One day in April, Erin McCanlies heard a statement that stunned her. The voice she heard was from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of Health and Human Services, claiming that an environmental toxin might be to blame for the prevalent rise of autism. Kennedy pledged to assemble top scientists from around the globe in an unprecedented mission to unravel what was causing the alarming condition.
McCanlies was utterly bewildered by this proclamation. Being an accomplished epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an institution managed by Kennedy itself, she had been studying effects of parental exposure to industrial chemicals on the chances of giving birth to an autism child for almost two decades. Just a few weeks prior, she was in the process of finalizing her fourth significant paper on the matter, only to have her entire division disbanded by Kennedy.
The same Kennedy had authorized substantial federal funding cuts worth tens of million dollars allocated towards autism research, with a particular focus on its environmental origins. Over the span of his twenty-year career, Kennedy had been an ardent proponent of the thoroughly discredited belief that vaccines are the root cause of autism. He disregarded solid evidence demonstrating otherwise, attributing an ulterior motive to vaccine producers, researchers and regulators to suppress the ill effects of vaccines.
Despite this skepticism directed towards his own scientific community, funded by his department, to explore this neurodevelopmental disorder, recent studies have revealed that genetic factors significantly contribute to autism. The research, undertaken by government sponsored scientists such as McCanlies, concluded that there was indeed a confluence of genetic factors and environmental elements in causing autism. It was found that more than one contributing factor might potentially coexist within an individual.
There is a growing concern among autism researchers that their work might be misrepresented to support vaccine-blaming theories. A handful of his policies have been deemed counterproductive. However, there is an anticipation in the community about potential beneficial outcomes if the funds are allocated in a constructive manner.
Erin McCanlies possesses considerable clout among her peers. If selected for participation, she plans to invite McCanlies for consultation. McCanlies had agreed to contribute her expertise to the project, placing implicit faith in her trusted associate over the years.
McCanlies had not intended to prematurely end her tenure at NIOSH-based health lab in Morgantown, West Virginia. A prominent figure with three graduate degrees, the 58-year-old who bore a distinguished look with her stubby, grey hair, and reflective hazel eyes wasn’t prepared to pack up her life’s work at NIOSH’s Health Effects Lab located in Morgantown, West Virginia.
In the short time before her research lab was entirely disbanded, she found herself compelled to apply for an early retirement. Her last days at NIOSH were marked by a determined effort to conclude her final paper, examining the linkage between workplace toxins and the severity of autism. Despite the disappointing circumstances, her commitment to her scientific enquiry remains undiminished.
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