Robert Kennedy head EPA?

[solarbird]

elfs reports that anti-vaccination crank Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be asked to head the EPA, and asks people to contact the Obama transition team in opposition. Orac at ScienceBlogs details why Robert Kennedy would be a very bad idea, noting amoungst other things:

I have a hard time imagining a quicker way for Obama to put the lie to his dedication to science-based policy than to appoint such a vocal and energetic booster of the pseudoscience that mercury in vaccines cause autism into such an influential post. It would be a horrific self-inflicted wound.

You can contact the Obama transition team here.

Comments

[singewulf.livejournal.com]

I used to work at a large pharma that makes vaccines. Thimerosol (the preservatant used in vaccines that contains mercury compounds) has not been used in vaccines since 2000 (except one, not sure which one it is, possibly flu). Also, incidents of autism have rose over the past decade because the definition of autism has become much broader (and cases of true autism have actually declined).

Very little burns me up more than hearing the tired old "mercury in vaccines causes autism" argument. The vocal groups that keep pushing this outdated, disproven reasoning are preventing autism research from progressing to a more plausible level (the argument that multiple vaccines given at once may cause autism, for instance, actually has merit). This news disturbs me and I believe I will write the transition team what I wrote here.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Yes, adult flu vaccines have thiomersol (geez, even the FDA spells it wrong; it's a thiolate). Pediatric doses do not. The substitution of other preservatives for thoimersol in other vaccines has not resulted in a noticeable improvement (or detriment) to the public health.