US ‘vaccine court’ ruled in three separate cases that the mercury containing preservative thiomersal does not cause autism. This ruling supports the broad scientific consensus.
Thiomersal (C9H9HgNaO2S), or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, commonly known in the United States as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound (approximately 49% mercury by weight) used as an antiseptic and antifungal agent.
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old.
In US, nearly 5,000 families are attempting to demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism, despite the medical and scientific consensus that there is no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines or any preservative or additive ever used in vaccines.
Vaccine court is the popular term which refers to the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which administers a no-fault system for litigating vaccine injury claims. These claims against vaccine manufacturers cannot normally be filed in state or federal civil courts, but instead must be heard in the Court of Claims, sitting without a jury. The program was established by the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA), passed by the United States Congress.
On March_8, 2010 the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from parents who want to sue a vaccine manufacturer and who argue that they cannot get a fair hearing in the vaccine court.
“The Meads believe that thimerosal-containing vaccines caused William’s regressive autism. As explained below, the undersigned finds that the Meads have not presented a scientifically sound theory,” Special Master George Hastings, a former tax claims expert at the Department of Justice, wrote in his ruling.
Autism and mercury advocacy organization SafeMinds regrets this ruling by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against three families who argued that vaccines which contained the mercury based preservative thimerosal contributed to their child’s autism. The denial of reasonable compensation to families was based on inadequate vaccine safety science and poorly designed and highly controversial epidemiology studies supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This ruling greatly disappointed parents who are convinced that their child’s illness was caused by vaccines.
Source: Safe Minds, USA