By Louis Conte and Wayne Rohde

“I regret that my coauthors and I omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the journal Pediatrics. The omitted data suggested that African American males who received the MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism. Decisions were made regarding which findings to report after the data were collected, and I believe that the final study protocol was not followed.”

William W. Thompson, CDC Scientist

The revelations of CDC scientist William Thompson are stunning. Thompson has admitted that he and the other co-authors of a 2004 study removed data that showed a 340% increase in African-American children who received the MMR vaccine. This conduct violated the study’s original design and was clearly done to bury the link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

If the staff at the CDC’s Division of Vaccine Safety altered data in this study to conceal connections between autism and vaccine injury, one must question the integrity of all the research that the CDC has produced and sponsored. A pattern of altering data in vaccine safety studies to maintain the government’s policy that “vaccines don’t cause autism” is now becoming obvious to anyone who objectively looks past the press releases describing government sponsored research. Many have pointed to a similar pattern of data manipulation in the Verstraaten study. Papers submitted by Price et al feature flawed designs that renders them virtually useless.

The research of Poul Thorsen’s Denmark team also featured questionable use of data. Poul Thorsen (see below) continues to be a wanted man - a fugitive from justice – indicted in 2011 for stealing over 1 million dollars from the CDC[1].

OIG Fugitive: Poul Thorsen

I work as an administrator in a criminal justice agency and I’ve managed federal grants. I find it remarkable that Thorsen could have spent federal money the way he did – purchasing a home, a motor cycle and expensive cars. The federal employees I’ve worked with have always been responsible professionals, active partners who stayed involved in the way the grant money was utilized. I couldn’t image deceiving federal grant administrators the way Thorsen did. No one at the CDC noticed what was going on?

What went on with the CDC’s supervision of Thorsen doesn’t add up. Could he really have committed so much grant fraud without someone inside CDC noticing?

Where did Poul Thorsen come from? Who brought him into the CDC?

From: Yeargin-Alisopp, Marshalyn -
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 2:36 PM
To: Cordero, Jose
Cc: Schende~, Diana; Murphy, Catherine; Boyle, Coleen; Decoufle, Pierre; Thorsen, Poul; Yeargin-Allsopp, Marshalyn; Sinks, Tom
Subject: Proposal for study of MMR vaccine and autism in Denmark

Jose, As we discussed on Friday, we have become aware through Poul Thorsen of an exciting opportunity to study the role of MMR vaccine and autism using several registries/existing studies and the repository of biologic specimens and laboratory capabilities in Denmark. Attached below is a proposal for such a study. Poul will be leaving on Thursday to travel to Denmark where he will be meeting with the PIs for the proposed study on June 6th. We would like to be able to have Poul say whether it is likely that CDC(NIP) can fund the study, if NIP is interested. The proposed budget is included; there may be additional sources of funding (in addition to NIP) but we are not certain at this time. Unfortunately, the DD Branch does not have much (if any) $$ to fund the study, but we do have the expertise that we have developed due to the autism surveillance in Atlanta and the MMR/autism case-control study. I will be out of the office tomorrow, but you may contact Diana or Poul if you have questions. Thank you so much for considering this proposal.
Marshalyn

Please join us in welcoming Jim Thompson to our roster of Contributing Editors.  Jim has provided great content for us for several years.  Jim is our first autism Grandfather.   You'll find his posts under the Contributors pull down menu and below.

Jim Thompson is a registered professional engineer.  His first granddaughter (pictured) was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, verbal apraxia, motor disorder, and sensory integration disorder. Her loving memory has influenced his family’s decision to help protect children from vaccine injuries.

Mercury, Simpsonwood 2000, and an Elementary Cover-up.9.8.2014

CDC--More Evidence of a Mercury Cover-up.2.12.14

The CDC Buys and Distributes Heavy Metal Mercury Preserved Flu Vaccines for Children.8.28.2013

A Proposed Laboratory Neuron Toxicity Test Model for Thimerosal.June.25.2013

Industry “Scumbag” Scientist and Mercury Shill.May.16.2013

Vaccines and Absence of Evidence of Safety.March.23.2010

Q & A - How About a Half Cup of Mercury Hazardous Waste?.December.26.2009

Newspeak Version of Safe (or) efaS s'tI yrroW t'noD.May.3.2009

The fable of “Over 2,000 Pregnant Women”.April.25.2009

By Jim Thompson

We teach mathematical graphs to children in our middle schools.  For example, look at this 2001 article “Living Graphs.”

“In this article, we discuss some ideas and techniques for teaching and learning this language and for giving life to graphs in middle school classrooms.  In algebra, students typically construct graphs of functions represented by symbolic formulas.”  See Living Graphs. . 

Now back in 1999, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were also working on graphs related to real life activities.  These graphs represented associations between brain injuries in children receiving vaccines with Thimerosal, a mercury based vaccine preservative, and the amount of mercury they received.  These graphs were presented at a CDC meeting in June of 2000 at the Simpsonwood Methodist retreat and conference center in Norcross, Georgia (Simpsonwood 2000).  These graphs, and their different versions before and after Simpsonwood 2000, are described in great detail in the book “Thimerosal, Let the Science Speak” by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(2014). 

But well before Simpsonwood 2000, scientists already knew that mercury in its various forms is extremely toxic.  For example, in 1939 a paper was published showing that mercuric chloride at a level of 8 parts per billion kills a certain species of fish.   Considering that one part per billion is roughly equivalent to one sugar cube in a swimming pool--then Thimerosal preserved vaccines at 50 thousand parts per billion mercury concentration can hardly be declared safe.

So back to Simpsonwood 2000, Tom Verstraeten of the CDC modeled an association between neurologic developmental disorders and exposure to the mercury based Thimerosal. 

“For the overall category of neurologic developmental disorders …That's an increase of 0.7% for each additional microgram of ethyl mercury. For an example, if we would go from zero to 50 micrograms of ethyl mercury, we would have to multiple these estimate by 50, so that would give us an additional increase of about 35%, which is pretty close to the point estimate for this category.”  

See Simpsonwood transcript at SafeMinds.org.  pp. 41-42.

Now here is where we can use the same algebra taught to our middle school students.  It gives us a straight line graph based on Verstraeten’s equation.  The equation is:  an association of relative risk of neurological developmental disorders equals 0.007 times the micrograms of mercury received in vaccinations.  The equation is simple (y = 0.007 times x).

Now before that Simpsonwood 2000 meeting Tom Verstraeten saw a problem with the math.  The multiplier was originally much greater than 0.007!  Before Simpsonwood 2000 Tom Verstraeten wrote to his co-workers in an email titled "It just won’t go away,” “As you'll see some of the RRs [relative risks] increase over the categories and I haven't yet found an alternative explanation ...”  

So this takes us to an elementary cover-up by the CDC.  As Robert F. Kennedy Jr shows us in his book, the CDC scientists changed the way their graph looked by compressing the vertical part of the graph.  They did this by graphing a straight line on a logarithm vertical scale.   This makes a steep slope on a straight line graph of increasing association of brain injury with mercury exposure look almost like a line with no slope, or flat line, which does not show an increase of risk with exposure.  See pages 135 and 136 of “Thimerosal, Let the Science Speak.” This elementary cover-up, along with removing children from the original database to make the risk multiplier smaller, show us that (1) mercury in vaccines is unsafe, (2) the CDC cannot be trusted to oversee vaccine safety.

By Jim Thompson

Last month Age of Autism reported additional evidence obtained by SafeMinds.  One of the important aspects of this is that Thomas Verstraeten reported a significant association between Thimerosal in vaccines and neurologic development disorder both in 1999 and in 2000.

First in 1999 he reported that “The relative risk (RR) of developing a neurologic development disorder was 1.8 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.1-2.8) when comparing the highest exposure group at 1 month of age (cumulative dose> 25 ug) to the unexposed group.”

Then in 2000, after the 1999 database was modified, he reported the following results. These were slightly lower associations of overall neurologic development disorders. But even so the evidence of an association of harm remained. The signal of evidence of harm did not go away.

“… the overall category of neurologic developmental disorders …That's an increase of .7% for each additional microgram of ethyl mercury. For an example, if we would go from zero to 50 micrograms of ethyl mercury, we would have to multiple these estimate by 50, so that would give us an additional increase of about 35 %, which is pretty close to the point estimate for this category.” (2000)

See Simpsonwood transcript pp. 41-42.

By Jim Thompson

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a division of the United States Public Health Service.  According to this 2012 report to congress, the “CDC is dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury and disability.”

In 1999 the U.S. Public Health Service issued a joint statement with the American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine manufacturers agreeing that the heavy metal mercury, a known neurotoxin, used in Thimerosal vaccine preservative should be removed from vaccines “as soon as possible.” 

However the U.S. Public Health Service is failing to meet the terms of this agreement.  According the following CDC web sites, the U.S. Public Health Service, 14 years after the agreement to remove Thimerosal, still allows the CDC to buy and distribute preserved multi-dose flu vaccines for children that contain the heavy metal mercury.  

(1) Mercury has been removed from most types of vaccines. However an estimated 83 million flu vaccine doses for the recent seasonal supply use this heavy metal in the preservative Thimerosal.  See http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxsupply.htm. 

(2) “CDC buys vaccines at a discount and distributes them to grantees—i.e., state health departments and certain local and territorial public health agencies—which in turn distribute them at no charge to those private physicians' offices and public health clinics registered as VFC [Vaccines For Children] providers.” See http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/index.html 

(3) “Vaccine procured through the VFC program must be administered according to the guidelines outlined by the ACIP in VFC resolutions. VFC vaccine also may be administered in accordance with State school attendance laws.” http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/providers/resolutions.html 

By Jim Thompson

The following is a mathematical model based on curve fitting of data from Baskin et al (2003) from cultured human brain cells exposed to Thimerosal in a laboratory environment.  It does not represent data observed for brain cells within a human body.  The purpose of this toxicity model is to illustrate how the Baskin study might be used to provide guidance for further study and offer insights into the potential for Thimerosal preserved vaccines toxicity to human brain cells when administered to children. 

The mathematical model is based on the following:

The Thimerosal preserved flu shot recommended by the FDA and CDC for 6 month old children and pregnant women has approximately 25 micrograms (ug) of mercury.  Currently there are an estimated 83 million flu vaccine doses preserved with Thimerosal. 

The human brain has an estimated 100 billion brain cells.
 
Ball et al estimated a median weight for 6 month old females to be 7.21 kilograms.  See page 1150. 

The whole body weight-weight ratio of mercury after a single flu shot is calculated at 25 ug / 7.21 kg or 3.47 parts per billion.  This is a 17.3 mercury nanomolar concentration.

Baskin et al measured a failure rate of laboratory cultured human neurons, after 6 hours, as follows: "Assessment of 200 cells per well randomly, using the fluorescent microscope, revealed that active caspase-3 was expressed in 20% of the cells at 2 uM [micro molar concentration] thimerosal, 26% at 10 uM thimerosal, 83% at 50 uM thimerosal, and 97% of the neurons at 250 uM thimerosal concentration. In the controls, less than 1% of the cells was caspase-3–positive, due to cell death naturally occurring in the cell cultures." See Baskin et al, 2003, p. 365,.

Using Mathcad 2001 Professional a non-linear, mono-exponential regression model (see Equation 1) was made using the Mathcad least squares solution method called Minerr.  Data was taken from the Baskin reported laboratory cultured brain cell failure rate at a 6 hour exposure time referenced above.  While the overall Baskin results were limited to a minimum level of toxicity of one micromolar (uM) of mercury concentration for human neuron damage in a cultured laboratory experiment, the authors stated that “These results indicate that additional research is needed to more fully delineate the dose- and time-dependent toxicity of thimerosal in sub-micromolar concentrations…” 

Consequently the following equation is proposed as a model of the failure rate, at a 6 hour exposure time, for cultured neurons in a laboratory environment after extrapolation from a micromolar concentration range of mercury exposure down to a nanomolar (nM) concentration range of mercury exposure and for the number of neurons approaching that estimated in the human brain:
 

Click to enlarge.

By Jim Thompson

Dr. Michael Pichichero is an industry scientist and he endorses a mercury-based compound called Thimerosal as a “safe” and “effective” preservative in vaccines worldwide. 

In a recently published report “Perspective – Report to WHO: No New Concerns About Thimerosal” he acknowledges that his “institution has received research grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Pfizer, Novartis, and Crucell for new vaccine and product development.”  Also he states in his report that “The evidence suggests the 2008 endorsement of the use of thimerosal as a safe and effective preservative in vaccines for children worldwide should remain.” 

In addition he alludes to his remote presentation to the United Nations Negotiating Committee Meeting on April 3-4, 2012 which was made for “their consideration and vote” regarding the continuation of mercury in vaccines used worldwide.   And it was in that same time frame that the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Strategic Advisory Committee (SAGE) in Geneva recommended that “Thimerosal, a preservative used to prevent contamination in multidose vaccine vials, be exempted from a pending international treaty aimed at reducing global health hazards by limiting exposure to mercury.”  (See WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record).

Now it is possible that this industry scientist’s reasoning is based on an unfounded presumption that mercury leaves the brain faster than mercury from fish.  He states “[a] total of five studies of blood and hair mercury in children have now been published, and all show that the foundational presumption of similar pharmacokinetics between methylmercury and ethylmercury was incorrect.”  But do these studies really indicate what happens in a child’s brain? 

To answer that one cannot rely solely on human studies reporting reduced mercury content in blood and hair.  It is also important to recognize the fact that an animal study clearly shows that Thimerosal vaccine preservative injections result in inorganic mercury levels in brain tissue in infant monkeys at higher levels and longer time frames than from exposure to mercury in fish.  

By Jim Thompson

How much mercury is in the flu shot when it has Thimerosal as a preservative?

There are 25 micrograms of mercury in each flu shot that uses Thimerosal as a preservative[1].  And a half cup of water (4 ounces) with that much mercury has 0.2114 parts per million mercury and is considered a hazardous waste by the USEPA[2].

Why is there a concern about mercury?

Mercury is a known neurotoxin[3]. 

How much mercury is in the blood after receiving a flu shot with Thimerosal? 

The mercury blood level in human newborns has been measured at a peak levels with an average of 5 nanograms per milliliter (5 parts per billion)[4].

How much mercury ends up in the brain?

The mercury level in the human infant brain after receiving a shot with Thimerosal is unknown.   However tests have been performed on infant monkeys.  Burbacher et al[5] gave infant monkeys shots with Thimerosal--with the same mercury weight per body weight, on average, as received by human infants.  This study reported that “The inorganic form of Hg was readily measurable in the brain of the thimerosal-exposed infants. The average concentration of inorganic Hg did not change across the 28 days of washout and was approximately 16 nanograms per milliliter (16 parts per billion).” 

By Jim Thompson

The legal claim by George and Victoria Meade, for their son William, was recently dismissed by federal Special Master Smith-Campbell.  See HERE .  The parents’ claim was that William received vaccines with thimerosal which in turn caused brain injury and resulted in autism.

The federal ruling concluded that the evidence presented for William’s case did not prove a cause of injury resulting in autism.  But it did not establish that the case evidence proved safety.  And this is what really speaks to the concern of all families concerned about mercury and brain injury.  

As background information--first, thimerosal contains mercury.  Although a few states ban thimerosal in vaccines, it is still used in the majority of flu vaccines as a preservative in this country.  The amount of mercury in a flu shot (one half milliliter dose), with thimerosal preservative, is about 25 micrograms.  Twenty five micrograms is the amount of mercury in a half cup (four US fluid ounces) of mercury hazardous waste.  See HERE. 

Second, scientific literature for high level mercury poisoning has provided tragic accounts of acute (short term) effects of organic mercury on the brain.  For a graphic comparison of a brain without neurological disease to a brain with up to 3,100 parts per billion total mercury, see Figure Number Three.  For high level mercury poisoning, scientific literature also offers evidence of delayed neurological effects . 

By Jim Thompson

Q & A - How About a Half Cup of Mercury Hazardous Waste?

How much mercury is in the flu shot when it has Thimerosal as a preservative?

There are 25 micrograms of mercury in each flu shot that uses Thimerosal as a preservative (1).  And a half cup of water (4 ounces) with that much mercury has 0.2114 parts per million mercury and is considered a hazardous waste by the USEPA (2).

Why is there a concern about mercury?

Mercury is a known neurotoxin (4). 

How much mercury is in the blood after receiving a flu shot with Thimerosal? 

The mercury blood level in human newborns has been measured at a peak levels with an average of 5 nanograms per milliliter (5 parts per billion) (5).

How much mercury ends up in the brain?

The mercury level in the human infant brain after receiving a shot with Thimerosal is unknown.   However tests have been performed on infant monkeys.  Burbacher et al (5) gave infant monkeys shots with Thimerosal--with the same mercury weight per body weight, on average, as received by human infants.  This study reported that “The inorganic form of Hg was readily measurable in the brain of the thimerosal-exposed infants. The average concentration of inorganic Hg did not change across the 28 days of washout and was approximately 16 nanograms per milliliter (16 parts per billion).” 

By Jim Thompson

Newspeak Version of Safe

“The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron - they'll exist only in newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be.”  Orwell 1984.

Today, the word “safe” has been changed into something contradictory.  Look at what the CDC is telling parents about the flu vaccine preservative called thimerosal, which contains 50 percent mercury. 

“Is it safe for children to receive an influenza vaccine that contains thimerosal?  Yes. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the small amount of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor effects like swelling and redness at the injection site due to sensitivity to thimerosal.”  See CDC (HERE).

Ok, there is evidence of harm, but it is just not convincing.  So in newspeak version--having only some evidence of harm makes it “safe” to inject into children’s bodies.

By Jim Thompson

The CDC and FDA are still telling stories about how thimerosal, which contains 50 percent mercury and is a known neurotoxin, is safe for pregnant women in flu vaccines.  The reference for this fable is Heinonen, Shapiro, Monson et al from 1973. 

"Is it safe for pregnant women to receive an influenza vaccine that contains thimerosal?  Yes. A study of influenza vaccination examining over 2,000 pregnant women demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza vaccine."  See CDC and FDA, 2008 at (HERE) and (HERE).

Apparently this fiction was previously published in 2004 by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. 

“One study of influenza vaccination of over 2,000 pregnant women demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza vaccine.” See (HERE).

By Jim Thompson

Our SD delegation in congress sent their staff to hear David Kirby and Mark Blaxill at Rep. Maloney’s office.  Next they received all the follow-up information including: David Kirby’s slides; a response refuting Rep. Waxman’s Dear Colleague letter; a request to the IACC to post warnings about the risk to pregnant women and children from mercury in flu shots; and several emails about mercury toxicity with references from the USEPA, FDA, and AAP.   

So while congress works on a national solution, and except for those 5 or so states that already ban it, do we just sit by and watch the massive continued use of Thimerosal in flu vaccines for pregnant women and children?  No!  The next step is to talk and inform people within arms reach in our own communities. 

During the past week after talking to a nurse, special ed teacher, parish priest, UPS driver/mom, plumber, and employees at five retail stores – and asking if they knew about their right to know about mercury in vaccines and the right to ask for mercury free vaccines the response was “No.”  But for all those asked to please post a one page bulletin with that information - the answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!”