The United States Court of Federal Claims started another hearing to determine if thimerosal, a vaccine additive led several children to become autistic.The hearing is the second in a series of three in which the court is evaluating whether the government should pay damages to the parents of some 4,800 autistic children. In this hearing, parents are alleging that thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury, damaged their children’s brains. Thimerosal was removed from all routinely administered childhood vaccines by 2001.
Every major study and scientific organization to examine the issue has found no link between vaccination and autism, but the vaccine critics have persisted in pursing the claim.