Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy [Hardcover]

David Kirby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2005

In the 1990s reported autism cases among American children began spiking, from about 1 in 10,000 in 1987 to a shocking 1 in 166 today. This trend coincided with the addition of several new shots to the nation's already crowded vaccination schedule, grouped together and given soon after birth or in the early months of infancy. Most of these shots contained a little-known preservative called thimerosal, which includes a quantity of the toxin mercury.

Evidence of Harm explores the heated controversy over what many parents, physicians, public officials, and educators have called an "epidemic" of afflicted children. Following several families, David Kirby traces their struggle to understand how and why their once-healthy kids rapidly descended into silence or disturbed behavior, often accompanied by severe physical illness. Alarmed by the levels of mercury in the vaccine schedule, these families sought answers from their doctors, from science, from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines, and finally from the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration-to no avail. But as they dug deeper, the families also found powerful allies in Congress and in the small community of physicians and researchers who believe that the rise of autism and other disorders is linked to toxic levels of mercury that accumulate in the systems of some children.

An important and troubling book, Evidence of Harm reveals both the public and unsung obstacles faced by desperate families who have been opposed by the combined power of the federal government, health agencies, and pharmaceutical giants. From closed meetings of the FDA, CDC, and drug companies, to the mysterious rider inserted into the 2002 Homeland Security Bill that would bar thimerosal litigation, to open hearings held by Congress, this book shows a medical establishment determined to deny "evidence of harm" that might be connected with thimerosal and mercury in vaccines. In the end, as research is beginning to demonstrate, the questions raised by these families have significant implications for all children, and for those entrusted to oversee our national health.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Avoiding hyperbole while writing about a possible medical catastrophe is no easy task, but David Kirby has created a fine balance of investigative and personal detail in Evidence of Harm. Combining stories from the parents of autistic children with reports, speeches and studies from researchers, pediatricians and government officials, he creates a picture that is as terrifying as anything dreamed up by Hitchcock.

The topic at hand is determining whether high levels of organic mercury present in an inexpensive preservative used in vaccinations can cause either autism or autism-like symptoms. Kirby's in a delicate position, searching for the truth between frantic parents (he focuses on the founders of political action group Safe Mind) and the self-protective pharmaceutical industry (the author thanks the nameless person who placed a pro-Eli Lilly litigation rider into the Homeland Security Act of 2002). He's also honest enough of a reporter to admit to the temptation of deciding mercury is the culprit behind a range of disorders, even in light of some inconclusive test results. The ultimate truth isn't clear, and Kirby is direct about each of the reasons his sources have for their biased opinions.

While some of the straight research reports will likely to go over the head of anyone not well versed in the terminology, the book is never dull--there is a continual urgency in the material that resists pedantry. However undecided the experts, readers will likely land firmly in one angry camp or the other. Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The first serious journalistic account of a highly controversial topic, Kirby's book addresses the front-page question: has a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal, commonly used in children's vaccines, caused a national epidemic of juvenile autism? Following the development of the debate through the eyes of a handful of impassioned parents who formed the political action group, Safe Minds, Kirby, an experienced writer for the New York Times, crafts an engrossing David and Goliath story from this controversy, one in which the giant is an amalgamation of big government bureaucrats and corporate pharmaceutical lobbyists. Whether the association between thimerosal and autism is real remains to be seen, as Kirby points out. The evidence, presented here in excruciating detail but clouded by the parents' editorializing, is inconclusive but suggestive. Readers inclined to believe the parents' case will be convinced that there has been a big conspiracy; readers inclined to be skeptical will likely view the parents as self-serving proselytizers who spin each piece of evidence to suit their forgone conclusions. Walking the middle line, Kirby acknowledges that "each side accuses the other of being irrational, overzealous, blind to evidence they find inconvenient, and subject to professional, financial, or emotional conflicts of interest that cloud their judgment." And though Kirby clearly sympathizes with the parents' tragic experience of autism in their families and their inherent desire for justice, and though he occasionally demonstrates a lack of understanding about the politics of scientific publication and the wording of scientific articles, his book remains one of the most thoroughly researched accounts of the thimerosal controversy thus far. This is the book for medical professionals and concerned parents to read. It's accessible in its handling of medical topics and compelling in its recounting of the parents' fight to advance their agenda in the face of both political and scientific roadblocks.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312326440
• ISBN-13: 978-0312326449
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Account of a Complex Issue, June 3, 2005

By 

Elizabeth Jennings (Hendersonville NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy (Hardcover)

As the parent of a very high-functioning autistic child, I used to discount any relationship between vaccines and autism. This all changed as I gradually realized how dismal and pharmaceutical-dependent the conventional approach to autism really is. I put aside all preconceptions and reexamined the issue. Each day I found another study implicating mercury in vaccines, including very recent work by researchers such as Jill James, Mady Hornig and Thomas Burbacher. I also found very serious flaws in the studies used to reassure parents that there is nothing wrong with injecting mercury into an infant. I found disturbing similarities between the rhetoric used to defend mercury in medicine today and the rhetoric used 70 years ago to defend lead in paint. While I do not claim that the case has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, I have seen enough to act on the assumption that it is valid. My child's response to the conservative measures we have used in the past few months have only solidified my persuasion.

Kirby's book is an extremely thorough compilation of all the studies, political ramifications, and personal stories that make up the mercury-autism controversy. His research paralleled my own explorations and added some behind-the-scenes information as well. He also made every effort to present both sides of the issue but was hampered in this by the refusal of the CDC, AAP, pharmaceutical companies and others to grant interviews. He is in no way, shape, or form anti-vaccine. I would also like to point out that he did not confuse the MMR and thimerosal issues--perhaps another reader missed Kirby's full explanation of the theoretical interplay between the two as well as his full explanation of what happened with Andrew Wakefield's study in the Lancet, which is much more complex than a simple retraction.

It strikes me as odd if not suspect that any physician would argue that research into the thimerosal issue should be halted when the CDC itself has called for more study, when more and more autistic children are responding to treatment for mercury poisoning and when many of the key players in the research effort are medical doctors who also happen to be parents of autistic children. These are people who have put their names out in the open, people such as Alan Clark, MD, of Missouri, who runs the (...)website with his wife and who has a child who developed Asperger's following two flu shots.

Kirby shows nothing but respect for autistic children and adults. One of the key characters in the book is a researcher with Asperger's and he warmly depicts her creative and non-conformist approach to life. I think it is important to note that there are many wonderful autistic people who are brilliant, creative, free-thinkers, but there are also many non-autistic people who are brilliant, creative, free-thinkers. My child is extremely bright, imaginative, honest, intense and funny, but this is because that's who he is not because he's autistic. In fact, these positives only shine when he is not burdened by anxiety, overwhelmed by normal sensory stimuli or caught in a pattern of inflexibility as he is sometimes due to autism. I'm sure autism has left some indelible mark on his personality and it is true that it is not ALL bad, just as a blind person's vivid sense of hearing is not bad. And of course we must all respect and honor differences, as Kirby does so very well. That is not to say that autism is benign. I imagine the parents of a severely autistic child would find this idea alternately infuriating and laughable.

I strongly recommend reading this book. If you're a health care provider, it will explain where parents are coming from. If you're wanting a summation of the issue, it is a great source. If you have nothing to do with autism or mercury, it's still a compelling story. If you have a child with autism, well . . . I can't recommend it enough; however, I would also recommend that you do your own research. Don't take my word for it--or anyone else's--until you've read the actual primary studies, not the spin that gets reported in much of the media. You may encounter something quite unexpected. I certainly did.

49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The consequences are too great for Kirby not to be silenced, June 12, 2005

By 

Todd S. Page (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this book over a 2 day period this weekend, and reviewed all the reviews here at Amazon before posting my review. The reviews fall into 2 catagories: parents of autistic children appreciative for Kirby's efforts in exposing the thimerosal controversy, and those, who for various reasons, are opposed to the suggestion that this mercury-based derivitive could have caused or contributed to the autism epidemic. For those who left Kirby with a single star, were you criticizing the book itself or the message conveyed therein? Beause, it is clear that the message in this book is extremely disturbing, and a damning indictment for those in charge of assuring the safety of our children.

While it is true that Kirby paints a very sympathetic picture of those affected by autism, it is also clear from my reading of the book that those in a position to respond to many of the allegations raised were not interested in participating in an open evaluation of this issue. And then, why should they, when the CDC, IOM and FDA have already discounted the evidence that would suggest a link between mercury and autism.

Contrary to what some of this book's detractors would have you believe, Kirby does not suggest that any of the opponents of mercury are opposed to vaccines in general. The book makes it clear that the critics just want their vaccines to be safe, which means removing what can only be considered a neurotoxin from the vaccines. It should be remembered that mercury does not contribute to the efficacy of any vaccine, but only helps the manufacturer extend the shelf life of its product.

Kirby lays out some damning evidence, including the fact that only one repudiated study by Lilly was done in 1930 on the safety of thimerosal, and all the people in the study died of the disease being treated so that researchers could not point to any proof of safety. From that point forward, the question should have been where is the proof that thimerosal is safe, not where is the proof that it is not? Also unanswered by the critics of the autism-mercury connection is the question of what is causing the autism epidemic if not mercury?

Kirby's book raised this and many other critical questions, and is a must read for anyone affected by autism. Unfortunately, the main stream media has to date demonstrated very little interest in this book, so that the only people likely to hear about it or read it are those who have been affected or know someone who has been affected.

Kirby does an excellent job of outlining the issues in this controversy, and also proposed treatment methods for those who believe that their child has been poisoned and could benefit from removing mercury from his/her system. I strongly recommend it.

50 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you David Kirby for writing such an honestly!!!, April 22, 2005

By 

Sean "madashell" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy (Hardcover)

I am the father of a 5 year old autistic boy, who actually right now would not be diagnosed as autistic. I saying this to convey that there is hope if you know where to look. We were lucky enough to get on the right track pretty quickly after my son was diagnosed. My wife, along with many mothers of autistic kids, is amazing in her search for answers to unravel this mystery. I am extremely confident to say that she knows more about metabolic issues than 99% of doctors. We have known from almost the beginning that thimerasol had some role in triggering my son's autism (maybe it wasn't the only environmental trigger, but it was a major one nevertheless). Now David Kirby has exposed what we have known all along. This book is a MUST read for ALL parents of young children, not just ones that have been affected by this horrific illness. If you take anything from this book, then take this. DO NOT PUT YOUR BLIND TRUST IN THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND EDUCATE YOURSELF. The medical establishment can and is wrong on many issues (and is DEAD WRONG on this one) and is slow to accept something that goes against what they've been taught.

I actually don't understand how people who don't have a vested interest in this issue cannot at least accept that it is credible that thimerasol could be the environmental trigger that is causing autism in our kids (not in all cases, but in many of the 1 in 166). After all, mercury is a known neuro-toxin and thimerasol is nearly 50% organic ethylmercury (which is even more toxic that methylmercury because of its ability to bind itself at the cellular level). How can anyone think that putting a known neuro-toxin in amounts up to 100 times the levels deemed safe for full grown adults into infants with immature immune systems can be safe? And then repeating this several times in the first two years of a childs life. Also, is it a coincidence that the symptons of autism are the same for mercury poisoning? I would love to see someone from the CDC, FDA or NIH inject themselves with the equivalent amount of thimerasol that were given to our children (based on weight and taking into account the immature immunity systems that our kids had when they were injected immediately after birth). I bet you that even if offered a million dollars, that no one would do it because they know they're wrong (or at the very least aren't sure that they're right), but yet thimerasol is still safe to be in some vaccines that kids get.

Whether or not you believe thimerasol is the culprit, it is obvious that the government is trying to cover it up. The government has 2 conflicts of interest when it comes to this issue. One is obviously the money our representatives are getting from big pharma and the other is to protect the vaccine policy of this country. It would be ignorant of us to discount these major conflicts of interests. By the way, many people don't realize this, but this is also a foreign policy issue. We are now exporting many of our vaccines overseas to Third World countries. If you think the rest of the world hates us now, what do you think they will think of us when the truth comes out and they realize that we've exported autism to undeveloped countries. Anyway, I've gotten way too political here, all I can say is buy this book and buy one for your pediatrician and tell your friends that are pregnant or have young children to buy this book. As another poster noted, this book does read like a Grisham novel, but unfortunately it's true.

I will end this by quoting an interaction which is in Kirby's book. A well known pediatrician just gave a speech on the safety of vaccines and thimerasol. A father of an autistic child approached him and said "You know something, doctor? If it turns out that you are right, then I will personally come down to your office and apologize to you with every fiber of my being. But if it turns out that you are wrong, then you are going to hell". Well I think this story is going to end with alot of people going to hell and they will deserve it!!!