Mission and Strategies

Mission

The mission of the Coalition for SafeMinds is to end the devastation to human health and function from early life exposures to manmade sources of mercury, the second most toxic substance on earth.  Our mission will be achieved through scientifically based internal and externally-funded research, increased awareness, and advocacy in the public policy and legal arenas.

Vision

All children will live in clean environments and be given nutritional, health and medical products that are free of mercury.  Effective treatments to reverse the harm from mercury exposure will be developed and offered to children and adults already affected, so they have the opportunity to lead full and productive lives.

Organizational Structure

SafeMinds is a small non-profit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors who are family members or friends of individuals with developmental issues like autism, likely caused in whole or in part by exposure to mercury in early development.  We have no paid permanent staff but contract for paid services to advance our mission. We utilize volunteer board committees, as well as paid and volunteer research associates, and we provide grants to scientists and clinicians for research projects. 

Goals & Strategies

We serve the scientific, health, governmental and advocacy communities by compiling and synthesizing the best evidence on the mercury-human health issue. Our goals are to shape scientific thinking and priorities, alter medical practices to consider toxicants in health, raise public awareness and demands for action, and become an educational resource for regulatory and legislative bodies.  We use a multifaceted approach in an effort to accomplish our goals.

• SafeMinds works aggressively to educate government agencies, legislators, manufacturers and retailers on the scientific research regarding mercury in the environment and in medicines and the urgent need for its removal from all manmade sources.

• SafeMinds encourages and engages others for more research to scientifically understand how mercury causes harm, how harmful effects can be reduced or eliminated for future generations, and how effective treatments can be developed for those already exposed.

• SafeMinds serves as a clearinghouse for the gathering and dissemination of sound and relevant scientific research and coordinates peer-to-peer review opportunities for those efforts. We evaluate and critique new basic and clinical scientific and epidemiological studies on mercury and ensure that readers and the media receive accurate and balanced portrayals of the evidence.

• SafeMinds provides information to promote awareness to families and clinicians in order to education them about the issue. We do this through media relations, our website, networking, presentations at conferences, workshops and meetings, our newsletter, and printed collateral material.

• SafeMinds encourages open investigations into how mercury’s use has persisted in widespread industrial processes and in routine medical products, such as vaccines, despite its known neurotoxicity.