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December 6, 2002
The truth about mercury & vaccines
From the WSJ. Answers some of the gossip about mercury and vaccines. Read this piece entitled: "The Truth About Thimerosal: Democrats and trial lawyers play politics with vaccine liability." Excerpt:
Most important, no scientific study has ever found a link between vaccines and autism, despite years of detailed research into the safety of vaccines. Even the World Health Organization continues to endorse the use of the preservative.Sadly, the real losers of this wild goose chase are parents of autistic children, who've seen anti-vaccinators use their cause to divert time and resources away from legitimate research into the disorder.
U.S. public health agencies knew most of this in 1999. But they worried that anti-vaccine groups would use the FDA information to scare parents away from immunizations. So they hastily recommended that manufacturers immediately remove the preservative--a huge mistake.
"We took it out precipitously, which made it look like thimerosal is harmful--when there is no evidence it is. I think we hurt the public trust," said Paul Offit, who sits on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and is chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The recommendation brought unwarranted fear, vaccine shortages, and . . . tort lawyers.
Usually, parents of the rare child injured by a vaccine must go through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program before they can sue in regular courts. Set up by Congress in 1986 after lawsuits all but bankrupted vaccine makers, VICP ensures that victims get compensated quickly for genuine wrongs.But the tort lawyers hate that VICP cuts out their giant fees, and they saw an opening in thimerosal. They've exploited every loophole to keep frivolous thimerosal cases out of VICP, and have instead filed hundreds of lawsuits against vaccine makers and Eli Lilly (which stopped making thimerosal 10 years ago). The four vaccine makers left are today stuck devoting their funds not to research into new, life-saving vaccines, but to paying legal bills.
These, readers, are the facts behind the thimerosal rider that is supposed to be so scandalous. All the legislation does is require that parents first go through VICP, as with any vaccine claim. They can sue later in other courts, if they choose (and assuming a statute of limitations problem is fixed). The vaccine court is much better positioned than other courts to decide on the merits of thimerosal cases. And it has the added social benefit of protecting vaccine research and production at a time when we need both to defend against bioterror.
None of this makes trial lawyers rich, though, and so they asked Senate Democrats, led by Joe Lieberman, to strip the rider away. They lost, but they did such a good media job that new Majority Leader Trent Lott has promised modifications to protect nervous Republicans who clearly haven't bothered to understand the issue.
We suggest they talk to Dr. Frist, who could supply a nerve transplant. If Republicans can't explain to parents that thimerosal is about supplying safe vaccines to their children, they don't deserve the majority.
2/5/03
I cannot believe what I just read!
CAlden; are you insane? do you really expect people to believe the shit you wrote on thimerosal?
I suggest you ask your Republican friends why they put in a last minute provision in the homeland security bill that protects their friends in the pharmaceutical industry ?
Or why they tried to seal CDC documents?
Thimerosal is 49.6% MERCURY! look at the material safety data sheet ( MSDS ) on this crap!
Your wonderfull republican friends just violated the Constitutional Rights of these children by preventing them from sueing the bastards who put this poison in these vaccines simply for their increased profits.
If you had a child that was brain damaged from thimerosal, you would be as pissed off as these parents are. And, you would want answers.
I suggest you get your facts straight before you go any further in your defense of this obvious cover up by the government.
READ THE FACTS!
No, I am not insane--but thanks for asking. I am also not the author of this piece--the editors of the Wall Street Journal are (get YOUR facts straight). I posted it to prompt discussion. If you have facts to refute the WSJ's claim that there are no studies that link vaccines and autism then why don't you post them, rather than vitriol.
http://www.autism-mercury.com/
Big government and the drug companies can't keep the lid on this much longer..its gonna blow..Mercury is a proven neurotoxin which destroys nerve tissue. The levels of mercury put into vaccines well excced the so-called safe levels. There are no studies on mercury and vaccines. NONE. Why? Because the truth will prove those high levels of mercury in vaccines have killed and maimed millions of children. FACT:Vaccines are more dangerous then the real diseases are.
Dr K Douglas Cherco
The facts on thimerosal were studied by the CDC. These facts have been obtained by the Freedom of Information Act and were discovered to be buried and labled "DO NOT COPY OR RELEASE".
Within this study, it was found out that Thimerosal does indeed cause brain damage. Also, it was discovered that Children that were intentionally injected with the Thimerosal were more then twice as likely to develop Mercury induced Autism ( Brain Damage ) After this was brought to light, The Current administration tried to secure legislation within the Homeland security bill that protects drug giants specifically from thimerosal litagation.
This is a rotten egg that has been eaten by over 1 million innocent children. The results of this Thimerosal is devastating to these children and their families.
After the repeal of this provision, Senate majority leader Bill Frist ( R. Tenn ) has introduced new legislation that again protects the drug industry who are obvioulsy afraid of what's coming in the form of law suits.
It is interesting to note that the current white house employs Mitch Danials and Sidney Taurel.
Both of these gentlemen are current and past Eli Lilly executives. Also, it should be noted that The former President Bush sat on the board of directors of Lilly for a number of years and that his Vice President, Mr. Quayle's family controls much of the Lilly Stock and the corporation.
Innocent children have been hurt all in the name of shareholder value and increased corporate profits. This is WRONG.
It's time that our Government do what's right. More money is needed to clean up this mess and a little more compassion and less legal evasion on the part of the government and the drug companies would also be a welcome sight.
Posted by C. Zietzke 10/31/2003
Posted an update to this at http://www.r21online.com/archives/000429.html
Mother Jones Magazine has a very good article titled: "Toxic Tipping Point". Very good article. The recent news release claiming there's no link between mercury and vaccines is more lies. Why is it they never report the complete study results and who funded the studies. Dig a little and you will find these so called studies are funded by the vaccine companies themselves. I wonder how these people sleep at night.