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Unique Challenge to the Media and American People

NOTICE: The $100,000 Challenge is officially over.

Open Challenge to American Science Journalists (And Others) to Prove Your Claims on the Safety of Mercury in Vaccines – February, 2017

$100,000 Reward

We hereby issue a challenge to American journalists (and others) who have been assuring the public about the safety of mercury in vaccines.  We will pay $100,000 to the first journalist, or other individual, who can point to a peer-reviewed scientific study demonstrating that thimerosal is safe in the amounts contained in vaccines currently being administered to American children and pregnant women.* Read Open Letter and Criteria for Evaluating Studies of Thimerosal Safety.

Procedure

1. Any individual seeking to collect the award (the Claimant) should submit, to the Children’s Health Defense, an English translation of the proffered study and a $50 processing fee (to discourage frivolous submissions from flooding CHD staff), along with a letter explaining why the study qualifies for the reward, and the name and address to which the $100,000 check should be directed.

2. The study and corresponding evidence must have been published in a peer-reviewed journal appearing in PubMed.

3. The claimant should submit a hard copy of the document and accompanying letter to:

Kennedy/De Niro Challenge
Children’s Health Defense
852 Franklin Ave, Suite 511
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

4. To be eligible, the submitted study methodologies should be sufficiently transparent and the data available, to allow the judges to verify any statistical analysis upon which its conclusions rely. Only appropriately applied scientific recognized statistical methods utilizing reliable data will be eligible.

5. Misters Kennedy and De Niro will either pay the $100,000 reward check or send back a denial explaining why they believe that the study does not qualify. Children’s Health Defense will post a link to the paper and text of the denial on the CHD website.

* The levels are 25 mcg Et Hg per dose of flu vaccine administered to pregnant women and children following CDC ACIP guidelines.

Dispute Resolution

If the claimant wishes to dispute the denial, he/she should reply with a written point by point rebuttal explaining why the denial is unfounded and why the submission qualifies.

Within 30 days of receiving that rebuttal, Misters Kennedy and De Niro will respond with a detailed answer. If the claimant still desires to pursue the claim, he/she should notify Misters Kennedy and De Niro by registered mail. Upon receiving the notification, Misters Kennedy and De Niro will, within 30 business days, submit all relevant documents – the proffered study, the claimant’s letter, the Misters Kennedy and DeNiro’s detailed denial and any supporting studies, the journalist’s rebuttal and the Misters Kennedy and De Niro answer to the rebuttal, along with any additional responses created by or to Misters Kennedy and De Niro or sent to Misters Kennedy and De Niro by the claimant – to an independent scientific panel composed of distinguished scientists of preeminent expertise and integrity.

Misters Kennedy and DeNiro have never met any member of the panel.

In order to discourage frivolous or repetitive claims and maintain the independence of the panelists, Misters Kennedy and De Niro and the claimant will pay the scientists in advance of their deliberations, according to a 50/50 split, at the rate of $400 per hour for their time spent evaluating the submissions. Should the panel decide unanimously that the application qualifies for the reward, Misters Kennedy and De Niro will pay the $100,000 reward within 10 business days and, in addition, shall reimburse the successful claimant for his/her 50/50 share of the fees paid to the panelists and his/her $50 application fee.