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TIMELINE OF A PUBLIC HEALTH DISASTER
http://news.therecord.com/News/Canad...article/250141
1974 - The Washington Weekly reports that as far back as 1974 the FBI knew that a Montreal-based blood plasma middleman "violated the law" in shipping tainted blood from the US. The FDA was also aware that the plasma broker might be involved in "criminal activity." The article quotes a 1974 memo from John Furesz, the director of the Canadian Bureau of Biologics: "FDA is keeping a close eye on their plasma, they have tested so far about 20 lots, of the last six lots four were found to be HB [hepatitis B] antigen positive."
http://www.prorev.com/blood.htm
1980s - Suzi Parker, writing in the Arkansas Times, described the scene: "At the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas penal system during the 1980s, while President Clinton was still governor, inmates would regularly cross the prison hospital's threshold to give blood, lured by the prospect of receiving $7 a pint. The ritual was creepy to behold: Platoons of prisoners lying supine on rows of cots, waiting for the needle-wielding prisoner orderly to puncture a vein and watch the clear bags fill with blood. Administrators than sold the blood to brokers, who in turned shipped it to other sates and to Japan, Italy, Spain and Canada. Despite repeated warnings from the Food and Drug Administration, Arkansas kept its prison plasma program running until 1994 when it became the very last state to cease selling its prisoners' plasma.
http://www.prorev.com/blood.htm
1981-86 - During Martin's term on the Canadian Development Corporation from 1981-1986, Connaught purchased, fractionated, and sold contaminated plasma from Arkansas Blood Components (ABC), a subsidiary of Health Management Associates, which was run for the benefit of Clinton and his cronies, notably Leonard Dunn, a former Pine Bluff banker and now chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, and Richard Mays, a Little Rock attorney and judge.
http://www.politicalfriendster.com/s...=6421&id2=3035
1981 - The Kansas City Star report included Canadian documentation showing that the Red Cross, as early as 1981, knew that a test was available to screen blood for hepatitis C - but while the U.S. began using the test in 1986, it wasn't used here until 1990.
http://www.prorev.com/blood.htm
November 1985: Canadian Red Cross begins testing blood products for the AIDS virus.
Dec. 14, 1989: Federal government announces $150 million in compensation for about 1,250 Canadians infected with HIV through blood transfusions or blood products.
July 19, 1993: A federal health official says the government knew before July 1984 that blood products for hemophiliacs were contaminated with HIV.
Sept. 15, 1993: Provinces and territories announce a compensation plan for people who contracted the AIDS virus from contaminated blood and their families.
Sept. 16, 1993: Tory Health Minister Mary Collins announces inquiry to recommend how to reform the blood system to make it safer and more efficient.
Dec. 21, 1995: The commission, headed by Justice Horace Krever, sends notices to the Red Cross, the federal and provincial governments, pharmaceutical companies and individuals, warning that they could be named for misconduct in the tainted-blood tragedy.
Nov. 26, 1997: Final report of Krever inquiry doesn't lay direct blame for tainted-blood scandal, but recommends people infected with disease through the blood system should get suitable compensation without having to prove fault.
March 27, 1998: Health ministers announce $1.2-billion federal-provincial compensation offer limited to victims infected by tainted blood from 1986 to 1990.
May 4, 1998: Ontario Premier Mike Harris announces Ontario will compensate those excluded from original federal-provincial offer.
May 6, 1998: Red Cross reaches agreement with provincial and territorial governments to transfer blood services to two new agencies, Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec.
Tuesday June 8, 1999 - FROM THE OTTAWA CITIZEN - Tainted-blood sleuth firebombed
April 19, 2001: The Supreme Court rules the Red Cross was negligent managing the blood system in the early years of the AIDS crisis.
June 26, 2001: Ontario judge Warren Winkler approves $79-million Red Cross-led settlement for people infected by hepatitis C through tainted blood before 1986 and after July 1, 1990.
Oct. 2002: National Blood Safety Council releases report saying provinces need to assume greater role in monitoring blood supply and ensuring safety.
Nov. 20, 2002: RCMP lays charges, including criminal negligence causing bodily harm, against four doctors, the Red Cross and an American pharmaceutical company.
2005 - Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal (documentary, Kelly Duda)
Feb. 6, 2006: Criminal trial against Perrault, doctors, and pharmaceutical company begins.
Oct. 1, 2007: A verdict is heard.
Accused in tainted blood scandal acquitted - CANADIAN PRESS - Perrault's lawyer, however, called the ruling an "absolute vindication'' and "exoneration.''
http://news.therecord.com/News/Canad...article/250141
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-Caveat Lector-
Tuesday June 8, 1999
FROM THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
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Tainted-blood sleuth firebombed
Intimidation campaign suspected as Arkansas clinic razed, Montreal office
ransacked
Mark Kennedy
The Ottawa Citizen
The controversial story involving tainted plasma from Arkansas prisoners
that was shipped to Canada in the 1980s while Bill Clinton was state
governor has taken a mysterious and chilling new turn.
Two crimes that occurred within hours of each other Tuesday night, hundreds
of kilometres apart, have raised questions about whether someone is trying
to intimidate or silence those who are asking questions about the
prison-blood fiasco.
In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, someone firebombed a prosthetics clinic owned by
Michael Galster, who has been pushing hard for a U.S. government
investigation. The clinic was burned to its shell and fire officials, who
found a gas container in Mr. Galster's attic -- where he kept his documents
-- say they're "90-per-cent sure" the fire was arson.
In Montreal, someone broke into the offices of the Quebec chapter of the
Canadian Hemophilia Society, which recently unearthed documents that showed
Finance Minister Paul Martin was a board member of the corporation that
owned Connaught Laboratories, the company that fractionated and distributed
the Arkansas prison plasma in Canada.
Hemophilia Society officials say thieves stole a computer and three
telephones. They also stole documents from a box labeled "Hepatitis C,
Krever Commission, Reform of the blood system, HIV-AIDS."
Police are investigating both incidents.
Mike McCarthy, a Canadian hemophiliac at the forefront of pushing for
answers into the prison plasma scandal, says he's convinced the two crimes
are connected.
"It's too much of a coincidence," he said, adding that someone is worried
Mr. Galster and the victims are probing too close to the truth.
"They're trying to find out what we know and erase the trail if they can."
"I think they're also sending a message. They're trying to scare us into
backing off. They're trying to put the fear of God into us, that if we
pursue the truth it can get worse. That the next action might not just be
buildings and records."
The RCMP are examining the prison-blood scheme as part of their criminal
investigation into the tainted-blood scandal. RCMP Cpl. Gilles Moreau said
yesterday that the Mounties are willing to review any evidence local police
in Montreal and Arkansas uncover.
"We do not work in a vacuum," said Cpl. Moreau. "If there's information
that is linked to the blood distribution system for the period that we're
investigating, we're certainly not going to close our eyes to that
information. We welcome any information that comes our way."
The story of how prison plasma was collected and found its way into the
bloodstreams of unsuspecting Canadians stands as one of the most shocking
aspects of the tainted-blood tragedy.
It's not known how many Canadians contracted HIV and hepatitis C from the
plasma of Arkansas prisoners, who were paid $7 a unit, although it's likely
that several hundred people were infected by the tainted products.
At the time, U.S. companies that fractionate blood products had stopped
buying prison blood because it was widely understood that, since many
inmates practised unsafe sex or were intravenous drug addicts, their blood
posed a high risk of carrying the AIDS virus.
In Arkansas, a private firm, Health Management Associates, was given a
contract by the state government to collect the prisoners' plasma. The firm
had difficulty locating a U.S. customer but found a willing buyer in a
Montreal blood broker, Continental Pharma Cryosan, which then sold the
plasma to Toronto-based Connaught Laboratories. Connaught apparently didn't
realize the plasma had come from prisoners.
Canadians learned of the prison plasma scheme in 1995, when Justice Horace
Krever's inquiry unearthed some aspects of the story. Last September, the
Citizen revealed further details.
Also last fall, Mr. Galster went public with his accusations about the
Arkansas prison system, where he conducted orthopedic clinics during the
1980s. Mr. Galster published a book, Blood Trail, which is a fictionalized
account of how the prison-plasma program worked.
He wrote under a pseudonym because he feared reprisals. Soon after media
stories began appearing, he revealed his true identity. In February, he
organized and participated in a news conference in Washington where
Canadian victims called for a probe by the U.S. Justice Department and
announced plans to depose Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Galster said yesterday he is reeling with shock from the firebombing of
his clinic, which he has owned for 21 years.
He said he worked until about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and was later called at
home about the fire.
"I'm trying not to get too paranoid about it. I pray to God that it was
just a coincidence."
Mr. Galster said that if someone is trying to silence him, it won't work.
"They're barking up the wrong tree. They can't erase the victims who are
seeking the truth."
Pine Bluff's fire marshal, Capt. Randy Rushing, said the state crime lab
has been called in to help with the arson investigation.
Capt. Rushing said fire officials have a "couple of leads," but have no
evidence on a motive.
In Montreal, hemophilia society officials are puzzled.
In recent days, the group learned that Mr. Martin was a director of the
Canada Development Corporation (CDC) from 1981 to 1986 -- the key years of
the tainted blood scandal. The CDC was created with federal seed money to
promote the country's leading industries and owned a variety of firms,
including Connaught.
The Citizen published details of the story on Saturday, and indicated that
Mr. Martin has no recollection of any discussions about tainted blood while
a CDC board member. The article stated that Mr. Martin's connection to the
CDC had been "unearthed" by the hemophilia society.
Just three days later, the break-in occurred. Thieves entered the office of
executive director Pierre Desmarais and were selective in what they took.
Mr. Desmarais said that because the thieves stole documents -- not just
computer equipment -- it appears they were looking for information, not
goods.
"It's really frightening. This is the kind of thing you see in movies."
Copyright 1999 Ottawa Citizen
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