Autism - Cut The Crap
In their public statements, officials within the FDA and CDC, are always claiming that researchers and scientists who
conduct studies, not funded by drug companies or the government, are making unfounded claims about a link between
thimerosal-laced vaccines and autism, and other neurological disorders, which they claim could lead to reduced vaccine
coverage, resulting in preventable outbreaks of disease affecting the entire planet.
I say cut the crap.
Think about it. Why would so many highly respected scientists, researchers and physicians go to such great lengths to
concoct bogus studies and issue false reports, in essence putting their professional reputations on the line, if their
was no connection? I want these officials to do two things. First I want them to give me one good reason why these
professionals would make this up, and two, I want them to give me one logical alternative theory for the current
epidemic of disorders.
Lets look at a few of these experts.
Dr Jeffrey Bradstreet, is a practicing physician who treats children with autism and other brain-damage disorders. While
in the Air Force, he was trained in toxicology and environmental health. His duties as an Officer included the
responsibility for military personnel who had exposure to a wide variety of toxins, including mercury.
Dr Bradstreet has evaluated well over 2000 children with neurological disorders. He also directs a school for children
with neurodevelopmental disorders where his responsibilities include supervising occupational therapists, speech and
language pathologists, and applied behavioral analysts.
Dr Bradstreet is a Harvard Certified Medical Education Instructor in autism and has written three peer reviewed papers
regarding the relationship between thimerosal, developmental disorders and biological markers for
Mercury-Susceptibility.
In addition, he has conducted research regarding these disorders and has worked with some of the most highly respected
professionals in the country, including Dr Jane El-Dahr of the Tulane University Medical Center; Dr V.K. Singh of the
Utah State University Biotechnology Center; the University of Michigan Department of Pharmacology; Dr Vas Aposhian of
the University of Arizona; Dr Anne Connolly of the Washington University Hospital; Dr Walter Spitzer of McGill
University; the Department of Pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Dr Jim Adams of the University of
Arizona; and Dr Jill James, a former FDA researcher, now with the University of Arkansas, Department of Pediatrics.
Apparently the FDA, CDC, and vaccine makers expect us to believe that this long line of highly respected professionals
from Universities all over the country somehow got together and conspired to conduct fraudulent research for decades and
then authored 1000s of false reports and other publications.
I do not buy it. What would be the payoff?
Dr Mark Geier is a medical doctor who holds a PhD in genetics and is board-certified in medical genetics and forensic
medicine. He was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health for 10 years and was previously a professor at Johns
Hopkins University. He has studied vaccines for more than 30 years and has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers on
vaccine safety, efficacy, contamination and policy.
He was instrumental in convincing officials to switch from the whole-cell Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccine to
the safer version (DTaP). In fact, he wrote the article, “The True Story of Pertussis Vaccination: A Sordid Legacy?”
which in 2002, won the first annual Stanley W. Jackson award for the best paper published in the Journal of the History
of Medicine and Allied Sciences during the period of 2000 to 2002.
Dr Geier has made several presentations to the Institute of Medicine on the adverse effects of vaccines including one on
thimerosal in 2004. He and his son, David Geier, are the only independent researchers who have ever been permitted to
study the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) database of the CDC.
Dr Geier has testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform Investigating Vaccines and
the Autism Epidemic to critique the Hviid study, conducted in Denmark on autism and thimerosal exposure and he has also
addressed the FDA Advisory Committee regarding vaccine safety.
Finally, Dr Geier has testified as an expert witness in about 100 cases before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation
Program in the US Court of Federal Claims.
In one such case, on November 25, 2003, the Special Master French issued an opinion in which he praised Geier’s
credentials and vast experience and said in part:
Dr Geier “ranks high among those who have studied vaccine issues through the medical literature on vaccines, databases,
studies, articles and information on vaccine safety and efficacy in vaccine policy.” ... “The tenor of his testimony in
this case addressed the importance of statistical databases in providing statistical reliability and validity in
interpreting the epidemiology and issues relating to autism and various vaccines. . . . Dr Geier has recently proposed a
data-sharing process that would improve the reliability of present statistical data that would include the present VAERS
statistical database. It would be helpful in interpreting the epidemiology and issues relating to the autism
controversy.”
Give me one good reason why this world renowned scientist would put his professional career on the line by lying under
oath, not only in court 100 times, but also before a congressional committee?
The drug makers and government officials have waged an all out attack on this particular expert in attempt to discount
his opinions because Dr Geier speaks in term most people understand. He has reported on the staggering statistical
numbers showing the rise in brain-damaged kids who were vaccinated with thimerosal compared to the children who received
very little mercury, or mercury-free vaccines, and were not injured. When he speaks, people “get it,” and the powers
that be know it.
Then there is expert, Dr George Lucier, who in the year 2000, retired from the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences where he was Director of the Environmental Toxicology Program and Associate Director of the National
Toxicology Program. In that capacity, he was responsible for coordinating toxicological research and testing across
federal agencies as well as conducting risk assessments for exposure to toxic substances including mercury. He has
authored well over 200 scientific publications involving toxicology, pharmacology and risk assessment, including ten
articles on mercury.
In 1998, Dr Lucier was appointed the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the White House Workshop on Scientific Issues
Relevant to Assessment of Health Effects from Exposure to Methylmercury. He has presented his opinions on numerous
occasions in various forums and for 28 years, he was the co-editor in chief of the prestigious scientific journal,
Environmental Health Perspectives.
Why would this guy lie under oath?
Another renowned scientist expressing the same view on thimerosal, is Dr Boyd Haley, who is currently a Professor and
Chairman of the Department of Chemistry with a joint appointment in the College of Pharmacy at the University of
Kentucky.
He teaches a class on mercury toxicology and has published more than 110 articles in the peer-reviewed literature
including the toxic effects of elemental mercury. Since 1989, his laboratory has been conducting research on the
relationship between mercury and neurological diseases, and has performed experiments with thimerosal. In 2001, Dr Haley
made a presentation on “In Vitro Studies of Thimerosal Toxicity,” to the IOM.
So why would this guy spend 25 year of his life conducting bogus studies, rendering fraudulent results and authoring a
100 dishonest articles?
An expert I consulted during my initial investigation of this issue was Dr David Ayoub, MD, who when asked how certain
he was of the link between autism and thimerosal, told me, “I can state that the certainty of the science supporting
mercury as a major cause of autism is probably more overpowering than the science behind any other disease process that
I studied dating back to medical school.”
Dr Ayoub is the Director of the Prairie Collaborative for Immunization, an organization that is self-funded, which aids
organizations, journalists, and legislators obtain accurate information to assist their work. He is also the author of
the report, “Pregnancy and the Myth of Influenza Vaccination-Is it safe, is it effective, is it necessary? What the CDC
documents reveal.”
When asked why so many scientist were now conducting research Dr Ayoud said, “I think a disease that effects more
individuals than AIDS or cancer, in previously normal infants and children, has created a sense of urgency amongst
researchers.”
Flu shots with a toxic dose of mercury are still being given to pregnant women and Rh negative shots with thimerosal are
still being given to pregnant women. Even though recent studies have shown that lower IQ levels linked to mercury
exposure in the womb costs the US $8.7 billion a year in lost earnings potential, according to a study released in
February 2005, by researchers at the Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment, who combined a number
of previous studies to determine hundreds of thousands of babies are born every year with lower IQ associated with
mercury exposure.
Lead researcher and pediatician, Leonard Trasande, said annually, between 316,588 and 637,233 infants are born with
umbilical cord blood mecury levels linked to IQ loss and about 4% of babies are born with mercury levels between 7.13
and 15 micrograms per liter which at that level, causes an IQ loss of 1.6 points.
The drug makers have been marching their own experts into court so lets look at the credentials of some of their experts
to see how they match up with those listed above.
In the case of Vera Easter verses Aventis Pasteur, although Harvard-educated and the author of some 80 peer-reviewed
articles, according to his deposition, Dr Philip Wang’s specialty was epidemiology related to antidepressants. Prior to
being retained as an expert for the vaccine makers, Dr Wang had not done any evaluations associated with vaccines, had
no specific training whatsoever regarding mercury, and had written no articles on the effects of heavy metal exposure.
Dr Wang has never investigated any illness claimed to be associated with heavy metal exposure and has never been asked
to do a formal epidemiologic evaluation of the hypothesis that the thimerosal could cause neurological disorders or
autism.
He claimed that he did know that the VAERS database existed prior to being retained as an expert, but had never
conducted any analysis on the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
Dr Wang’s knowledge of vaccines and thimerosal was limited to what he learned in 30 to 35 hours of meetings with defense
attorneys and reading the relevant medical literature, most of which was provided by the defense attorneys.
Finally, Dr Wang only offered an opinion on the link between thimerosal and autism and not on the issues relevant to the
case relating to other neurological disorders.
For some reason, I don’t think Dr Wang would fare too well if called upon to take the stand to disprove the opinions of
the many established experts on the plaintiff’s team with their combined decades of research experience in this area of
expertise.
Another drug maker expert in the case was Dr Chris P Johnson, who in her deposition agreed that, prior to the case, her
experience with mercury poisoning cases was zero. She has had no experience related to mercury or its neurotoxic effects
and conceded that she was not an expert on mercury or the effects of mercury exposure on the human body.
I hardly think Dr Johnson is a match for the experts above. In fact I think it would be grossly unfair to even throw
this gal in the ring with the other heavyweights. I guess it just goes to show how much humiliation some people are
willing to endure to make a buck.
Partnerships Between Industry and Regulatory Officials
In reaching decisions, officials within regulatory bodies seem more concerned about the impact of their decision on
global vaccination policies than making an unbiased appraisal of the scientific evidence. In reviewing statements by
these agencies, people need to consider the inherent conflicts of interest between the CDC, charged with investigating
medical issues; the FDA, charged with regulating vaccines; the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which examines policy
issues; and the vaccine manufacturers.
After an on-going investigation of several years, the Mercury in Medicine Report was published on May 21, 2003 by the
Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness of the Committee on Government Reform, and included testimony from numerous
experts. The report rendered a number of specific findings.
Most significant was its statement that, “The CDC in general and the National Immunization Program are particularly
conflicted in their duty to monitor the safety of vaccines, while also charged with the responsibility of purchasing
vaccines for resale as well as promoting increased immunization rates.”
The report went on to say that the CDC due to its “biases against theories regarding vaccine-induced autism,” had chosen
to fund researchers “who also worked for vaccine manufacturers to conduct population-based immunologic studies. . .” But
most importantly, it identified Thimerosal as the culprit in plain language and in no uncertain terms:
“Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines is directly related to the autism epidemic. This epidemic in all
probability may have been prevented or curtailed had the FDA not been asleep at the switch regarding a lack of safety
data regarding injected thimerosal and the sharper eyes of infant exposure to this known neurotoxin. The public health
agencies’ failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self protection and misplaced protectionism of
the pharmaceutical industry.”
The CDC’s decision to promote the publication of research supportive of the vaccine industry to refute this report by a
congressional committee, demonstrates just how far it will go to support its partners in crime.
Blatant evidence of this partnership can be found in a CDC plan to promote flu vaccine sales which detailed a “7 step
recipe for generating interest in, and demand for, flu (or any other) vaccination.” The document discusses the “best
recipe” that would foster interest and demand, including use of terms like “very severe,” “more severe,” and “deadly” to
“motivate behavior” and increase sales. For any doubters, this evidence should confirm that the interests of the CDC and
the industry are one and the same.
In addition, numerous articles published in medical journals between 2001 to 2004, were quoted as key studies relied
upon by the Institute of Medicine, which as it turns out, were written by authors and researchers with direct conflicts
of interest and real biases in favor of claiming that thimerosal did not cause injuries or autism. Many of the conflicts
were not revealed by the authors at the time the articles were written in direct violation of policy rules pertaining to
medical journals.
For instance, one article relied upon by the IOM, although not a population study, was Pichichero et al. Mercury
concentrations and metabolism in infants receiving vaccines containing Thimerosal: a descriptive study, published in
Lancet in 2002.
Pichichero did not declare any conflicts, despite the Lancet’s strict policy requiring that conflicts be disclosed.
However, in a subsequent New York Times article, Pichichero admitted that he had done work for Lilly and other drug
companies. But a fact that must have slipped his mind was that in an earlier article in American Family Physician,
Pichichero had declarated:
The author has received research grants and/or honoraria from the following pharmaceutical companies: Abbott
Laboratories, Inc.; Bristol Myers Squibb Company; Eli Lilly & Company; Merck and Co.; Pasteur Merieux Connaught; Pfizer Labs; Roach Laboratories; Roussel-Uclaf; Schering
Corporation; SmithKlineBeecham Pharmaceuticals; Upjohn Company; Wyeth-Lederle.
In defending thimerosal, officials will often refer to the World Health Organization as a body that has found it safe.
Well in a June, 2001 WHO report, the agency itself refers to vaccine manufacturers as a full and equal “partner.” When
the WHO was worried that regulations had affected drug maker’s costs, it stressed the need to get them to stay in the
market, and even proposed a “communication strategy that would take account of public concern about adverse effects of
vaccines.”
So, in a subsequent WHO meeting on April 15-16, 2002, a decision was made to “lobby Ministry of Health and senior
regulators” on the thimerosal issue and to “develop a strong advocacy campaign to support the ongoing use of
thiomersal.“ It can readily be seen that the WHO has similar reasons to those of the CDC to support the industry’s
position.
As thimerosal containing vaccines continue to be shipped to countries all over the world, its becoming more and more
apparent that these cozy “partnerships” wield a considerable amount of power when it comes to making decisions related
to vaccine safety.
Who Knew What And When
The well-documented sordid history of thimerosal, including the continuing misrepresentations by its inventor, Eli
Lilly, confirms that the product should never have been used in childhood vaccines, and should have definitely been
removed prior to the doubling of the content that resulted from the addition of the HIB and Hepatitis B vaccines in the
late 1980’s to mid-90’s.
Mercury in vaccines was tested and shown to be lethal many times over the past 40 years. In May of 1967, an article was
published in Applied Microbiology, titled “Enhanced Toxicity for Mice of Pertussis Vaccine When Preserved with
Merthiolate.” The abstract states: Pertussis vaccines preserved with 0.01% merthiolate (thimerosal) are more toxic for
mice than unpreserved vaccines prepared from the same parent concentrate containing the same number of organisms.
In this study, twenty mice were injected with a vaccine with no thimerosal and none died. 30 others were injected with
the same vaccines, plus thimerosal, and 5 died. The article stated that “it would not be surprising if injection of this
vaccine influenced the susceptibility of the mouse towards a mercurial preservative.“ The authors also noted that “other
laboratories” had observed toxicity of final lots of preserved vaccine when the vaccines themselves were “atoxic or only
slightly toxic.”
In 1972, Lilly received an article that confirmed that thimerosal had caused 6 deaths when too much of it had been used,
which said: “The symptoms and clinical course of the 6 patients suggests subacute mercury poisoning.”
In 1975, autopsies on squirrel monkeys treated with thimerosal-containing nose spray, determined that mercury
accumulated in the brain “which may represent a potential hazard in the chronic use of thimerosal as a preservative in
products intended for human use.”
By the late 1970’s, vaccine companies realized the need to remove thimerosal because of its poisonous effects. In an
October 12, 1979 memo, Merck scientists discussed the “potential problem” of having mercury in its flu and meningococcal
vaccines, as well as the Hepatitis B vaccine that was under development and asked: “Should a program of replacement be
initiated now to guard against any spontaneous rally to avoid its (thimerosal) use in injectables?”
This memo proves that the industry knew about the dangers long before the mercury-loaded Hib and Hep B vaccines were
added to the schedule in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
In 1986, an article titled, “Organic Mercury Compounds and Their Toxicity,” noted that thimerosal had caused problems
and stated that it was “now accepted that multidose injection preparations are undesirable, and preservatives should not
present in unidose preparations.“
In the early 1990’s, the level of thimerosal in vaccines increased drastically, and in many cases doubled. The drug
companies knew that adding 3 or four HIB vaccines and as many as 3 Hep B shots would substantially increase the level of
mercury injected into infants at a critical period of brain development.
We now know that by 1991, Merck absolutely knew that the increase was harmful. A 1991 internal memo, recently revealed
by the LA Times, concluded that exposure in infants within the first six month of life could be 87 times the level
determined safe. The memo‘s damning revelations said:
For babies: the 25 ug of mercury in a single 0.5 ml dose and extrapolated to a 6 pound baby would be 25 times the
adjusted Swedish daily allowance of 1.0 micrograms for a baby of that size. The total mercury burden in a baby is
unknown, but it has been stated that the blood level of a newborn may exceed that of the mother. If eight doses of
thimerosal-containing vaccine was given in the first six months of life (3 DTP, 2 HIB, and 3 Hepatitis B) the 200
micrograms of mercury given, say to an average size of 12 pounds, would be about 87 times the Swedish daily allowance of
2.3 micrograms for a baby of that size.
In the memo even acknowledged that “the best way to go is to switch to dispensing the actual vaccines without adding
preservatives.” However, it went on to say that while this was the best solution, there was “a cost consideration the
head of Health Services has to consider. Several large ampoules or bottles are more expensive than a smaller number of
larger packages.”
So in essence, this Merck memo proves that by 1991, vaccine makers knew that they were injecting poison into infants and
decided that profits were more important than the country’s most precious asset, an entire generation of children.
The vaccine makers are fighting hard against the removal of thimerosal for two reasons. The first is the usual suspect,
greed. But the second reason is now higher on their list. The industry knows that if thimerosal were to be completely
removed from all vaccines tomorrow, the public would not be able to ignore the corresponding decline, not only in cases
of autism, but in the epidemic of all the strange disorders that have engulfed the public school system in all 50 states
over the past 15 years. The decline is already happening in California, one of the first states to ban thimerosal.
In attempt to confuse the issue, officials have tried to avoid any discussion of the evidence establishing an
association between mercury and a host of other neurological disorders.
In addition to autism, the epidemic includes attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) and speech or language
delay and each has its own spectrum of symptoms. For example, autism is characterized by impairments of social
interaction, communication, and behavior. ADD/ADHD is typified by persistent patterns of inattention and/or
hyperactivity. Speech and language delay are characterized by sensory and auditory processing disorders impacting on
communication. See Immunization Safety Review, Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorder, IOM 2001.
Officials should quit using scare tactics to infer a threat to the vaccine program as a whole. The issue is not the
vaccines, its the preservative that has to go. And its not just contained in childhood vaccines. Thimerosal is in other
products given to unsuspecting victims.
The flu vaccine is probably the most commonly used product that still contains the preservative, but there are other
shots that have it as well. For instance, I just found out that a shot given to stop contractions in pregnant women who
go into labor too early contains thimerosal.
I traveled to Wisconsin to be sure that I would be in the hospital at the time of delivery to protect my first grandson
from any nurse with a needle looking to stick him with a Hep B vaccine. A few days ago, my daughter began to have early
contractions. The doctor told her not to worry, to just come in for a check up. She came home with the great news that a
shot stopped the contractions, only to find out a few hours later that the miracle shot may have contained thimerosal.
That was three days ago and I am still in shock!
While adverse effects of vaccines to a small number of susceptible individuals might seem justified in the interest of
the greater good to mankind, the brain-injuring effects arising as a result of the government forcing parents to inject
a known poison into their precious children should not be tolerated.
*************
Evelyn Pringle epringle05@yahoo.com
(The author is a columnist for Independent Media TV and an investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in
government)