Thimerosal Lawsuit

Starting in the late 1990s, the families of a number of children diagnosed with autism have filed thimerosal lawsuits against manufacturers of thimerosal and childhood vaccines containing thimerosal. The thimerosal lawsuits seek financial restitution for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages. Defendants named in recent thimerosal lawsuits include seven different vaccine makers as well as five companies that produce the preservative.

The basis for thimerosal lawsuits lies in the connections drawn between exposure to high amounts of mercury and development of autism. A Center for Disease Control (CDC) report cited by some parents filing thimerosal lawsuits shows that originally, a study conducted by the CDC found that children exposed to 62.5 mcgs of mercury through vaccines in the first three months of life were 2.48 times more likely to develop autism. In a move that angered many plaintiffs in thimerosal lawsuits, researcher Thomas Verstraeten added more children to the epidemiological study, bringing the correlation down to 1.69 times. Verstraeten was subsequently hired as a consultant by vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline.

The first of the thimerosal lawsuits was filed following an FDA report in 1999 that stated "infants who received thimerosal-containing vaccines at several visits may be exposed to more mercury than recommended by federal guidelines for total mercury exposure." Many thimerosal lawsuits point out the shocking results of a 1997 FDA order for the drug companies to reveal the amount of thimerosal included in their vaccines-the levels of mercury found in many pediatric vaccines exceeded the amounts considered safe for adults.

To date, numerous individual thimerosal lawsuits have been filed, in addition to a class action thimerosal lawsuit designed to force pharmaceutical companies to investigate whether thimerosal indeed causes autism and other forms of brain damage in children. The media attention generated by the rising number of thimerosal lawsuits has helped parents learn of the potential risks of childhood vaccines. Although the FDA ordered manufacturers of childhood vaccines to stop including thimerosal in 1999, there has as yet been no recall of vaccines containing mercury, and those stocks are still available to doctors.

For parents who believe their children were adversely affected by childhood vaccinations, thimerosal lawsuits provide an opportunity to demand a full investigation. In addition, individuals filing thimerosal lawsuits may be able to recover some of the enormous financial costs associated with raising an autistic child. To discuss the purposes of thimerosal lawsuits, you may wish to contact an attorney who has experience representing plaintiffs in thimerosal lawsuits.

For more information on Thimerosal, please contact us to speak with a lawyer.

More Thimerosal News

August 31, 2005 - NY Gov. bans thimerosal from medicines for children under 3, pregnant women

July 19, 2004 - Government wants babies immunized against the flu, causing new autism scare

More Thimerosal Resources

Thimerosal News - A site dedicated to dealing with the issues of Thimerosal. Learn more about dangers, vaccines and lawsuit information.

National Immunization Program - Learn the facts about mercury in vaccines.