April 04, 2002
ATLANTA (AP)--The families of nine autistic Georgia children claim in lawsuits that mercury exposure from dental fillings, vaccine preservatives and power plants caused or worsened the disability.
The lawsuits filed Tuesday and Wednesday name four drug makers, two dental industry groups and Georgia Power Co. as defendants.
Autism, caused by a neurological disorder, can severely impair development. A similar suit was filed last month in California.
The latest suits blame the drug companies--American Home Products, GlaxoSmithKline, Armour Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson--for producing pediatric vaccines with the mercury-laden preservative thimerosal.
Thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines. The National Academy of Sciences has said scientists are still unable to determine whether there is a link between the preservative and disorders in children.
Glaxo spokeswoman Nancy Pekarek stressed there is an "absence of real scientific evidence to demonstrate there is any harm caused by thimerosal-containing vaccines."
The suits blame the American Dental Association and Georgia Dental Association for endorsing amalgams, a type of dental filling containing mercury. Mercury is a highly toxic but naturally occurring element.
Federal health officials are studying the safety of amalgams. But ADA chief counsel Peter Sfikas said no evidence suggests they lead to autism or are otherwise unsafe.
"We continue to believe these lawsuits are without merit," Sfikas said.
The Georgia dental group declined comment but said it would follow the ADA's lead in legal proceedings.
The suits also claim Georgia Power Co.'s fossil fuel-burning plants sent more than 60 toxins into the air in Georgia, including heavy metals like mercury.
A spokeswoman for the electric utility declined comment until company lawyers could review the suit.
The suits seek unspecified damages that plaintiffs' attorney Shawn Khorrami speculated could total more than $100 million, and payment for medical expenses and the children's lost potential wages.
No human studies have proven that mercury from amalgams or from the preservative causes autism in children, said Boyd Haley, chairman of the University of Kentucky chemistry department and a mercury toxicity expert.
But the potential risk should lead the ADA to stop endorsing amalgams, he said.
"I think it's a common-sense factor," he said. "Thimerosal is the best suspect for the huge increase in autism, and maybe other neurological disorders. Just because you have a committee of dentists saying it's a safe level doesn't make it right."
