Calls For Congressional Investigation Into Thimerosal (mercury) in Vaccines
www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=19491
WJXX, First Coast News, FL
June 3, 2004
Calls For Congressional Investigation Into Thimerosal
By Melissa Ross
First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Jacksonville attorney Alan Pickert calls thimerosal "the
new asbestos."
"The parallels are absolutely there. Right now, there are a few brave
doctors crying in the wilderness that thimerosal is a major health concern.
It was the same way for years with asbestos. Just a few doctors raising the
alarm. At the same time, I can't tell you how many corporate executives,
other doctors, attorneys, the whole bunch, would fight me, saying 'Only
kooks think asbestos causes cancer!'"
He pauses. "Of course, history has proven them wrong, and in the end that
will be the outcome with this issue, too."
Pickert, who made a name for himself successfully representing more than
4,000 clients who had compelling evidence asbestos exposure caused their
cancer, is now taking up the gauntlet on behalf of 62 First Coast families
who say exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines caused neurological
damage in their children. Through the personal injury firm Brown, Terrell,
Hogan, he is representing them as they petition Vaccine Court, a special
tribunal of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, for compensation related to
their childrens' developmental problems and the related costs of care.
Jacksonville registered nurse Cindy Hartman is one of his clients. Her
five-year-old son Trent is currently undergoing biomedical therapies after
being diagnosed along the autism spectrum when he turned 3.
Hartman spends her entire salary from her nursing position at Jacksonville's
St. Luke's Hospital on Trent's supplements, behavioral therapy, and other
treatments, which also involve visits to a specialist in Wisconsin.
Chelation therapy, which removes heavy metals like mercury from the body, is
part of the regimen. The tab is approximately $3,000 a month. Hartman says
the treatments, while expensive, have been very beneficial, seeming to bring
about a marked improvement in Trent's cognitive and behavioral skills.
"I'm lucky that my husband's salary pays the rest of the bills," she says.
"Other families have it much rougher."
Families seeking to prove their children were injured by vaccines must
petition the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Plan before taking their
case to state or federal court. The maximum amount of damages the government
doles out through Vaccine Court claims is capped at $250,000.
And Pickert says, the statute of limitations on such claims is short. A
parent must file within three years of a child's onset of symptoms to be
eligible for compensation.
Thimerosal, until recently a commonly used preservative in childhood
immunizations, is 49.6% mercury by weight. Mercury is a known
neurotoxin--second to uranium, the most toxic substance on the planet. It
has been removed from most vaccines, due in part to concerns it may have
damaged some children, but as the First Coast News I-Team has reported, it
is still present in some non-routine vaccinations, including most flu shots.
Now, the Office of Special Counsel in Washington, D.C. is wading into the
thimerosal debate, demanding a congressional investigation into studies
suggesting a link between thimerosal and rising rates of autism. Special
Counsel Scott Bloch, charged with investigating whistleblower complaints and
abuses of authority, issued his statement in response to a recent Institute
of Medicine report that concluded there is no provable link between
thimerosal and autism. The IOM report also dismissed concerns some parents
and researchers have expressed over the MMR, or measles, mumps and rubella
vaccine, saying there is no compelling evidence the MMR has potential to
harm, either. The IOM finding concludes by urging that no further research
be conducted regarding thimerosal, and that other potential causes of autism
should be explored instead.
Special Counsel Bloch says, "It appears the science is inconclusive, not
definitive.. there appears to be equally qualified experts on both sides of
the emotional scientific and medical debate. This strikes me as a
far-reaching public health issue that warrants further study and awareness,
particularly because it affects the most vulnerable among us."
He adds, "It appears there may be sufficient evidence to find a substantial
likelihood of a.. specific danger to public health caused by the use of
thimerosal/mercury in vaccines because of its inherent toxicity... I believe
these allegations raise serious continuing concerns about the administration
of the nation's vaccine program and the government's possibly inadequate
response to the growing body of scientific research on the public health
danger of mercury in vaccines."
Bloch is asking Senator Judd Gregg, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions Committee, and Rep. Joe Barton, Chairman of the Energy and
Commerce Committee, to further investigate the matter in their capacity as
committee chairmen with oversight for the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.
First Coast News has published highlights of studies on our website, both
confirming and rejecting the theory that thimerosal is linked to rising
autism rates. According to Bloch's letter, government-sponsored studies
disproving a link "have not assessed the genetic vulnerabilities of
subpopulations."
Dr. Jeff Bradstreet of Melbourne, whom First Coast News profiled in
February, has published studies suggesting a subset of children is
genetically vulnerable to mercury. Dr. Boyd Haley of the University of
Kentucky has published similar work. Dr. Richard Deth of Northeastern
University published a damning study on thimerosal earlier this year in
"Molecular Psychiatry." And Dr. Mark Geier and his researcher son David, of
Silver Spring, Maryland, also published a study finding a correlation
between thimerosal and autism after becoming the only independent
researchers allowed access to the CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink.
But according to Dr. Steve Cochi of the Centers for Disease Control, whom
First Coast News interviewed in May, such studies "have not been replicated
or subjected to sufficient peer review." He points out, there are many
published studies "completely disproving a link."
However, Bloch also references allegations of collusion which the First
Coast News I-Team first disclosed in February. We reported details of a
secret June 2000 conference in Norcross, Georgia, at which representatives
from the CDC, the FDA, and pharmaceutical companies discussed the results of
an internal CDC study finding a statistical correlation between thimerosal
exposure and neurological disorders. During the conference the participants
agreed to keep the findings secret. The study was later released in the
November 2003 issue of "Pediatrics" and did not show a statistical
correlation. "No explanation has been provided for this discrepancy," says
Bloch. In May, Cochi told First Coast News it was not relevant to compare an
early draft of the study first discussed in 2000, with the polished final
report released in 2003.
Finally, although thimerosal is not as common as it once was in
pediatricians' offices, Bloch urges Congress to let parents "know that they
can request a mercury-free vaccine."
Mercury-free flu shots are readily available, and since the flu vaccine is
now recommended for all children 6 months and older, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon,
(R) Melbourne, is hoping they soon become the only option. Weldon, a
physician himself, is pushing legislation that would ban thimerosal in
vaccines completely by 2006, telling First Coast News, "Any doctor who would
knowingly inject a baby with a mercury-containing vaccine.. I would consider
that malpractice."
As the debate heats up, Pickert waits for his day in court. A causation
hearing on behalf of 62 First Coast families with autistic children was
scheduled for July of this year. Pickert tells First Coast News that hearing
will likely be delayed.
"But if we don't get the result we're seeking in Vaccine Court, we'll sue th
e major vaccine manufacturers right here in Jacksonville," he says. "Let's
be clear. These families are not anti-vaccine. They are simply
anti-thimerosal. And for the CDC and the IOM to state that there are no
studies showing thimerosal is a problem is just wrong. There are quite a few
studies saying just the opposite."
"I fought the asbestos thing for years, and at times it seemed like a lost
cause. This feels very similar. It's going to be a long road. But we'll keep
fighting."
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