|
For
Complete In-Depth Coverage and Stats of US National
Academy of Sciences Continuing Investigation…
http://www.universityofhealth.net/NAS/NAS%20Roster.htm
UNINFORMED CONSENT, WA DC –
In the face of angry parents, shocked scientists and a scathing congressional report from a 3-year investigation stating otherwise, Chairperson Dr. Marie McCormick issued the latest report from the Institute of Medicine’s Immunization Safety Review Committee (ISRC)
from a daylong hearing held February 9, 2004. The report
as stated by IOM Committee Chair, Marie McCormick, “The
overwhelming evidence from several well-designed studies
indicates that childhood vaccines are not associated
with autism.”
See NAS statement
The Institute of Medicine, (IOM) (under the US National Academy of Sciences) heard testimony from 15 experts in a day long “Safety Review” on thimerosal
(mercury) levels in vaccines/dental amalgam and links to
epidemic levels of autism.
See complete coverage of IOM Committee hearing
Whether the CDC, (Centers for Disease Control), (and a fraternity of other government agencies charged with public safety oversight of pharmaceuticals and medical practices), have acted in the best interests of pharmaceutical cartels instead of the public has been the heartbeat of the investigation.
In July of 2001, the same IOM Committee called for the, “removal of thimerosal
from vaccines as a precautionary step in the effort to
minimize children’s exposure to mercury.” Since that
time no action has been taken to heed their
recommendation.
See recommendation
Last Friday (May 14, ’04) the governor of Iowa, Thomas J. Vilsack, set national precedence signing into law a bill that bans the use of the notorious neurotoxin Thimerosal in that state. Something the IOM has historically avoided.
Numerous other states have similar bills pending. The most recent this week in Missouri was reported in the Southeast Missourian. A similar bill passed their State house by a vote of 152 – 4 and unanimously was approved in their Senate health committee. Yet the bill met with what is described as a “three-hour filibuster” by Sen. Ken Jacob, (D-Columbia) on the last day of the session. (Filibuster by definition means to make a long, often-irrelevant speech to delay progress or the making of a decision to prevent a bill from being passed). Jacobs is quoted as saying he talked for no more than 10 seconds about the thimerosal issue and apparently talked about other unrelated issues for almost three hours.
Research into Jacob’s campaign disclosures show Jacob intends to run for Missouri Lt Governor and has received campaign funding from Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK manufacturers thimerosal containing vaccines) both international vaccine manufacturers. These international 1 of 3 - Con’t
pharmaceutical cartels appear to be almost an island in an ocean of Jacob’s local campaign contributors. (See
www.moethics.state.mo.us - Missouri
Ethics Commission)
The new IOM report inexplicitly swings the opposite direction of their former 2001 report. There appears to be a clear squaring off of opinion in the scientific community. Many (at least half) of the experts who presented studies at the February ISRC hearing were stunned at the new IOM report and expressed shock and outrage.
Almost an equal amount of the remaining experts present have been shrouded in accusations of misrepresentations, fraud and conflicts of interest. Critics say these latter experts have enterprising links to pharmaceutical funding in the millions of dollars.
In the heat of the controversy, critics say, while these latter experts were simulating themselves as forthright and sincere during their appearance before the IOM committee, the data they exhibited was packaged in confusing terms/smoke and mirrors suggesting a design to confuse press and lay persons in attendance.
Coincidently, it is these latter individuals whom the IOM Committee gave the most weight to in their conclusions in their recent report. Indeed even Chair McCormick’s opening remark: “The overwhelming evidence from several well-designed studies indicates that childhood vaccines are not associated with autism” appears to be a carefully worded statement with well placed adjectives designed to give weight to a small percentage of the studies presented.
Apparently discounted are the majority of the remaining studies from some of the finest scientific talent pools available showing massive dangers with the ill reputed chemical thimerosal say sources present at the hearing. “McCormick and the committee must have gone to the wrong hearing.” quipped one journalist in attendance at the hearing. A seething group of scientists present were openly offended.
A reeling Dr. Boyd Haley was “amazed and astounded” that the IOM would represent that thimerosal is not associated with autism. “The dismissal of thimerosal as causal to autism is outrageous! Based on 100’s of biochemical studies and the epidemiological studies of Geier and Geier and others this is bizarre. It reflects a level of ignorance that is unacceptable for a scientific review committee. This is disgraceful and puts into question the very credibility of every oversight government authority in the United States. Exposure to thimerosal (mercury) causes a biochemical train wreck. I’m flabbergasted.”
Dr. Boyd Haley, PhD, is the Chair and Professor of Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky. Haley is one of the premiere world experts on mercury exposure. He presented numerous studies at the IOM Committee hearing as well as testifying many times as an expert before congress in its three-year investigation of malfeasance by government agencies.
See Congressional Report May 20, 2003
Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier, who also testified before the IOM Committee hearing in February were equally shocked given they supplied the committee with several 100 studies (1200 pages) including their own published epidemiological studies showing massive causal connections between thimerosal and autism.
Dr. Mark R Geier MD PhD and David Geier are part of a research team requested by Congress to review the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (a database kept by the CDC to monitor vaccine health issues). In the past two years, Geiers were successful at gaining access to the CDC database only twice. When they presented the adverse findings from their limited access to the IOM Committee in February, they were immediately barred from the database under the guise of “potential
2 of 3 - Con’t
confidentiality issues.” “The patient information is coded.” Says Geier, “There is no possibility of a confidentiality breach.” Dr. Mark Geier is a board certified geneticist and has published over 30 studies on this issue.
Dr. H. Vaskin Aphosion, PhD, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona another well respected presenter to the IOM Committee resigned his position on an FDA advisory board earlier this year because he felt the agency was not strong enough in their warnings to protect the public about the dangers of mercury.
An irascible Congressman Dave Weldon, MD (FL), also a physician, immediately issued a statement calling the “IOM conclusions premature and hastily drawn.” Weldon went on to say, “This raises suspicions that this IOM exercise might be more about drawing pre-designed conclusions aimed at restoring public confidence in vaccines rather than conducting a complete and thorough inquiry into whether or not thimerosal might cause neurodevelopmental
disorders. (sic) Many of the authors have conflicts of
interest including funding from vaccine manufacturers,
employment by manufacturers, or conflicts in that they
implemented vaccine policies that are now being
investigated. (sic) Relying on these studies to draw
conclusions is shaky ground. (sic) I am also troubled by
the lack of liability or accountability by these
decision-makers should they be proved wrong.”
See Weldon Statement
Weldon may have something to worry about in his concerns with the lack of accountability by decision-makers of the committee. While experts who presented to the IOM Committee were required to publicly disclose in front of the audience any potential conflicts of interest, the Institute of Medicine and its Immunization Safety Review Committee were not under the same requirements. The selection procedure for choosing individuals for the committee, say sources within the IOM, consists of self disclosures from the potential candidates with a 20-day public notification period posted in journals. They added if something substantial came up past the 20-day notice period, they would certainly take that under serious consideration. When pressed further, they disclosed there were no independent background checks done on any of the IOM’s Immunization Safety Review Committee members who issued this report.
Says Angela Medlin, parent of an autistic child, “If I am taking out a home loan with one our federal agencies, I am expected to have my credit checked, my employment and any legal action involvement checked before I can be approved for a loan – it’s a complete background check and the bank has collateral of my property should I default. That these individuals don’t have the minimum of transparency with an outside third party background investigation done when the lives of literally millions of our nation’s children as well as vulnerable adults are at stake is, without a doubt, beyond comprehension.”
Although it is clear how conflicts of interest may fuel a non-causal conclusion in this controversy, it is questionable how conflicts of interest could legitimately be considered as fuel to find the opposite I.E., a connection between thimerosal and autism.
In a poll of the 15 experts at the hearing, nine (9) felt there is a link between thimerosal and autism. None of the nine appeared to have conflicts of interest. Only four (4) of the six with succinct conflicts of interest, I.E. funding from pharmaceutical interests, could represent that they found no problem with the powerful additive, thimerosal
(mercury). The remaining two had unclear but likely
conflicts of interests and rescinded a clear opinion.
See video clips and stats of experts and disclosures.
Information and Media contact:
Christy Diemond, Exec. Producer
UnInformed Consent – Bringing Back the Public’s Right To Know the Truth…
Website:
www.uninformedconsent.com
Phone number:
425 487 2358
Email: qci@oz.net
|
