In 2023, Matthew Daley and colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Colorado published in Academic Pediatrics the largest study yet conducted on cumulative vaccine aluminum exposure and asthma. The cohort was 326,991 children drawn from the CDC’s own Vaccine Safety Datalink. The exposure was total aluminum from vaccines administered before 24 months. The outcome was persistent asthma diagnosis at 24–59 months. Children exposed to more than 3 mg of vaccine aluminum were 36% more likely to develop persistent asthma (95% CI 1.21–1.53). Among children with eczema — the group Lester and Parker identify as having the compromised skin elimination pathway that forces toxic burden toward the lungs — those exposed to more than 3 mg of aluminum were 61% more likely to develop persistent asthma (95% CI 1.04–2.48).¹⁹
15. Wilson RH, Whitehead GS, Nakano H, Free ME, Kolls JK, Cook DN. “Allergic sensitization through the airway primes Th17-dependent neutrophilia and airway hyperresponsiveness.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2009;180(8):720–30.
16. Mishra A, Yao X, Saxena A, et al. “Dendritic cells induce Th2-mediated airway inflammatory responses to house dust mite via DNGR-1 independent pathways.” Nature Communications 2015;6:6224.
17. Desjardins A, Bergeron JP, Ghezzo H, Cartier A, Malo JL. “Aluminium potroom asthma confirmed by monitoring of forced expiratory volume in one second.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 1994;150(6 Pt 1):1714–17.
18. Kongerud J, Boe J, Søyseth V, Naalsund A, Magnus P. “Aluminium potroom asthma: the Norwegian experience.” European Respiratory Journal 1994;7(1):165–72.
19. Daley MF, Reifler LM, Glanz JM, et al. “Association between aluminum exposure from vaccines before age 24 months and persistent asthma at age 24 to 59 months.” Academic Pediatrics 2023;23(1):37–46.
Thank you, Andrew, for a thoughtful overview of a controversial and understudied topic.
As you probably know, aluminum is more difficult to measure than many other metals, which may help explain why it has received less attention than lead, mercury, or arsenic.
The studies you cited raise legitimate questions about sensitization, lung function, and asthma (e.g., Daley, 2023). In contrast, a much larger Danish cohort study of more than 1.2 million children found no increased risk of asthma with higher aluminum exposure from vaccines (Andersson, 2025). Given the inconsistency of the findings—and the greater weight of evidence from the larger Danish study—the authors concluded that the available evidence does not support a causal association between aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines and asthma, while acknowledging the need for additional research.
Still, the Danish study did not measure aluminum levels directly, and it would not be surprising if some children were more susceptible because of genetic or other biological factors. Moreover, I found only two studies that examined this specific question (Doyon-Plourde, 2026), which is hardly enough to settle the issue.
I have not conducted a comprehensive review of the evidence, but I think the topic warrants one. An independent assessment by experts in immunology, toxicology, epidemiology, pediatrics, and environmental health would help clarify what is known, what remains uncertain, and where the research gaps lie.
The Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Medicine, ACIP, WHO, and others have reviewed the safety of aluminum-containing vaccines. However, I am not aware of a dedicated National Academy consensus report focused specifically on aluminum adjuvants, comparable to the major reviews conducted for environmental contaminants.
In principle, randomized trials would provide stronger evidence about the effects of aluminum adjuvants on immune responses and long-term health outcomes. The trade-off, of course, is that reducing or removing adjuvants could diminish vaccine effectiveness and increase susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Given the widespread use of aluminum adjuvants, a rigorous and independent review focused specifically on aluminum would be a reasonable next step. Such a review should examine toxicokinetics, cumulative exposure, susceptibility factors, and long-term outcomes. Reviews of this depth have been conducted repeatedly for environmental contaminants, but not, to my knowledge, for aluminum adjuvants.
We should never stop asking questions about vaccines or other population strategies. Their great strength is that they can deliver enormous benefits across entire populations. Yet because they affect so many people, even small risks can have important consequences. The answer is neither complacency nor fear, but rigorous surveillance, ongoing research, and a willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Andersson NW, et al. Aluminum-adsorbed vaccines and chronic diseases in childhood: A nationwide cohort study. Ann Intern Medicine 2025;178: 1369-1377.
doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00997
Doyon-Plourde P, et al. Aluminum adjuvants in vaccines and potential health effects: systemic review. BMJ 2026;393;e088921. doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-088921
Thanks Bruce, I really appreciate your thoughtful and considered response.
Bruce, can you respond to this? Thanks.
What a beautiful letter, Bruce! Rachel is frozen in time in my mind as the little girl who used to come visit us in the "romper room" at RGH. Wonderful to hear that she has a little boy-who in turn is lucky to have a loving and caring grandfather like you.
Thanks Bruce, I will be citing your article in an oped I am just completing, if that is okay. Thank you. In the 70's when I first started my environmental journey I was so mad that the burden was being put on people, and the companies and corporations doing major polluting were not doing anything, I refused to recycle until they did their part. lt has taken years to not overcome my madness, but to diligently at least do my part. I am thrilled that this week we just had an induction stove installed. I have been cooking on small countertop induction hot plates and convection air fryers for a couple years, because I would not turn on the gas stove.
When something is widely available for purchase, it’s only natural consumers think it’s safe. Our agencies are letting us down.
Loved this so much!
Thank you for sharing, Bruce. :)
Children are our greatest treasure, grand parenting our greatest joy. I understand your reticence in sending the letter and appreciate how many drafts you must have written. As a grandparent we walk a fine line between caring and overbearing. Thank you for sharing this very personal communication, Bruce - following our chat about these topics in relation to children it is very timely. The podcast episode will be published this month on What We Teach Our Children.
Thank you for this. I’ve also been to friends’ and family’s homes and had the same thoughts - microwaving foods in plastic, air fresheners, lots of plastic and ultra-processed foods, etc. It’s so hard to make the best decision to say something or not, especially when there’s also chronic illness present. I don’t want to be a killjoy all the time, and I’ve found that most people are not interested in what I have to say anyways. Sometimes I’ll carefully introduce the topic, in an abstract way, and gauge the reaction whether I should go on. It’s usually a no. And, as you say, it’s not fair that people are put in the position of having to be a detective in choosing the best products to support their health. People have other priorities and worries, and I think the assumption is that if it’s on the market it’s safe, which is completely not true.
The child is wheezing and there are plug-ins. Given such poor air quality, the plastic food containers hardly matter. The plug-ins and all air "fresheners" MUST be removed from the home.
And please warn parents not to allow their children to play on plastic "synthetic-turf" playfields and rubber playgrounds . Breathing in plastic and rubber bits and the chemicals and heavy metals in them as they play. And both plastic carpets and rubber surfaces get hotter than asphalt in the sun! #NoChildFriedOutside www.safehealthyplayjngfields.org
Fabulous letter! However, all bets are off when it comes to poisoning our children with vaccines, which literally reduce one's ability to deal with day to day toxins even in those who are somewhat plugged into all you say. Once sensitized to the willful damage from vaccines there is no turning back...
Do Vaccines Make Us Healthier?
https://www.bitchute.com/video/kXFmECD4rJPv 23min
Here is the latest:
An Inconvenient Study
https://www.aninconvenientstudy.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email 1hr 23min