Cho Seung-Hui’s possible link to toxic injury
Alan E. Moses
April 20, 2007
It may take weeks and possibly months before we find all of the answers as to why this horrifying ordeal unfolded on the campus of Virginia Tech. The reports of Cho’s last ten years of life are slowly coming out. He was a loner that made no attempts to befriend anyone. He rarely spoke but when he did others laughed as it was in a low muttering tone. Other school children pushed and made fun of the quiet Korean boy. He was strange so he was an outcast. Of course this happens in schools across the country and does not explain what we have just witnessed.
School teachers and then professors failed to recognize that trouble was brewing within. And some of these professionals played along with the threats and taunts. One Virginia Tech professor calling him, “something evil” on national television. Is this not discrimination at it’s fullest? The fact was that this troubled young man was ill for years prior to going to VT. Somehow he had gotten to his senior year without talking as his knowledge made up for his unwillingness to participate.
We need to take this unfortunate situation and ask some questions about what could have caused Cho to be so anti-social. Could he have been injured by toxins and just couldn’t think or feel in rational ways? We know his parents owned a dry cleaning business that uses a toxic chemical Perchloroethylene (Perc). Being a loner and described as a mommy’s boy did he spend his time in proximity to this chemical as his mother worked? Could Cho have absorbed or inhaled too much Perc over time and caused brain damage?
There is another contribution to this that many feel has caused problems with their own children. An ever growing number of parents feel that vaccines are causing all types of mental disorders. The neurotoxin thimerosal has been questioned for some time. This is a mercury based antibacterial still used in the production and contained in some vaccines. And a quick look at some of the vaccines that Cho received will shock many of the parents that feel that thimerosal is dangerous to children.
Children in South Korea where Cho and his family migrated from receive a vaccine for Encephalitis as this nation like many Asian countries have outbreaks every year. It is a major health issue. Twenty years ago the South Korean government implemented a program to vaccinate children to ward off this disease. The vaccine of choice was what is known as the Nakayama vaccine or JE. Many travelers to the Fareast today receive this vaccine as a precautionary measure. A South Korean child of 15 may have received 14 of these thimerosal containing vaccines. A booster was required every year as immunity would dissipate. By 1995 this practice was halted due to concerns over excessive vaccinations and the adverse effects that were reported. A new Chinese made vaccine without thimerosal. SA14-14-2 became the booster as it didn’t require yearly injections. (Ref. Young Mo Sohn, Yosnei University college of Medicine, Seoul South Korea)
Once Cho and his family came to the U.S. he had to have his U.S. vaccines brought up to requirements in order to attend school. The question remains just how many Thimerosal vaccines did he receive and in how short of time before he began school here? In 1992 many U.S. vaccines still contained this mercury product and we must remember that boosters were required again at 13 for one Hep-B.
As his symptoms reveal, was Cho an undiagnosed child that suffered from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? He rarely made eye contact, rarely spoke and preferred to be alone as he seemed to have lacked social skills. During his time in grade school many ASD children went undiagnosed as this phenomenon had yet to explode until the late 90’s. There was little information and many doctors put the word shy to over use. And as many of these early ASD children he was ridiculed by classmates and teachers. ASD and mental retardation do not go hand in hand as many believe so Cho’s intelligence is not uncommon but may have created the lack of intervention as it is assumed that to be ASD you also have trouble in learning.
In a society that claims to be so advanced we need to stop the name calling of those that are different. Our teachers and medical communities need to be trained in the ability to recognize these problems before they get to this point. We should have early intervention as this has proven to be a deterrent of major problems down the line. We can’t just assume that a child might be a loser, hater, or evil. There are reasons and it is up to all of us to find them and acknowledge them.
Cho took 32 lives and forever harmed others and to just blame him is wrong. No doubt that he was very seriously ill and yet he was so ill he couldn’t help him self. We need to recognize that society allowed this very ill young man to fall further away from reality. Our ability to accept and recognize possible toxic injury needs to widen. Open your eyes and open your hearts as we can’t afford to loose more innocent lives because we allowed one ill one to self destruct taking others with him.
School teachers and then professors failed to recognize that trouble was brewing within. And some of these professionals played along with the threats and taunts. One Virginia Tech professor calling him, “something evil” on national television. Is this not discrimination at it’s fullest? The fact was that this troubled young man was ill for years prior to going to VT. Somehow he had gotten to his senior year without talking as his knowledge made up for his unwillingness to participate.
We need to take this unfortunate situation and ask some questions about what could have caused Cho to be so anti-social. Could he have been injured by toxins and just couldn’t think or feel in rational ways? We know his parents owned a dry cleaning business that uses a toxic chemical Perchloroethylene (Perc). Being a loner and described as a mommy’s boy did he spend his time in proximity to this chemical as his mother worked? Could Cho have absorbed or inhaled too much Perc over time and caused brain damage?
There is another contribution to this that many feel has caused problems with their own children. An ever growing number of parents feel that vaccines are causing all types of mental disorders. The neurotoxin thimerosal has been questioned for some time. This is a mercury based antibacterial still used in the production and contained in some vaccines. And a quick look at some of the vaccines that Cho received will shock many of the parents that feel that thimerosal is dangerous to children.
Children in South Korea where Cho and his family migrated from receive a vaccine for Encephalitis as this nation like many Asian countries have outbreaks every year. It is a major health issue. Twenty years ago the South Korean government implemented a program to vaccinate children to ward off this disease. The vaccine of choice was what is known as the Nakayama vaccine or JE. Many travelers to the Fareast today receive this vaccine as a precautionary measure. A South Korean child of 15 may have received 14 of these thimerosal containing vaccines. A booster was required every year as immunity would dissipate. By 1995 this practice was halted due to concerns over excessive vaccinations and the adverse effects that were reported. A new Chinese made vaccine without thimerosal. SA14-14-2 became the booster as it didn’t require yearly injections. (Ref. Young Mo Sohn, Yosnei University college of Medicine, Seoul South Korea)
Once Cho and his family came to the U.S. he had to have his U.S. vaccines brought up to requirements in order to attend school. The question remains just how many Thimerosal vaccines did he receive and in how short of time before he began school here? In 1992 many U.S. vaccines still contained this mercury product and we must remember that boosters were required again at 13 for one Hep-B.
As his symptoms reveal, was Cho an undiagnosed child that suffered from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? He rarely made eye contact, rarely spoke and preferred to be alone as he seemed to have lacked social skills. During his time in grade school many ASD children went undiagnosed as this phenomenon had yet to explode until the late 90’s. There was little information and many doctors put the word shy to over use. And as many of these early ASD children he was ridiculed by classmates and teachers. ASD and mental retardation do not go hand in hand as many believe so Cho’s intelligence is not uncommon but may have created the lack of intervention as it is assumed that to be ASD you also have trouble in learning.
In a society that claims to be so advanced we need to stop the name calling of those that are different. Our teachers and medical communities need to be trained in the ability to recognize these problems before they get to this point. We should have early intervention as this has proven to be a deterrent of major problems down the line. We can’t just assume that a child might be a loser, hater, or evil. There are reasons and it is up to all of us to find them and acknowledge them.
Cho took 32 lives and forever harmed others and to just blame him is wrong. No doubt that he was very seriously ill and yet he was so ill he couldn’t help him self. We need to recognize that society allowed this very ill young man to fall further away from reality. Our ability to accept and recognize possible toxic injury needs to widen. Open your eyes and open your hearts as we can’t afford to loose more innocent lives because we allowed one ill one to self destruct taking others with him.
Print
Email
