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Autism, Vaccines, Thimerosal: Further Study Needed

Puzzle_incomplete By Julie Obradovic
 
In light of the recent Vaccine Court ruling I thought I would again highlight for readers precisely what has and has not been studied with regard to Thimerosal.
 
The fact is, it is impossible, absolutely, positively impossible to exonerate vaccines and/or Thimerosal in Autism based on the current science. Honest, ethical, and responsible people have no choice but to concede that in good faith.
 
Remember, only 1 ingredient (thimerosal) and 1 injection (the MMR) have been studied for their relationship to Autism. No study exists on the combination of vaccines given to children in a real world setting, with or without additional environmental insults such as antibiotics, or with regard to genetic susceptibilities.
 
No study has looked at the possible effect of the synergistic toxicity of aluminum and thimerosal, which are never supposed to be used in combination (according to the Manufacturer Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for thimerosal ) and are indeed combined in many shots (according to the Vaccine Excipient Summary  from the CDC).
 
And no controlled study, not one, exists on the effect of low dose ethyl mercury toxicity in humans (a statement made by study author Anders Hviid himself below on p.1765).
 
Furthermore, the studies are overwhelmingly population based which is widely accepted as incapable of ruling out causation. The authors repeatedly fail to identify or seek out vulnerable populations.
 
And last but not least, there are the tremendous conflicts of interest presented by the authors, more often than not witnesses for the government in vaccine injury cases, vaccine patent holders, and/or employees of pharmaceutical companies that produce vaccines.


 
But perhaps most significant, the conclusion that we cannot determine whether or not vaccines or Thimerosal cause autism by the current available science is supported by the authors of the science themselves.

Having carefully read all of the studies countless times, I found that the authors were always doing 3 specific things. One, they came to a different conclusion than or an exaggerated conclusion of what the evidence actually showed. Two, they then used one another as evidence to why their interpretation of the evidence was probably right. Three, they were quick to dismiss any negative associations as chance, and embraced any positive associations as significant. There was always an excuse suggested when the result was not in the favor of vaccines being safe. Likewise, no excuse was made when the result indicated something absolutely preposterous, like more mercury injected into a child is beneficial to their health.
 
I'm not sure how those who claim there is a mountain of evidence against the connection can look themselves in the mirror. The only logical conclusion is that they actually haven't read these studies and thought clearly while doing so. If they had, they would know they can't come to that conclusion, let alone publish it or use it to determine a court ruling. They would know the studies have profound limitations and often irrational conclusions. Rather than parrot the authors, they would challenge them to defend themselves. That isn't happening.
 
So I'll remind readers again what this controversy is really all about:
 
Is the quality, quantity, relevance and bias of the science on vaccines and autism adequate as it stands right now to come to the conclusion that there is no connection? That and only that is the real story on which every article, book and editorial should be based.
 
Some say, "Yes". They insist.
 
But I and the authors of that science say, "No". See for yourself. (All studies are presented in the order in which they can be found HERE.)
 
Thimerosal Studies
 
1. Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases; (Verstraeten, 2003); Pediatrics Vol.112
 
From p. 1039:  "No consistent significant associations were found between TCVs and neurodevelopmental outcomes. (Meaning significant negative associations WERE found, specifically for tics and speech delay.) Conflicting results were found at different HMOs for certain outcomes. For resolving the conflicting findings, studies with uniform neurodevelopmental assessments of children with a range of cumulative thimerosal exposures are needed."

2. Thimerosal and the Occurrence of Autism: Negative Ecologcial Evidence From Danish Population-Based Data (Madsen, 2003); Pediatrics Vol. 112
 
From p. 605, Conclusion. "Our data cannot, of course, exclude the possibility that thimerosal at doses larger than used in Denmark may lead to neurodevelopmental damage."
 
Nor can it exclude the possibility that it's not necessarily the cumulative dose of thimerosal that is the problem, but rather the timing of it. Perhaps 400 mcg of thimerosal for a 5 year old is inconsequential (doubtful), but 25mcg at birth is not.  Or 25mcg at birth for a 5 pound baby is more dangerous than for an 8 pound baby (which study 10 suggests). Or even worse, that baby or baby's mother has been on antibiotics or other medications. It's the cummulative amount, the timing of exposure, other confounding factors, AND the genetic susceptibilities that need to be studied TOGETHER to look for evidence of harm, not as individual entitities.
 
3. Continuing Increases in Autism Reported to California's Developmental Services System (Schecter, 2008); Arch Gen Psychiatry, Vol. 65.
 
From p.23, "Continuing evaluation of the trends in the prevalence of autism for children born in recent years is warranted to confirm our findings."
 
And, "...a small proportion of young children during the study period would have had additional thimerosal exposure in utero through maternal immunization during pregnancy with vaccines or Rh (D) immune globulin [which were not evaluated]."
 
4.  Neuropsychological Performance 10 Years After Immunization In Infancy With Thimerosal Containing Vaccine (Tozzi, 2009). Pediatrics Vol. 123.
 
From p.475: Conclusions. "...the few associations found between thimerosal exposure and neuropsychological development might be attributable to chance. The associations found, although statistically significant, were based on small differences in mean test scores, and their clinical relevance remains to be determined."
 
Those associations were impaired fine motor skills and memory in girls. Exactly when is this clinical relevance going to be determined? Children with Autism have impaired fine motor skills and memory. And why is it when a statistically significant negative association with thimerosal and development is found it "might be attributable to chance", but when a significant positive association is found (like thimerosal makes you healthier in study 8), that is accepted as is?
 
5.  Autism and Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines (Stehr-Green, 2003); American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Vol. 25
 
From p.106: Discussion. "...we were unable to investigate other aspects of this alleged association (e.g., the specific timing of exposure and/or the onset of autism, the existence/nature of a lag time between exposure and disease onset, or the role of genetic predisposition or other co-factors) or the potential influence of confounding factors."
 
Which is kind of the point, no?
 
6. Thimerosal Exposure in Infants and Developmental Disorders (Heron, 2004); Pediatrics, Vol. 114
 
Conclusion paragraph, p. 577 "...it was common for the adjusted results to suggest a beneficial effect of thimerosal exposure."
 
A neurotoxin, injected into children in larger amounts, is beneficial for them in 8 of 9 assessed health outcomes? Really? No red flags here, Pediatrics?
 
And just out of curiosity, what is that 1 health outcome that it wasn't beneficial for? Ah yes, poor social behavior of 4 year olds.
 
7.  Early Thimerosal Exposure and Neuropsychological Outcomes at 7 to 10 Years (Thompson, 2007); The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 357.
 
From Results p. 1281 "...we detected only a few significant associations with exposure to mercury from thimerosal. The detections were small and almost equally divided between positive and negative effects."
 
Again with the positive effect of injecting more mercury into kids! And don't you just love the language? Well, you know, it was only a few small problems, no big deal. Oh, what were they? Well, those pesky tics and speech delay again, replicating study 1's findings. But hey, get this? The more mercury kids got, the better memory, attention and fine motor skills they had, so I guess it all evens out! Who knew?!
 
Oh, and did I mention this study didn't look at Autism as a health outcome? And that they only looked at thimerosal exposure only up to 7 months of age, even though the children being studied were 7 to 10 years old?
 
8.  Association Between Thimerosal Containing Vaccine and Autism (Hviid, 2003); JAMA, Vol. 290
 
From p. 1765: Comment. "Ethyl mercury, however, is thought to have a shorter half-life in the human body than methylmercury, and [but] no controlled studies of low-dose ethylmercury toxicty in humans have been conducted."
 
Let's repeat that. NO CONTROLLED STUDIES OF LOW-DOSE ETHYLMERCURY TOXICITY IN HUMANS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. THEY DON'T EXIST.
 
Further..."Pichichero and colleagues measured the concentration of mercury in the blood, urine, and stool of infants who received thimerosal-containing vaccines and concluded that vaccination did not raise the blood levels above safe limits [for methyl mercury]...although their study was not designed as a formal pharmacokinetic study of ethyl mercury."
 
In other words:  We have no idea what ethyl mercury poisoning via injection at low doses looks like, if blood levels are an accurate measurement for its toxicity, and this study tells us nothing.
 
9.  Mercury Concentrations and Metabolism in Infants Receiving Vaccines Containing Thimerosal (Pichichero, 2002); The Lancet, Vol. 360.
 
See above.
 
From the last page of study (no number provided): "...we conclude that the thimerosal in routine vaccines poses very little risk to full-term infants, but that thimerosal-containing vaccines should not be administered at birth to very low birth weight premature infants."
 
Really? Never heard that advertised before. Care to explain and educate the medical community on that one? I don't think they know that. And define "very little risk" please. That is not the same as no risk. What exactly is the risk?
 
And then, "...additional studies of the pharmacology of thimerosal in infants are underway."
 
They are? By whom? This was published in 2004.
 
And finally, "...concentrations of mercury in stool were high, and combined with the finding that stool mercury concentrations in infants who were not exposed to thimerosal were significantly lower is consistent with the hypothesis that the gastrointestinal tract represents a possible mode of elimination of thimerosal mercury in infants."
 
Which fits with the hypothesis that our children's gastro tracts are toxic with mercury, which houses 70% of the immune system, which would then possibly not be at its best to handle many more vaccines, particularly live ones.
 
10.  Thimerosal and Autism? (Nelson, 2003); Pediatrics, Vol.111.
 
From p.674 "...indeed the presence of ataxia or dysarthria in a child whose behavior has autistic features should lead to careful medical evaluation for an alternative or additional diagnosis [of mercury toxicity]."
 
Ataxia is a neurological symptom consisting of lack of coordination and muscle movement which may manifest in different levels of severity. Dysarthria is a speech disorder resulting from neurological injury characterised by poor articulation, muscle movement, tongue control, and ability to speak properly, if at all. Any speech system can be affected, and swallowing problems can be present.
 
So just to be clear, these authors tell us that if we have children who have been exposed to mercury and present with specific coordination and/or speech issues we should seek an alternative or additional diagnosis or mercury toxicity. Their words.
 
And from p.675 "...relatively little is known about the impact of ethyl mercury on the nervous system, especially with repeated low-dose exposure."
 
Yet, we know it does not manifest as the symptoms found in Autism? Impossible.
 
11. Lack of Association between Rh Status, Rh Immune Globulin in Pregnancy and Autism (Miles, 2007); American Journal of Medical Genetics, Vol. 143
 
This phone survey (yes it's a phone survey) introduces something I had never heard before.

There is something called "Complex Autism" and something called "Essential Autism". According to the authors on p.1399..."Individuals who are dysmorphic or have microcephaly are designated as having Complex Autism, based on the premise that morphologic evidence of an insult to embryological development places them in a different etiological category than children with no such evidence. Approximately 20% of children evaluated...have Complex Autism..."
 
On page 1404 from the Discussion of the survey results the authors then report, "Mothers of children with microcephaly [aka, Complex Autism] and Asperger's Syndrome had the highest Rh- and Thimerosal exposure."
 
It's worth repeating: Mothers of children with evidence of an embryonic insult to their brains had the highest thimerosal exposure while pregnant.
 
Their explanation? p.1405 "...we feel comfortable that these two subgroups with the highest proportions of Rh mothers and RhIg treatment merely reflect small sample sizes resulting from subdividing the study population."
 
Only to be followed one paragraph later by, "This study adds to the evidence that there is no causal association between thimerosal and childhood autism."
 
HUH? You just found that a group of moms who got the most thimerosal while pregnant were most likely to have babies with evidence of in utero injury to their brains or Asperger's syndrome, and you publish that this is unrelated because you "feel comfortable" it's simply not accurate?
 
And then in the same breath "feel comfortable" enough to state this study is so accurate it "adds to evidence that there is no causal relationship between thimerosal and childhood autism"?
 
Had the authors of all of these studies simply reported what they found rather than twist and turn and manipulate the actual results with their interpretations to match their beliefs rather than their evidence, this is what they would have told us.
 
Study 1: Thimerosal is bad. It appears to cause tics and speech delay. More study is needed.
 
Study 2:  Thimerosal is good. It appears to prevent Autism. Either our study was flawed or we should be giving more thimerosal to children, not less, which is counter-intuitive. A better study is needed.
 
Study 3:  Thimerosal might be fine, but It's too soon to tell if our result is accurate and we left out an important sub group of children with additional exposure. More study is needed.
 
Study 4: Thimerosal is bad. It appears to cause poor fine motor skills and memory in girls. More study is needed.
 
Study 5:  Thimerosal seems to be fine, but we have no idea if the timing of exposure, genetics or other confounding factors have anything to do with it causing Autism because our study didn't assess that. More study is needed.
 
Study 6:  Thimerosal is good and bad. Like study 2, we found that increased thimerosal exposure was beneficial to children, which is counter-intuitive. Either children should be receiving more thimerosal for their improved health or our study was flawed. This is supported by the fact we found thimerosal exposure to be associated with poor social skills in 4 year olds. More study is needed.
 
Study 7:  Thimerosal is good and bad. It appears to cause tics and speech delay, replicating study 1's findings. However, it also found like studies 2 and 6 that higher thimerosal was beneficial for specific health outcomes. Both can't be right. More study is needed, especially since we didn't assess Autism as a heath outcome.
 
Study 8:  We don't know anything about low-dose ethyl mercury exposure (and thereby Thimerosal) in humans because IT'S NEVER BEEN STUDIED and can not responsibly come to any conclusion about what it does or does not do in regard to Autism. More study is needed.
 
Study 9:  We still don't know anything about low-dose ethyl mercury exposure in babies because it's never been studied, but it sure looks like low birth weight babies really shouldn't be exposed to it, which is what we recommend. More study is needed.
 
Study 10:  If your child has gross motor skill impairments (ataxia) and/or speech problems (dysarthria) and Autism, you should seek an additional or alternative diagnosis of mercury poisoning. Additionally, since low dose ethyl mercury exposure has never been studied in humans, we have no idea if its manifesting as Autism. More study needed.
 
Study 11:  Thimerosal is bad for pregnant women. Mothers who received the most amount of Thimerosal while pregnant were more likely to have babies with evidence of brain injury in utero or Asperger's Syndrome. Given the small sample size, the responsible conclusion is that more study is urgently needed and women should not be exposed to this neurotoxin while pregnant.
 
Finally, if thimerosal truly had nothing to do with Autism or any other neurodevelopmental disorder, all of these studies would have come to the same conclusion: that it had no effect either positively or negatively on any outcomes, anywhere, at any time. All health outcomes would have been NEUTRAL, not better or worse.
 
Instead, they tell us it is both good and bad, neurologically protective and degenerative, beneficial and dangerous, and something that we truly know nothing about when it comes to low-dose exposures.
 
If that's not an indication for further study needed, I don't know what is.
 
Good science? Conclusive science that confirms it is safe and that we shouldn't bother with any more study, considering to this very day we are still injecting pregnant women and children with thimerosal containing flu vaccines in amounts up to 25mcg per shot?

To borrow from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., "It isn't even high quality fraud."

Julie Obradovic is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Comments

Perthy

"...we detected only a few significant associations with exposure to mercury from thimerosal. The detections were small and almost equally divided between positive and negative effects."

Aren't they just so intelligent? A few significant associations, oh but wait they are small at the same time.

It's quite clear that I was poisoned as a child. I have suffered from what the Medical Mafia calls "tourette's syndrome" all my life. People forget that these neurodevelopmental disorders are life long and don't just magically disappear when you leave adolescence.

Birgit Calhoun

I agree completely! But another thing should be asked: How qualified are these particular three special masters? How were these special masters chosen. I think they are especially lacking in previous experience in the field.

Jaya

Julie,
What an excellent article and outstanding compilation of stuides!..I am a physician and was not aware of the complexity and enormity of the vaccine(thiomerosal)-Autism/ADHD/ASD connection.Isn't there a single responsible US govt agency, which is honest and cares for the safety and health of its future citizens?
jaya

ObjectiveAutismDad

Julie,

This is outstanding! Sibelius should get a copy. And, I think they should add this to the 14 Studies web site as well. I especially loved the re-written summaries!

Carmen Denis

God bless you for taking the time and diligence to compile this information for us all. I really hope that it reaches the masses and those individuals who are directly responsible and involved with making changes happen with vaccines and the vaccine schedule, so that as someone else mentioned, the tsunami of autism and related disorders can end!

Autism Grandma

Re Post by Jim Thompson:
"Why, on one hand, does the USEPA work for decades to protect humans from injury from mercury exposure by establishing a concentration of one fifth of a part million in mercury hazardous waste liquids... while the USCDC, on the other hand, works over that same time frame to justify injecting a known neurotoxin into children and pregnant women at a concentration of 250 times higher than the USEPA liquid hazardous waste concentration (50 parts per million is the mercury concentration of a flu shot with thimerosal preservative)?!?"

The scientific evidence regarding severe toxicity throughout the previous two hundred years resulted in the USEPA and EPA standards for safety regarding both Mercury and Aluminum. The science already existed totally disproving the safety of Mercury when the vaccine industry started using Thimerisol in vaccines and suddenly their claims that this was "safe" was accepted as fact???

The ten million dollar question is: "Why has the vaccine industry gotten away with this for so long?" The 20 Billion Dollar answer is: "Because they have the financial power to do whatever the hell they want to, and no liability to hold them accountable."

Re: "No study has looked at the possible effect of the synergistic toxicity of aluminum and thimerosal, which are never supposed to be used in combination (according to the Manufacturer Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for thimerosal ) and are indeed combined in many shots (according to the Vaccine Excipient Summary from the CDC)"

I ain't no scientist but I do know that Material Safety Data Sheets are based on accumulated past and present factual science research evidence. So often these multiple dose vaccines include a flu vaccine dose which does have mercury and so many of the other vaccines have aluminum which is WAY above the recognized safety levels. Aluminum has been shown to be neurotoxic all by itself, and apparently even more toxic in combination with Mercury. There is plenty of evidence that already exists to justify removing the Aluminum and ALL Mercury from all vaccines period. The vaccine industry will continue to manipulate studies in order to delay this removal and in the meantime more babies, children and adults are poisoned every single minute of every single day.

I started researching when my grandson immediately developed autism after his last batch of vaccines, and recognized that he had all these symptoms of Mercury poisoning, so I wondered if his vaccines still contained mercury. However, his heavy metals testing only demonstrated Aluminum at levels that were off the charts. This current wave (or should I say sunami)of autism is showing Aluminum toxicity in all these children. So what that they removed "most" of the Mercury---Aluminum in these high levels produces the same kind of damages!!!

New Warning About Everyday Poison Linked to Alzheimer's, ADHD, and Autism
Posted by Dr. Mercola | March 20 2010 | 14,898 views
WATCH VIDEO: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/20/david-ayoub-interview-february-2010.aspx

Dr. David Ayoub is a radiologist and a physician, and has become a specialist on the additives and preservatives used in vaccines. He was a presenter at the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) Conference in Washington D.C. last year.
Here he discusses the practice of using aluminum as an adjuvant, and why he believes aluminum may be far more toxic than thimerosal in vaccines.

Dr. Ayoub was, as many of you are, very concerned about mercury (thimerosal) in vaccines for a number of years, and attended a number of autism conferences that featured physicians who were highlighting the dangers of mercury.
However, a few personal encounters heightened his interest in another toxic metal frequently used in vaccines, namely aluminum.

Parents of autistic children kept pointing out the fact that their children’s heavy metal toxicity profiles showed high amounts of aluminum, and they wanted to know what that meant.

Secondly, a well respected nutritionist who deals with industrial aluminum toxicity showed him toxicity profiles of middle school children who had ADHD. In his estimate, 90 percent of the children in one particular school had developed ADHD during the course of a single year, and their toxicity profiles showed massive amounts of aluminum.

In addition, he did a pilot study with Dr. Usman, who treats autism with biomedicine, and when he evaluated the aluminum burden of these autistic children, he found that high percentage of them also had very high aluminum burdens.

All of these events led him to look deeper into the aluminum issue, which we discuss at length in this interview.

Mercury (thimerosal) exposure has declined significantly since it was eliminated from the single-dose vials of most childhood vaccines, yet autism rates have continued to skyrocket. This has led many to assume that mercury isn’t a problem, and anyone questioning the safety of vaccines is considered to be a hysterical wingnut.
However, while mercury use has decreased, the use of aluminum additives has increased!

Read entire article and more related article links here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/20/david-ayoub-interview-february

Susan Fritz

Julie, THANK YOU!
The problem we, as parents and families have is, we are taxed to our limits caring for our vaccine injured children (especially when there's more than one), working and trying to pay for the hopeful recovery of our children, the time and expense involved preparing special diets, all the sickness because of compromised immune systems, and making our homes available for the endless line of God sent therapists! We have no time or energy to fight the battle we need to be fighting!
If someone could direct us all together at the same time to do one specific thing, so our voices would have an impact and do it over and over again-maybe this would/could have an impact! Something has to be done to stop this madness!

Gatogorra

Really, really excellent and timely, too. It's incredibly hard for relative newcomers to this issue to untangle all the incredible amounts of garbage surrounding the debate, all the lies thrown at us. But even if members of the general public might not be driven to understand the complexity of this, it's crucial that effected families understand it in order to be able to present the cogent points. And to understand for themselves just how all this happened. You've done a tremendous service by putting your experience to work and making things so crystal clear.

Thank you so much, as always.

Heather Zelikov

This was excellent! Thank you for organizing the information into such a clear and concise presentation.

Benedetta

Off the subject somewhat.
My husband went to the medical University today to the heart department to get a needless test. His oxygen in not shunting from his lungs to the rest of him. They were checking to see if he had a hole in his heart. No, No, No, this all started at age 34 after he reacted a tetanus vaccine - after he reacted to a previous tetanus vaccine at age 28 by havinga seiZure.

My guess it is inflammation in the capillaries of his lungs not taking the oxygen into the heart to begin with. He has a gray look to him.

I met him in college, he was tall, muscular, athletic, handsome, ACT scores as high as they get, interested in science esp chemistry, a very moral and honest person, a workaholic. Not now, not himself since 34 years old.

But at the door of the heart place they they had information sheets on various things, and one was immunizations. Same old crap - get as many as you can even the Hep B and the retavirus.

I feel like one of those freedom fighters in some tyrannt ran country. I grabbed the whole bundle of them and as I waited for my husband I wrote on the top of each "Is there a vaccine for AUTISM?"

This is what happens there is top people that control the bottom people.
We all just happen to be the bottom people for the NIH, CDC, and the HHS. If not for government we would have had the vaccine companies sued into oblivian by now.

francesco

July,
(excuse me for my ungrammatical english)
you write about study #9:

And then, "...additional studies of the pharmacology of thimerosal in infants are underway."
They are? By whom? This was published in 200(4)2.

In the same period of Pichichero's study (which was november 1999 - octobe r2000 + 24 months of infants follow-up), a clinical trial was conducted in Italy. The declared objective wasn't the pharmacology of thimerosal, but anyway there were strange and unexplained facts.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/111/5/1042

This study began in january 1999 and ended in august 2001 (with 24 months of infants follow-up).
TCVs were used (note: 50 mcg thimerosal at birth!), and the number and the time of collecting blood samples were compatible with a pharmacokinetic study. Furthermore, the follow-up of babies was a 'nonsense' if related to the objectives of the study. I think there was also a parallel, 'ghost' and unpublished clinical trial on thimerosal pharmacokinetic.
Consider that:
- the trial began in january 1999;
- in January '99 Chiron (now Novartis) retired Its FDA Product Licence Application of the DTaP TCV used in this italian trial (U.S. brand: Pertugen; European brand: Triacelluvax; italian brand AcelluvaxDTP) after several years that it was filed;
- the trial ended in august 2001
- exactly the day after, Chiron sent a communication to italian Ministry of Healt, which suspended authorization of the vaccine (the reason is yet unknow...). Afterwards the european authorization was also withdrawal: Emea, the european agency, declared that the vaccine was never marketed in EU countries, except in Italy.
Consider also that:
- Pertugen was tested in large clinical trials funded by NIAID in USA, Sweden and Italy
- 14 years of R&D and clinical trials, and approximately half billion $ was wasted.

I think that we will never know about these "...additional studies of the pharmacology". And we can imagine the reason why.

sarah

Jim

You're absolutely right, there does seem to be a huge disconnect/ contradiction between what EPA mercury standards and the allowable amount of thimersol in the flu shot which, by the way, was recently added to the US vaccine schedule.

Sounds like we need an old fashion town meeting. Invite the heads of EPA, FDA and CDC and their experts to explain this to us as well the justification as to why it's neccessary to give a child 24+ shots by age 2. Where is the science that supports that the childhood vaccine schedule is safe?

As KL pointed out what do all these vaccines designed to stimulate the immune system do to a young child's metabolism and neurodevelopment? We need studies that are designed to reflect in real life conditions and sensitive populations not some controlled clinical environment.

Playing ostridge will not make the problem go away. It's time for the agencies to pull their heads out of the sand and deal with this crisis...we need answers! The least the agencies can do is meet with the parents. Afterall isn't Obama's administration suppose to be about transparency?

kl

Compare stats before and after 1986. You can't give a developing brain toxins and not expect metabolic defaults. Selye said it: Stress = Disease
The boss, your HPA axis, fields the insults and orchestrates metabolism accordingly. Stress (any toxin) will demethylate. Insist on a doctor who shows you a methylation chart. Lower environmental toxins, support the adrenals and methylation metabolism. The body was made to detox, heck the chemistry it juggles just from normal metabolism is incredible. But there's a threshold to how much it can handle. It won't detox without working adrenals and methylation. Before 1986 a handful of vaccines were given ages 5-10 years, after 1986 36 vaccines were given from birth until 2. Biomarkers or not, auto-immune system disorders or not, I can't imagine anyone chancing a HPA axis firestorm in an infant.
http://www.backtolifehealth.com/Stress%20Detail.htm
http://www.backtolifehealth.com/Methylation.htm
http://www.autismpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mercury_Endochrinology

Jim Thompson

Julie:

Thank you for this excellent review.

Regarding the puzzle :

Why, on one hand, does the USEPA work for decades to protect humans from injury from mercury exposure by establishing a concentration of one fifth of a part million in mercury hazardous waste liquids (see http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=40&PART=261&SECTION=24&TYPE=TEXT )–-while the USCDC, on the other hand, works over that same time frame to justify injecting a known neurotoxin into children and pregnant women at a concentration of 250 times higher than the USEPA liquid hazardous waste concentration (50 parts per million is the mercury concentration of a flu shot with thimerosal preservative)?!?

See the newest version of CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/vaccine_factsheet.htm stating “RESEARCH SHOWS NO LINK BETWEEN THIMEROSAL AND AUTISM”

Anne

Thanks for putting the studies' "conclusions" out there so concisely! Makes it much easier to argue the need for more research. Funny, we are the ones calling for more research, yet are continually referred to as "anti-science." Go figure!

ml

Several of the aspects that have not been objectively analyzed and more deeply researched IMO
the potential role of thimerosal as a contributor to ASD, in a complex framework of COMBINATION of exposures ON TIME first 3 years of life. Due to the fact that Concomitant medical problems are not even acknowledged by many mainstreamed doctors and researchers the symptomatology is associated to "autism". In this combination antibiotics use, synergistic effects with alum from vaccines, wild infections and exposures from the local environment are not minor- but have not been considered TOGETHER.
the metabolism of thimerosal once injected IM. Levels in blood after 5 mins, 30 mints, 1 hour or 2 hours after injection of Hg in infants. Degradation to Inorganic Hg. Role of nutritional status (proteins/aminoacids, fatty acids, minerals- essential and oligoelements status- and vitamins) and of the gut flora in metabolism of thimerosal and Alum at the time of the exposure. Role of other routes of coexposure in combination.
differences in the detected parameters as crucial in the toxic elements metabolism comparing autistics and non-autistic subgroups
role of the protein/aminoacids status and metabolism in the management of toxic elements. Differences between autistics and non- autistics
It seems that new frameworks including complexity of exposure and complexity of effects (synergies and status of the host) are required to study properly the situation. Unfortunately, the lack of analysis of the overall picture of the exposure to xenobiotics and the tendency to study ONE only aspect at once-without the analysis of the impact of confounders as if the only cause or the main culprit-. is partially responsible IMO of the lack of progress in several fields in this and other aspects of

Seriously -

hank you Julie for a simply written article. I hope it motivates those to produce the studies and improve health care.

This situation is literally making us sicker.

Here it is in black and white - a call to action - to address an urgent need call to move forward with health in mind, not money.

Let's go leaders, do the right thing.

Bob Moffitt

Julie, I really appreciate all the hard work you have done that allows common-folk, like myself, a relatively uneducated grandfather, to understand those "numerous studies proving no link between autism and vaccine" .. are riddled with weaknesses and flaws the "scientific community" itself should have recognized. That they continue to quote these shakey studies as the bedrock upon which their "overwhelming scientific consensus" rests should be causing them many, uneasy, sleepless nights.

Can you imagine Toyota claiming "We don't know what is causing unintended acceleration, but, we know it has nothing to do with faulty gas pedals".

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