I don’t own a tin foil hat. I have never been abducted by aliens. I only see dead people at funerals and when I talk to them they never talk back. I am not superstitious because everyone knows superstition is unlucky (just kidding).
I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. I do not think we invaded Iraq solely to get control of their oil fields. Neither Skull and Bones nor the Trilateral Commission rules the world. I do not think the plane crashes that killed Mel Carnahan and Paul Wellstone were the result of Republican plots. There are no black helicopters ready to stage a coup so that the UN can control the world. In general, I am not a nutbar conspiracy theorist.
I have always thought of the CDC as the gold standard for health related information. Now, when I read stuff like this, I have to wonder:
The Centers for Disease Control published a study last fall repudiating any possible link between thimerosal and developmental problems like autism in children. However, First Coast News has obtained non-published documents that show the CDC DID have data supporting such a link-- but kept it from the public.Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, detail the transcript of a meeting held in June of 2000 between members of the CDC, the FDA, and representatives from the vaccine industry.
The group discusses the results of a February 2000 study that finds a significant association between exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines, and developmental issues like autism in children.
Some of the comments--
"There are just a host of neurodevelopmental data that would suggest we've got a serious problem."
"My gut feeling? It worries me. I don't want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what's going on."
"We are in a bad position from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits."
Finally--
"We have asked you to keep this information confidential."
And that's what happened. Three years later, the CDC published a study in the November 2003 issue of "Pediatrics" contradicting the earlier results, and clearing thimerosal of any link to neurological problems in children.
"I just feel pretty strongly they haven't been honest in analyzing the problem." So says Florida Congressman David Weldon, a physician.
Why would any “neurodevelopmental data” the CDC has that might help our kids not be made public?
What does any potential legal liability of the vaccine manufacturers have to do with CDC’s public health mission?
Between 2000 and 2003, what happened to the data showing a “serious problem?”
In a different context, Teresa Nielsen Hayden once said “I deeply resent the way this administration makes me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist.”
Me too.
The GWB administration can and should be held responsible for what is done by the CDC and FDA under its watch.
But as you note, this secret meeting with vaccine manufacturers took place back in early 2000.
If there is a serious culture of covering-up at work here, then it is endemic to the structure of CDC and FDA. It is not only this administration that has made you feel like a conspiracy theorist.
Posted by: James Nightshade at February 14, 2004 06:16 AMYou are right James. It was not my intention to throw any stones at the Bush administration with regard to this issue. My focus was on the "makes me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist” part of the quote and not on the "this administration" part.
It is the public health establishment (CDC, FDA, the vaccine manufacturers and others) as well as big pharma's political foot soldiers, Bill Frist and Dick Armey come to mind, who are the subject of my ire.
Dwight, I checked the CDC web site. Did you know that apparently one of the CDC scientists who worked on that study now works for GlaxoSmithKline, a vaccine manufacturer? There were also researchers from three health maintenance organizations (HMOs) who participated.
I don't want to get into conspiracy theories either, especially when the CDC is involved. I have that same "gold standard" attitude you have. It looks like there are more studies being done, including conducting the same study more than once which is standard operating procedure.
I also found the entire transcript of that 2000 meeting. It's huge - over 200 pages long. I can't finish it. There's a lot of info there.
I just wrote about it and gave you a trackback ping on my blog. This is the first time I've ever used a trackback. I hope it worked.
Posted by: Trish Wilson at February 16, 2004 11:22 AMHey Trish. Thanks. Yes, I knew that one of the researchers had left CDC to work for a vaccine manufacturer although I had forgotten that it was Glaxco.
On both sides, the research is being conducted by folks with axes to grind. Big Pharma funds research which invariably shows no link. When I look at the complete study, there is always an "Oh, I see" moment when I realize that the study is deeply flawed in its design and that it would be very difficult regardless of the truth, for the study to show a link.
Some of the research suggesting a link between thimerosal and autism is being conducted by folks who earn money as expert witnesses in court cases. My guess (and it is just a guess) is that some of that research is being funded, directly or indirectly, by persons or firms with a financial interest in a link being established. That research is also suspect.
Politics has invaded this whole area. The stakes are high for the vaccine manufactuers (and their paladins on Capital Hill, who are addicted to Big Pharma money). The stakes are also high for the plaintiff's bar who have invested vast sums into these cases and stand to do very well, thank you very much, if a link is proven. I have personally referred out more than 50 such cases in the last 2 years. I long ago decided, for personal reasons, that I did not want to take thimerosal cases.
The politicization of the science in this area will not help our kids. As I have written before, politics and law suits are about competing sides. Sides are only about winning and losing.
Science has no side. It only has truth and falsity. In this area at least, truth is the only thing that matters to me. The only side I am on is Bobby's.
We need to find a way to let science determine how to best save our kids. Corrupting the science may help the drug companies, it may help the lawyers but it will not help our kids. An autistic kid who wins a big judgment against Big Pharma is just a rich autistic kid. Most of us POA's just want our kids back. Rich or poor does not matter.
I do not know how to fix the problem but its existence makes me seriously angry.
Posted by: Dwight Meredith at February 16, 2004 04:10 PM