Study: No Thimerosal Vaccine-Autism Link

(WebMD)  New research adds to the evidence showing no causal link between autism and the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal.

Researchers compared records of children exposed to thimerosal while in the womb and those not exposed and found no difference in autism rates.

The study is one of the first to look at exposure to mercury-containing vaccines during the last months of pregnancy.

Rh Protein and Thimerosal

The Rh protein shot is routinely given to pregnant women who are
Rh-negative. These women lack the Rh protein on the surface of their red blood cells. The injection prevents Rh disease, which can cause the fetus to be stillborn or lead to fatal illnesses in the newborn.

It has been suggested that children born to mothers who are given injections
of the Rh protein during pregnancy may be at increased risk for autism because thimerosal was used in the Rh protein injection until 2001.

"We hypothesized that if thimerosal were associated with the development
of autism, we would find a higher proportion of Rh negative mothers of children with autism born before 2002," University of Missouri researchers Judith H. Miles, M.D., Ph.D., and T. Nicole Takahashi write in the May issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics.



"Time to Move On"

To test the theory, the two researchers determined the Rh status of 214
mothers who had children with an autism spectrum disorder and reviewed medical records to determine if the Rh-negative women had received the Rh protein vaccine late in pregnancy.

Rh-negative status was found to be no higher in the mothers of the autistic
children than in the general population, nor was there more exposure to
thimerosal-containing Rh vaccine in autistic children prior to birth.

Though she knows the findings won't change the minds of those convinced that
thimerosal exposure causes autism, Miles tells WebMD that there is still no
credible scientific proof of a link.

In 2004, an expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine to
review the data on vaccines and autism came to the same conclusion.

"It is time to move on and focus our research dollars and efforts on
avenues that will be more productive," Miles says.


Thimerosal Still in Vaccines

While the Rh vaccine and most vaccines given to children in the U.S. no
longer contain thimerosal, the inexpensive preservative is still widely used to keep vaccines affordable in other parts of the world.

The researchers say that their study and others like it should reassure
those who still question the safety of vaccines containing thimerosal.

"We hope this report of no association between autism, Rh negativity and
thimerosal exposure during pregnancy will offset some of the decreased
compliance with immunization recommendations which is known to increase
morbidity and mortality from childhood infectious diseases," they
write.

By Salynn Boyles
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario
© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved

[sy2502]

The maximum mercury ingestion the EPA deems safe is one microgram a day for each 22 pounds of body weight (from the EPA web site). Large fish like tuna, halibut and shark contain up to 4 micrograms of mercury per ounce (From the WHO web site). By contrast, the vaccines with trace amount of thimerosal licensed to date contain less than 0.5 micrograms of mercury per dose.

Now it seems to me, just looking at the plain numbers, that you would have more reason to point the finger to tuna fish than to vaccines. But tuna fish is something we all know, while medicine is something you need to be educated to understand, and is, therefore, a much easier target of superstition.

[sy2502]

Some of the comments to this article are appalling! Here is a scientific study that debunks the myth of vaccines causing autism, but there are still people that continue believing it! What do you need to get rid of your superstitions?? Can you find any fault in the scientific way in which the study was conducted? Do you have any medical or research background that qualifies you for deciding the results were bogus?? Pointing the finger to fictitious causes, and using the medical research industry as a catch-all scapegoat won't help anybody.

[puzzler125]

Autism cases are NOT rising at an alarming rate. The classifications of illnesses, diseases, conditions, all change at times and that has what has happened with autism. The CATEGORY has broadened to include more conditions than previously used. Imagine if all pre-diabetics were now classified as diabetics, or if all patients with borderline hypertension were categorized as having hypertension and you can easily see how the numbers increase dramatically.

[ralan40]

Autism, like Alzheimers, has to be caused by something. The rate of new cases surpass the rate of population growth and the mortality rate. In other words, it isn't genetic or based on people's survival of previously uncurable fatal conditions. there is some type of environmental factor possibly coupled with genetic disposition. 'newster1' is right, most substances we encounter on a daily basis have only been introduced recently so we do not really know long term effects of interactions of one or multiple substances. It could be something quite common and everyday. It will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Mercury is a good answer, Japan was plauged with Mercury poisening decades ago so perhaps that is an avenue of research. I favor the "multiple substance interaction" theory. I hope we are able to figure it out because both of these conditions are attacking both ends of our society.

[dduggin-2009]

I have spent 4 and 1/2 years figuring out what happened to my son and all tests point to Mercury. My son is now 6 years old and almost fully recovered because of our getting the mercury out of his body. It is not easy and it is not cheap!!!

[ReaceS]

There's a definitive link between autism and mercury--it's found in water, fish, and near plants. That's why you're seeing raised autism rates among fish-eating populations.

Additionally, why hasn't the autism rate slowed down or dropped since vaccines stopped using the preservative?

[glb1969]

Finally!
A good hard science peer reviewed study that cannot possibly be ignored or supressed by the insanely paranoid who are against vaccinations. Now medical science can move on and channel their resources to determine what the true mechanism is that is driving an increase in autism rates.

[nothappyatall]

"and the autistic cases are rising at an alarming rate. why is that?"

Try air, water pollution, pesticides, herbicides, formaldehyde in everything from chipboard used in wall panneling and carpets to polyurethane foam in furniture.

[cathaleen]

I wonder how much they were paid off by our pharms
to render this rediculous conclusion.

[jcobsladdr]

the same people pushing the idea that thimerosal and autism has no link are similar to those people who claim that global warming is not an issue.

these same people can't offer a definitive study that indeed there is no connection between thimerosal & autism. all they can offer is a "there seems to be no connection" and not a real conclusive data that dispels all doubt.

meanwhile, thimerosal is still rampant in asia and the autistic cases are rising at an alarming rate. why is that?

corporate america is becoming to greedy, from the oils, to our very own children's life! nothing is sacred anymore. all for a buck! shame to those pharmaceutical companies who sponsor these propaganda rather than fix the real root cause and come clean. c'mon, wake up america. this is not the first time the pharmaceutical companies ethics are put into question!