Mercury, Autism, and Imus

OracKnows provides consistently smart analysis of the mercury/thimerosal/autism "link" debate, and this morning, has a comprehensive fisking of a Salon/Rolling Stone "expose" on the subject.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote the article in question, has decided to crusade on this issue, which is being positioned in conspiracy and "cover-up" terms. The culprits of course, are big Drug companies and Government agencies, the victims, families and children. This probably makes sense to a lot of people, that Eli Lilly and the US Government have essentially joined forces to cause an autism epidemic by using mercury in vaccines, and are covering up the evidence so well that no scientist has been able to prove any of it.

Thank God self appointed activists like RFK Jr. can step in to reveal all of this to us. We can trust him, but not scientists.

Coincidentally, David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm, was on Imus in the Morning today. Don Imus, who has significant influence with politicians and journalists, has also hopped on the mercury/autism bandwagon, although he is good at talking out of both sides of his mouth on the subject. On one hand, he emphasizes that there is "no scientific proof" of a link, but at the same time, he pushes Kirby's biased, unscientific book, and he urges Senators, Congressmen and journalists to investigate. (I think RFK Jr. was to have been on, but I had to get to work).

I have heard Imus bring this subject up with John McCain, Congressman Harold Ford, and this morning, Chris Matthews, and none of them have questioned the "link" between autism and mercury. Imus needs to stick to subjects he knows, like political parody or country music.

On the Imus show, Kirby once again played the "objective" reporter just looking for the "truth", and Imus congratulated him on this objectivity, and his book's "balance". Ridiculous.

Two interesting points that Kirby brought up.

One, he claims that autism rates among 3-4 year olds in two states - Indiana and (NC? not sure of the other one) are dropping. He refered to "a study"that is showing this to be the case, and is making a direct connection to the removal of thimerosal from vaccines for these states in 2001. However, he did not name the study, or provide any other information on it, and he referred to "slight drops" in the rates, which of course could be, and will probably be, statistically unimportant. Kirby conveniently leaves out the fact that while Denmark and Canada removed thimerosal from vaccines in 1995, there have been no measurable drops in autism rates in those countries. From the OracKnows post:


In any case, if thimerosal in vaccines were the cause of autism, we would expect autism rates in Denmark and Canada to have plummeted recently, because Denmark eliminated thimerosal from its vaccines by 1995 and Canada removed them around the same time. No such decrease in autism rates has occurred in either country, even though there has been more than enough time for such a decrease to make itself apparent if there were truly a link between mercury exposure and autism

and

That there has been no such decrease is very strong epidemiological evidence that there is no link.

This is how science works, but many, RFK, Don Imus, and unfortunately, desperate parents of autistic children, refuse to acknowledge this.


Second, Kirby bluntly stated that he expects congressional hearings by the fall on this subject. I suppose that this would be good and bad, but mostly bad. The facts and good science could win the debate in a forum like this, but the media will of course spin the story and offer soundbites from grieving parents and spotlight whore activists.

Congressional investigations will just lead us to where we are now, with thousands of parents of autistic children clinging to bad science and useless speculation in an attempt to ease their pain. But none of this will help them, or their children.

Imus, David Kirby, and Robert F. Kennedy should be ashamed.