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EVIDENCE OF HARM – Presentation : Nashville, TN November 11, 2006

EVIDENCE OF HARM – Presentation : Nashville, TN November 11, 2006. David Kirby. Much of the following information may be found at: . WWW.EVIDENCEOFHARM.COM. AUTISM BY THE NUMBERS: US & EUROPE . USA - 1980’s: 1-2 per 10,000 children Late 1990’s: 1 in 500 (2 per 1000)

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EVIDENCE OF HARM – Presentation : Nashville, TN November 11, 2006

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  1. EVIDENCE OF HARM – Presentation: Nashville, TN November 11, 2006 David Kirby Evidence of Harm

  2. Much of the following information may be found at: WWW.EVIDENCEOFHARM.COM Evidence of Harm

  3. AUTISM BY THE NUMBERS: US & EUROPE • USA - 1980’s: 1-2 per 10,000 children • Late 1990’s: 1 in 500 (2 per 1000) • 2000: 1 in 250 (4 per 1000) • 2004: 1 in 166 (6 per 1000) • 2006: 1 in 175 (5.5 per 1000)------------- • UK – 2004: 1 in 166 (6 per 1000)“Full blown”: (2 per 1000) “ASD”: (4 per 1000) • Denmark – 2004: 1 in 1,300(0.8 per 1000) Evidence of Harm

  4. OTHER POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL “TRIGGERS”?? • Mercury in fish/air/amalgams • Pesticides • PCB’s • Flame retardants • Jet fuel • Live virus in vaccines (MMR) • As-yet unidentified virus • Rampant cell phone use Evidence of Harm

  5. KNOW YOUR MERCURY (Hg) TYPE SOURCE EXPOSURE Elemental Hg Thermometers Vapor Amalgams Lights/batteries Inorganic Hg US Coal (40 tons) Air pollutants Chinese Coal Crematoria Junkyards Volcanoes Wildfires (800 tons) Organic Methyl Hg Fish Ingestion Organic Ethyl Hg Thimerosal Vaccines Antifungals Parks/tree farms OTC Topicals Evidence of Harm

  6. THE "THIMEROSAL GENERATION”Maximum Exposure in 1st year of life - US Schedule - 1992-200? AGE SHOTS HG CONTENT BIRTH Hep B 12.5mcg 8lb infant (3.6kg)– EPA Hg limit: 0.36mcg = 35 times over 4lb infant (1.8kg) – EPA Hg limit: 0.18mcg = 70 times over 2 MONTHS Hep B 12.5mcg HIb 25.0mcg DTaP 25.0mcg (subtotal for visit): 62.5mcg Avg. weight: 10lbs/4.5kg EPA limit: 0.45mcg = 138 times over 4 MONTHS HIb 25.0mcg DTaP 25.0 mcg (subtotal for visit): 50.0 mcg Avg. weight: 14lbs/6.5kg EPA limit: 0.65mcg = 72 times over

  7. Maximum Hg exposure in 1st year of life - US Childhood Schedule - 1992-200? AGE SHOTS HG CONTENT 6 MONTHS HiB 25.0mcg DTaP 25.0mcg (subtotal for visit): 50.0mcg Avg. weight: 16lbs/7.3kg EPA limit: 0.73mcg = 68 times over 12 MONTHS HiB 25.0mcg DTaP 25.0mcg (subtotal for visit): 50.0mcg Avg. weight: 20lbs/9kg EPA Hg limit: 0.9mcg = 55 times over TOTAL Hg EXPOSURE IN FIRST YEAR: 212.5mcg

  8. EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE MERCURY-AUTISM HYPOTHESIS Evidence of Harm

  9. ACRODYNIA (PINK DISEASE)Cause: Inorganic Hg used in teething powders • Afflicted tens of thousands of children in 1930-1950’s. • Symptoms: weepy rash & peeling skin -AND- withdrawal, poor eye contact, poor coordination and muscle control, lethargy, repetitive behaviors, rocking, spastic movements, emotional outbursts, self-injury, sensitivity to light, visual impairments, drooling, insomnia, general ill health. • 1-in-500 exposed children developed the disease. • Years passed before mercury poisoning was gradually accepted as the cause, despite stiff resistance by industry. • By 1954, most mercury was eliminated from teething powders. Cases fell sharply and then disappeared entirely. • Today, Pink disease is virtually unheard of.

  10. CHILD WITH ACRODYNIA CHILD WITH AUTISM (Mercurypoisoning) (Will Redwood) Evidence of Harm

  11. INJECTING POISON? Evidence of Harm

  12. 1991 MSDS – Eli Lilly: “Use of chelating agents may be needed to treat ingestion of mercury” Evidence of Harm

  13. TOTAL Hg BURDEN AND AUTISM RATES IN CALIFORNIA 1985-98 Evidence of Harm

  14. BOYD HALEY – NEUROTOXICITYSurvival rates of neurons after 24 hour exposure to thimerosal, aluminum,antibiotics and testosterone-- Evidence of Harm

  15. BRADSTREET ET. AL. – Autistic kids excrete 6 times more Hg Evidence of Harm

  16. Chelation results from autistic child Evidence of Harm

  17. Holmes, Haley and Blaxill Baby Haircut Study 2003Autistic vs. Controls Evidence of Harm

  18. Mady Hornig – Columbia University Hornig used one mouse strain with genetic Hg sensitivity and autoimmunity and two strains without them, then replicated the immunization schedule using thimerosal-containing vaccines. • Sensitive mice showed significant delay in weight gain. • Sensitive mice had enlarged brains, noted in autistic children. • “Behavioral impoverishment” was highly significant the sensitive strain. • 40 percent of sensitive mice were “self-mutilatory” at six months, ie, frantically grooming or biting tails. • One mouse groomed through partner’s skull.

  19. KNOW YOUR THIOLS • Thiol – A class of SULFUR-BASED proteins that bind with heavy metals and eliminate them from the system. • Thiols include – Glutathione, cysteine and metallothioneine. • Synonym for thiol = “mercaptan” from the Latin mercurium captans: literally “mercury capturer.” Evidence of Harm

  20. Jill James – Glutathione Depletion in Autistic Children • Discovered that ASD kids have low or depleted levels of “thiols,” including glutathione – a powerful antioxidant. • Thiols, are the body’s natural defenses again heavy metals. • Low thiols levels are thought to be based on genes - and possible mercury exposure (See: R. Deth). Evidence of Harm

  21. BURBACHER STUDYUniv. of Washington Primate Ctr. • Compared ethylmercury from thimerosal and methylmercury from fish. • Methylmercury remained in blood longer and crossed blood-brain barrier more. • Gov’t press release and media reported the message: Ethylmercury is less hazardous. BUT - Ethyl degrades into inorganic mercury much faster than methyl. • Twice as much inorganic Hg deposited in brains of the ethyl over methyl group. • Half the methyl-exposed brains had no detectable inorganic Hg • Inorganic Hg trapped in brain can spark immune response, activation of glial cells, inflammation – average delay of symptoms was 6 months! Evidence of Harm

  22. HARVARD & JOHNS HOPKINS STUDIES ON AUTISTIC BRAINS HARVARD: “Neuro-inflammation” found in autistic brain tissue from childhood through adulthood. Study suggests that “chronic disease or an external environmental source (ie, heavy metals)” may be cause. JOHNS HOPKINS: Inflammation found in autistic brains - apparently associated with activation of brain’s immune system. Compared with controls, autistic tissue showed ongoing inflammation in various sections of brain. Inflammation was produced by activation of brain cells known as microglia and astroglia. Evidence of Harm

  23. Coal Emissions a Risk Factor? • University of Texas– Published in Health and Place – Hg from coal-fired power plants may increase ASD risk. • Study looked at Texas county levels of emissions, compared to ASD rates and special ed in 1,200 school districts. Autism increased as mercury emissions rose. For every thousand pounds of Hg, there was a 61 percent increase in autism rates. • One county with low mercury emissions but significant autism rates was found to harbor one of the nation’s largest mercury mines. • Author: “A potentially important connection between environmental exposure to mercury and the development of autism.” Evidence of Harm

  24. California Kaiser Study – Funded By CDC • 284 ASD children 657 controls, born in 1994 in the SF Bay Area. • Assigned exposure level by census tract of birth for 19 chemicals. • Risks for ASD were elevated by 50% in the tracts with the highest chlorinated solvents and heavy metals. • Risk from heavy metals was almost twice as high as solvents. • Highest risk compounds were mercury, cadmium, nickel, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. • “Our results suggest a potential association between autism and estimated metal concentrations, and possibly solvents, in ambient air around the birth residence.” Evidence of Harm

  25. AGAINST THE THIMEROSAL THEORY: MAJOR PLAYERS • ELI LILLY & CO – Invented product, has license agreements until 2010; defendant in lawsuits. • MERCK, GLAXO, ETC – Vaccine makers, lawsuit defendants. • FDA – “Asleep at the switch” - Failed to add Hg totals; no safety studies; poor lit review (missed articles in own library); refusal to recall. • CDC – Conflict in promoting and monitoring vaccines; aggressive use of immunization schedule; secret analyses of embargoed government data; funding of questionable studies; refusal to recommend Hg-free vaccines.

  26. AGAINST THE THIMEROSAL THEORY: MAJOR POINTS • No epidemic of autism (the Hidden Horde?). • Hg levels in vaccines very low. • Ethyl Hg “less toxic” than Methyl Hg (Pichichero, NIAID, Offit). • Autism not same as Hg poisoning (Nelson & Bauman). • Theory is motivated by greed, emotion, & revenge. • 4-year CDC study of federal database shows little to no neurological damage from Hg in childhood vaccines. • No “consistent” evidence of harm found in five major epidemiological studies: IOM.

  27. THIMEROSAL EXPOSURE & AUTISM RATES IN DENMARK 1981-2000 Evidence of Harm

  28. VSD 5 GENERATIONS Evidence of Harm

  29. Generation “Zero”Nov-Dec 1999 Recently rediscovered. First run of the numbers. Very high relative risks for outcomes. Autism RR = 7.6 UNPUBLISHED STUDY OBTAINED THROUGH FOIA

  30. VSD: Generation Zero Evidence of Harm

  31. Generation 1 Verstraeten 2/2000 Verstraeten reruns numbers, risks are lower. Still, significant outcomes “just won’t go away.” Autism RR = 2.48 UNPUBLISHED STUDY OBTAINED THROUGH FOIA Evidence of Harm

  32. “IT JUST WON’T GO AWAY” Evidence of Harm

  33. VSD Generation 1: Autism(Verstraeten – 2/2000) Evidence of Harm

  34. VSD Generation 2: Autism(Simpsonwood & ACIP 6/2000) Evidence of Harm

  35. Generation 2: NDD’s(Simpsonwood & ACIP 6/2000) Evidence of Harm

  36. Generation 2: Language Disorder (Simpsonwood & ACIP 6/2000) Evidence of Harm

  37. VSD Generation 3: Autism(IOM Presentation 7/2001) Evidence of Harm

  38. Generation 4: Autism(Pediatrics Article, 11/2003) Vol. 112 No. 5 November 2003, pp. 1039-1048 “In no analyses were significant increased risks found for autism or attention-deficit disorder.” Evidence of Harm

  39. Autism Risks Across 5 Generations GEN 0 GEN 1 GEN 2 GEN 3 GEN 4 7.62 2.48 1.69 1.52 0.00 Evidence of Harm

  40. Evidence of Harm

  41. AVENUES OF INVESTIGATION? Evidence of Harm

  42. US SENATE ACTION • Mike Enzi (R-WY) and H.E.L.P Committee investigators • Joe Lieberman (D-CT) – Bill to open up access to VSD – RECENT LETTER TO NIEHS • Dodd (D-CT) and Santorum (R-PA) on record (Imus) in favor of inquest • Chuck Hagel (R-NE) Bill to ban mercury in Vaccines • Combating Autism Act – Wait for 2007? Evidence of Harm

  43. Letter from Sen. Lieberman et al to the NIEHS, RE: VSD Access Evidence of Harm

  44. DATA SETS GO MISSING Federal law requires all publicly funded data and datasets be properly maintained. A felony to deliberately lose or destroy records. CDC official testified that some datasets “hadn’t been archived in a standard manner,” and, “may not allow all the re-analyses that one might want to do, or in fact may not be available at all.” IOM committee, citing federal Information Quality Act, recommended that vaccine officials “seek legal advice.” Evidence of Harm

  45. WHY DID IOM BASE ITS DECISION ON EPI STUDIES? • Epidemiology “not acceptable” to disprove causation: Federal Court System. • Epidemiological studies were questioned by lead investigators themselves, ie-- • Danish authors: exponential expansion of patients (inpatient-outpatient) “may have spuriously increased the apparent number of autism cases.” • Verstraeten: “We found no evidence against an association, as a negative study would. On the contrary, additional study is recommended, which is the conclusion to which a neutral study must come.” • IOM final report: “Cannot rule out, based on the epidemiology, possibility that vaccines contribute to autism in some small subset.” Evidence of Harm

  46. DID CDC EXERT UNDUE PRESSURE ON IOM? • Kathleen Stratton: “The line we will not cross in public policy is to pull the vaccine, change the schedule.” • Gerald Medoff: “You just want us to say the evidence favors rejection of the hypothesis?” • McCormick: “Yes, that’s what they want to say.” Evidence of Harm

  47. STILL MORE IOM QUOTES • Stratton: “There are pros and cons of letting them determine the topic– to be expedient, it is better that they determine it.” • Alfred Berg: “They are paying for it.” • Stratton: “We can shape it a little. We have-- you know, what are the boundaries. Does that make you feel any better?” • Berg: “Now I am curious what other parts of the methods CDC has figured out for us.” • Berg: “CDC is one of the malefactors on this issue, because they are always pushing to go beyond the data and say yes,” vaccines are safe. Evidence of Harm

  48. IOM CHANGES RULES OF ENGAGEMENT HALFWAY THROUGH • Went from looking at “biological plausibility” to “biological mechanisms” • IOM said plausibility was “confusing” • But biological mechanisms of autism are unknown Evidence of Harm

  49. Evidence of Harm

  50. 3-5 year olds - quarterly numbers are mixed QUARTER Total # children Net gain Change 3-5 years old (Avg. 143) net gain • 1Q 2003 4228 189 +81 • 2Q 2003 4466 238 +49 • 3Q 2003 4558 92 -146 • 4Q 2003 4611 53 -39 • 1Q 2004 4793 182 +129 • 2Q 2004 4894 101 -81 • 3Q 2004 4997 103 +2 • 4Q 2004 5156 159 +56 • 1Q 2005 5307 151 -8 • 2Q 2005 5446 139 -12 • 3Q 2005 5539 93 -46 • 4Q 2005 5680 141 +48 • 1Q 2006 5827 147 +6 • 2Q 2006 6083 256 +109 • 3Q 2006 6188 105 -151

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