OpEdNews - Page 3 of Article: FDA Knew Dangers Of Thimerosal-Vaccines For 60 Years

The results were astounding. The children who received no Thimerosal had no autism, which caused the Geiers to question their own findings and rerun the program several more times. Each time it came back the same, kids receiving Thimerosal were over ten times more likely to have autism than the kids who received no mercury.

Three years later, on May 21, 2003, the Mercury in Medicine Report was published by the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness of the Committee on Government Reform. Based on an investigation spanning several years, the report rendered a specific finding that linked the preservative to autism. Included in the report was the following conclusion:

"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 Reform Report concluded that, "Because the FDA chose not to recall Thimerosal-containing vaccines in 1999, in addition to all of those already injured, 8,000 children a day continued to be placed at risk for overdose for at least an additional two years."

Over 2 years have passed since that report was issued, and FDA and CDC officials are still allowing vaccine makers to use Thimerosal in the manufacturing process of vaccines and to add a full doses of the product to flu vaccines which are injected into pregnant women, children, and the elderly.

In addition, officials still allow drug companies to ship mercury-laced vaccines for use on kids all over the world. As a result, autism rates are exploding in other countries. In China for instance, autism was unheard of five years ago. Since Chinese children began receiving vaccines with Thimerosal, well over one and a half million cases of autism have been reported. Autism is also on the rise in Argentina, India and Nigeria, according to Robert F Kennedy, Jr, in a June 20, 2005 interview on MSNBC.

Drug companies deserve to be sued. Proof has surfaced that shows they have been knowingly injecting this poison into children for many years. A 1991 company memo which surfaced last fall in a lawsuit involving vaccine maker, Merck, proves beyond any doubt, that the company knew infants were being injected with unsafe amounts of Thimerosal in 1991.

A copy of the memo was obtained by attorneys for Vera Easter, a Texas woman who blames drug makers for injuring her 7-year-old son, who is autistic and mentally retarded. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas against vaccine makers Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis Pasteur, Wyeth; as well as Thimerosal inventor Eli Lilly.

The 7 page memo describes how a 6-month-old baby who received shots on schedule would receive doses of mercury many times higher than established safety guidelines and specifically states: "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."

The memo even warned that "the best way to go is to switch to dispensing the actual vaccines without adding preservatives. " However, it went on to point out the potential loss of profits and said that while eliminating preservatives 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. "

Authored by Merck's then senior Vice-President, Maurice Hilleman, the memo was sent to Dr Gordon Douglas, head of the company's vaccine division. A disclosure of this information in 1991 could have prevented millions of children from being injured.

Even after drug makers began claiming they had removed Thimerosal from vaccines, they left all previously manufactured vaccines on the market which was clearly deceptive to parents who believed they were injecting Thimerosal-free vaccines into their babies. In September 1999, Merck declared in a press release: "Now, Merck's infant vaccine line is free of all preservatives."

However, On March 8, 2005, the LA Times reported, "Merck & Co continued to supply infant vaccine containing a mercury preservative for two years after declaring that it had eliminated the chemical."

As it turns out, the company continued to distribute vaccines containing Thimerosal until October 2001, according to a June, 2003 FDA letter sent to Rep David Weldon (R-Fla), a doctor, in response to his inquiry. Weldon called what Merck did "misleading."

"You had people literally into 2002 getting shots with mercury, having been told it was all taken out in 1999," he told the Times.

To this day, vaccines with full doses of Thimerosal are still out there. Last time I checked, I found products with expiration dates as late as September 2005.

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