The mercury-and-autism theory is not new. In the UK, mercury is a component of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Earlier this year, the BBC’s Horizon programme ran a story on the association between the MMR vaccine and autism. A British study in 1998 had started the controversy over mercury and autism in that country. This controversy is still a hot topic in the UK, as evidenced by the Horizon programme and by books such as A Jab in the Dark by a former editor of the British Medical Journal, Richard Horton.
When adversity strikes, it is understandable that we try to find something or somebody to blame. In the case of infectious diseases, it is usually possible to identify the actual infectious agent (a virus or bacterium) and perhaps explain how the affected person came into contact with it. It is more difficult to identify a specific cause of a behavioural or mental condition. This explains why some people affected by autism might welcome any suggested association between autism and a specific, easily identifiable cause such as mercury or a vaccine. But autism doesn’t yet have an easy explanation, and blaming vaccines runs the risk of allowing vaccine-preventable diseases to re-appear while contributing little to the search for an explanation for autism.
For over two hundred years, vaccines have helped reduce the number of people afflicted by debilitating and sometimes fatal infectious diseases. However, vaccination, by its very nature, introduces some risk of infection or side-effects that can be as devastating as the diseases they prevent. The decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate must involve a comparison of the risks posed by one disease or another. It is quite a burden for a parent or nurse to have to make this assessment on behalf of a child who doesn’t understand the risks. To help us make these decisions, we need informed guidance based on scientific evidence as well as personal experience. Hysterical conspiracy theories and patronising denunciations of “pseudoscience” only raise the emotional level of the debate without contributing much substance.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Greg Smyth
Nice piece.
With MMR the problem came when the popular press latched onto the headline "MMR Causes Autism" and from there it was a downward spiral fuelled by (understandable) parental paranoia and the failure of the British tabloid press (notably the Daily Mail) to let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Scientific research is not given a critical viewing by journalists and the press. The original Wakefield paper has been widely discredited, based IIRC on a very small population, and the man himself has been plagued with allegations of kick-backs and dubious practices.
As far as the bulk of scientists are concerned (and while I am a scientist, this is not my field) a causal link between MMR and autism has not been confirmed, bar anecdotal evidence.
2 - KC
"When adversity strikes, it is understandable that we try to find something or somebody to blame"
This is true. What's also true is that if the stakes are high enough you might not want the truth, and in fact this seems to be the case with the CDC.
What's also in Kennedy's article is the fact that too many of those on the panel to investigate the possibility of a mercury/autisim link had ties with the companies producing the vaccine.
What's also interesting is that so many people tend to want to argue the need for vaccines instead of the true issue of what harm mercury (in amounts far over FDA approval) might have done.
I realize that you wrote this in good faith, but this is an important point: Kennedy didn't say the vaccines themselves were at fault.He wrote that a link between mercury and autism may be a possibility. What he called for was research into this issue to be carried out by an agency free of anyone who might have interests or pressure to come to a certain conclusion over another.
NO ONE sane is calling for an end to vaccines, they are calling for an end to mercury in any product until it can be ruled out as a possible link to autism.
You made excellent points about the need for vaccines, but in this case you are clouding the true argument.
By bringing in a theory that parents would refuse vaccines for their children if mercury was a cause of autism you're just as guilty of wanting a certain result as those you mentioned who want an easy solution.
Bringing in a possible negative result ahead of looking honestly at the issue is exactly Kennedy's criticism of the CDC.
It was very well put together otherwise thru!
3 - Bennett
Great points KC, and also a nicely written piece Claudine.
I agree with KC however, that the use of a mercury based preservative in vaccines is exposing infants to a risk that is totally unnecessary. Until the drug companies can show that thimesoral is by itself harmless to humans, there should be an overall ban on its use.
Kennedy points out that it is greater profit that drives the use of thimesoral (packaging the vaccine in larger containers requires a stronger presevative to protect against repeated needle exposure) rather than a requirement of the vaccine itself. This should add strength to the argument for a thimesoral ban.
And if the manufacturers have already stopped using it for domestic vaccines, why are they still using it for exported vaccines?
4 - vax, 9000
Parents are against mercury in vaccines, not vaccines themselves. Please don't mix the two.
5 - mimi
i think the idea that vaccination, which has undoubtably saved many children from horrible diseases and death could also harm a small subset of children is scaring people so much that they do not want to consider this possibility.
At the same time studies show : 1)that a subset of mice bred to have a "family history" of autoimmune problems are damaged by thimerosal, though normal mice are not effected...
2)Children with autism have decreased levels of glutathione( sorry may have spelt that wrong) which is needed to metabolize heavy metals...
A recent study on young primates shows that the form of mercury found in thimerosal does clear the blood stream quicker than regular mercury, but if i understood the study correctly, thimerosal also deposits more mercury in the brain...
A study in Texas showed a link between environmental mercury in the air and autism rates...
?Thimerosal was removed from canine vaccines many years ago as it was linked to negative effects( this is from a secondary source, so have not found the original info on this one)Sorry I can't quote you the names of the studies but if you google on the web you should be able to find the originals..
The idea that their is a subset of children, who have a genetic disposition to auto immune disorders/ and are unable to process heavy metals have been adversely affected by amongst other sources of heavy metals, thimerosal in vacccinations, may be something that needs considering.(Thimerosal by the way is also present in many other medicines as a preservative, ie ear drops, some antibiotics,and I am not sure, but I don't believe there has been a withdrawl of the product from any of these uses.)
Interestingly, it appears that quaterly rates of autism in California are finally starting to decline, and their website mentions that the information has about a ? five( can't remember if it was 4 or 5) year lag time:( ie the results now are from babies born about ? five years ago) it would be interesting to watch if the decline continues, particularly if more products are withdrawn containing thimerosal.
I f autism is linked to an inabity to process heavy metals..then we need to develop ways to both protect our children from epidemics of diseases, and to protect our children from the current epidemic of autism.Interestingly had it been a disease that was resulting in major neurological damage to 1 in 166 children,this epidemic would have affected more children than any other epidemic in our history ( with a probable exception of the black plague that devestated Europe in the middle ages)
I think both the pro vaccine crowd and the anti vaccine crowd are working from the same basis of trying to protect our children,if neccessary we need to make our vaccinations, medications and environment safer so that we can conquer autism as we have so many other major diseases through vaccination.
6 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Two of my four children were born before 1998. Both had the same vaccines, but only one of them has autism.
7 - gonzo marx
ummm..anybody know where the saying "mad as a hatter" comes from?
if your Thoughts drift to a certain tea party, you are getting warmer
one of my baseline Postulates has long been "Life is a matter of dosage"...not enough oxygen, the human dies...too much oxygen, the human dies
hasn't history alone, much less medical science, taught us that putting abnormal quantities of heavy metals into our bodies is not a good Thing?
injecting heroic dosages of mercury into babies??? those miserable pig fuckers who make their living saying that it's ok because it's cheaper that way should be strapped into chairs and forced to drink a few thermometers to wash down their lead paint chips and asbestos dip
yeah..a bit harsh...but too good for them by half
Excelsior!
8 - Claudine Chionh
Thanks (mostly) for the comments so far. KC and vax: I didn't mean to imply that people who are concerned about mercury are against vaccines in general. I should have made that more clear. However, I do know that there is a small minority of parents who are philosophically opposed to vaccination, and perhaps I had them in mind when I wrote this entry. It was sloppiness on my part to conflate the two issues.
I think that the safety of vaccines is a serious issue, and there needs to be more discussion and research into this. Unfortunately research is expensive, funding bodies must make difficult decisions about allocating money to different research proposals, and this can be politically motivated. More public discussion about these concerns might motivate researchers and funding bodies to give vaccine safety a priority. I just don't think hysteria, paranoia or hate are valuable contributions to the discussion.
9 - SphinxMontreal
Just another side affect of living in a society where pharmaceuticals are the only solution to all that ails us.
10 - gonzo marx
Claudine sez...
* I just don't think hysteria, paranoia or hate are valuable contributions to the discussion.*
hysteria and hate are only valuable if there is a Reason behind being paranoid
the Reason being the injection of heavy metals into infants, the only reason for using this preservative is cost cutting
that's why i'm hysterically hateful towards the ones who Knowingly perpetrated this heinous Act
to my Viewpoint, that's valuable
not excusing, just explaining
thanks for the original Post
Excelsior!
11 - Shoe
Here is one of the biggest reasons that parents belive that thimerosal caused autism in their children (Check out the link below). This and the fact that the autism rates are directly proportional to the number of vaccines a child got in the 90s.
People always fail to mention that Mercury poisoning and autism are indistinguishable. This is a very key piece of evidence.
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/Scandals/Feb_15_02/comparison_symptoms.htm
12 - vax, 9000
Thank you, Shoe, for the link to the comparison paper. As Claudine agreed that more research is needed, I want to point out that CDC(or FDA) said no more research should be done on possible vaccine-autism link, instead, the research money should be put in other area. I also want to point out that the comparison paper was not done by those scientist who rely on pharmaceutical or CDC money, but by parents of autism children (according to the "evidence of harm" book).
Also the CDC conclusion that vaccine is not related to autism was based on 4 weak papers. I suggest Claudine to read more (including the "evidence of harm" book and the comparison paper) to get him familiar to the autism issue.
13 - Nancy Hokkanen
A large body of compelling evidence supporting an autism/mercury link was presented to the Institute Of Medicine's Immunization Safety Review Committee Meeting 9: Vaccines and Autism in February 2004.
www.iom.edu/subpage.asp?id=18065
But on May 17, 2004 the IOM Immunization Safety Review on Vaccines and Autism stated:
"The committee also concludes that the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. The committee further finds that potential biological mechanisms for vaccine-induced autism that have been generated to date are theoretical only."
www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=20155
In February 2005 another committee of the IOM issued a report, "Vaccine Safety Research, Data Access, and Public Trust"
This IOM report details recommendations for changing the CDC's handling of its vaccine injury data in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. The report also advises certain CDC members to seek legal counsel.
A day after that IOM report was published, the CDC split its National Immunization Program so that the people promoting vaccines were not the same ones monitoring vaccine injuries. Dr. Robert T. Chen was transferred to the HIV/AIDS division.
Health Agency Splits Program Amid Vaccination Dispute By ANAHAD O'CONNOR and GARDINER HARRIS
February 25, 2005
Read these outquotes about CDC head Julie Gerberding's review of researcher Mady Hornig's experiment, taken from "The Age of Autism: Mercury ascending" by Dan Olmsted, United Press International (May 17, 2005)
... Last May 12, a week before the IOM report, Gerberding flew in from Atlanta to meet them -- at her request -- in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., a medical doctor who is a persistent critic of thimerosal and the CDC's handling of the issue, also was present.
Taking turns, the parents and scientists methodically laid out their case.
Mady Hornig of Columbia University described how mice with an autoimmune genetic predisposition develop autistic-like behaviors after being injected with thimerosal-containing vaccines.
"Hornig played the videos for Gerberding, who suddenly appeared stunned," [David] Kirby recounts in his book [Evidence Of Harm]. "She brought her hands to her face in disbelief.
"Dave Weldon had a similar reaction. He stopped Hornig in the middle of her ghastly presentation. 'Wait a minute,' he said. 'Am I to understand you correctly? You injected these mice with the same amount of mercury, relatively speaking, that infants receive in vaccines, and you saw these kinds of mutilatory behaviors? You saw this mouse eat through the cranium of his cellmate?'
"'Yes,' she replied calmly."
The Institute of Medicine saw the same presentation before issuing its report but rejected it as unconvincing. ...
Gerberding was polite but noncommital, Kirby writes. As she left, she said, "I am not afraid of controversy, and I am determined to follow the science."
14 - Claudine Chionh
Her, actually. (Sorry)
This post definitely isn't the end of my interest in the issue -- there's a lot to wade through here.
I do find it interesting that I've posted substantially the same article on Blogcritics and on my Livejournal and the comments have been of a very different nature in the two places.
15 - RJK
Mr. Kennedy does allude to a biological mechanism that can explain how Thimerosal (ethylmercury) containing vaccines can cause autism. Detailed explanation of the mechanism is beyond the scope of his article. But you are wrong to suggest that the only explanation Mr. Kennedy provides is the temporal association between the increased number of Thimerosal-containing vaccines and the increased incidence of autism observed since around 1991.
A recent study by Craig Newschaffer of Johns Hopkins U., a highly credible autism researcher, has examined US IDEA (Dept of Education) Data and suggests that there is a real increase in autism. Other studies, such as one done by Byrd at the MIND Institute in California in 2003, strongly suggests the same thing. Thus your assertion that broader diagnostic criteria explains the increase of autism fails to take into account some highly credible studies.
You also suggest that antivaccination activists have championed Mr. Kennedy's writing on this subject. Many parents who believe that mercury from vaccines has poisoned their children have championed Mr. Kennedy's entry into this debate. But most of these parents are not anti-vaccine. They are for the most part parents who conscientiously followed their pediatrician's instructions to follow the CDC mandated vaccine schedule, and whose children are fully vaccinated. They just want an honest investigation of this issue and safe vaccines. They are not hysterical; they want answers about their children's horribly disabling disorders. They do not want polemics such as yours--they want honest answers from the government and industry.
You are ill-informed about the vaccine controversy that started in England in 1998. This controversy was triggered by Andrew Wakefield's suggestion that there should be research into the question whether a new form of bowel disease he found to be associated with autism was connected to the measles component in the MMR vaccine--a live virus vaccine. The MMR vaccine has never contained Thimerosal.
Before you critique Mr. Kennedy you really need to get your fundamental facts straight.
As to the biological mechanism for autism--Mr. Kennedy does discuss the fact that in "autistic" children glutathione levels have been found to be lower than in "normal" children. This relates to the fact that mercury impairs a metabolic process that results in the production of glutathione. Glutathione is a primary amino acid that functions to remove mercury from the body by binding with it and carrying it away, primarily through feces but also urine.
Well respected researchers at the NIH, U of Arkansas, MIT, Columbia, Northeastern University, Arizona State, U of Kentucky and more have conducted research that shows how Thimerosal can cause a condition that produces symptoms often mistaken for autism. Thimerosal impairs glutathione synthesis, among other effects, and also depletes the body of glutathione. As one toxicologist put it: mercury impedes its own excretion. It causes a downward spiral that disables a child's heavy metal detoxification metabolism.
Mr. Kennedy does allude to this process in his article. In your haste to criticize his article perhaps you missed this point.
This Institute of Medicine has concluded that it is "biologically plausible" that Thimerosal causes neurodevelopmental disorders. The IOM has also said that it cannot rule out the possibility that Thimerosal causes autism in a subset of children. The lead researcher of the lead study -- the only one to look at the US population, has stated that the epidemiological study on which the IOM based its conclusion that Thimerosal does not cause autism, could not be used to disprove the hypothesis that Thimerosal causes autism. So the IOM has based its conclusion largely on a study that even the lead author of which has stated does not support the IOM's conclusion. Not only that, another IOM committee has suggested that the way the CDC handled the data for this study was flawed and unavailable for verification by independent researchers.
I suggest you get your facts and science straight before you start impugning the integrity of others, including parents, who have the greatest stake in this debate.
RJK
16 - vax, 9000
"I do find it interesting that I've posted substantially the same article on Blogcritics and on my Livejournal and the comments have been of a very different nature in the two places."
Maybe I can explain why: The Blogcritics article can be reached by google news search of key word 'autism'. People watch 'autism' closely will likely get to this place.
17 - Claudine Chionh
Thanks vax, I hadn't thought of that.
18 - KC
"Thanks vax, I hadn't thought of that"
It's like disturbing a beehive by accident isn't it?
I would like to say that you've handled the deluge with grace, especially considering you apparently weren't expecting it. I hope to see you post again soon.
19 - Claudine Chionh
Yes, quite a baptism by fire, though I could have seen it coming. It's been more interesting than writing a book review!
20 - LivingTheMercuryNightmare
Reading through this blog I can see that there does not seem to be a solid ground for those who deny mercury is the cause of autism. The symptoms of mercury toxicity at high levels is identicle to symptoms of autism. This has not been invented by the parents of children diagnosed with autism. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (www.pediatrics.com) have reported that the increase is very real. It is an epidemic, and they have no answers for us citizens for the epidemic. However, under the freedom of information act, we have found answers. We have found the CDC's own report that shows children that are injected with vaccines that contain mercury are 27 times more likely to develop autism. Eli Lilly had several reports of the dangers of mercury. We are warned to watch our fish consumption while pregnant because they know what harm mercury can cause on a fetus. Yet they inject our children with enough mercury to create a generation of developmentally damaged children. This is beyond science. This is as obvious as we can get with a subject matter. The pediaticians are jumping through hoops to put out the fires. We now have a large group of children that have been diagnosed with autism that are improving daily through chelation therapy. The amounts of mercury that these children are dumping out of their bodies should be recycled and injected into the bodies of those SOB's that cared more about their stocks and political contributions, then our childrens safety. When did we allow for these pharma giants to become so large that they are in the pockets of our politicians, our government agencies, our televisions, our news stations, and yes, even in president Bush's cabinet. It is no wonder that are children are harmed and that more and more drugs are having to be recalled. Research autism for yourselves. There has NEVER been one reported case of regressive autism until after the late 80s. Those SOBs can spin the facts till the cows come home. From the White House to the little lab rats, they are all in the same boat. If they own up to what they have done to an entire generation of children, their reputations and credibility will be lost. How will the White House, CDC, FDA, IOM, Pharma giants, politicians, pediatricians and all the researchers with government funding junk science that refutes the obvious respond when chelation treatments prove to be the only intervention that brings promise back to these childrens lives? How will they all respond to the rate of autism dropping so dramatically in California, who thanks to the new mayor they now have banned mercury in vaccines? How will they respond to the sudden increase of autism that has already taken place and continues to grow over seas due to their generous free vaccines? I would rather take my chances with the illnesses these vaccines are supposed to protected us from verses living through the hell these children have been put through. The evidence of harm is as clear as it can get in all the lab results our children have after chelation therapy. It is time to own up to the harm that has been caused. Reform these pharma giants control over our health. I have not allowed another vaccine, any free sample medication pack offered by our doctors nor one prescription for a simple cough, runny nose or rash to enter the bodies of any of my family members. The pharma giants will not get rich off damaging my family anymore. And as for the SOBs that have helped cover up this heartbreaking destruction of infant lives, may they all rot in hell for eternity.
21 - HN
In this was written: "The mercury-and-autism theory is not new. In the UK, mercury is a component of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Earlier this year, the BBC’s Horizon programme ran a story on the association between the MMR vaccine and autism."...
NOOOOOO... the MMR in the UK never had thimerosal. It is a live virus vaccine just like the US ... actually it is the same vaccine used in the USA since 1971 (it has to do with the failure of the mumps part in an earlier UK vaccine). The present MMR started to be used in the UK in 1988. Due to the reduction of vaccine uptake, mumps is now coming back, especially in young adults:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,1491807,00.html
Read all about it... the fear of MMR in the UK was due to a "study" on 12 specially selected kids bought and paid for by a lawyer:
http://briandeer.com/wakefield-deer.htm
22 - Joff McGill
Thiomersal has never been present in MMR and the paper that started some controversy in the UK (1998) was not to do with mercury and autism but suggested a link between measles containing vaccination, bowel disease and autism. It remains a discredited theory with no scientific evidence (that has been replicated in an independent laboratory) to back it up.
Meanwhile evidence against a link between either MMR and autism or thiomersil and autism mounts.
We forget at our peril what the diseases can do. If a pregnant woman catches rubella in the first 10 weeks of her pregnancy she is likely to give birth to a baby who will be deaf, blind, have heart problems and damage to the central nervous system.
23 - John McCarthy
Firt of all, Kennedy nor most of the activists you cite are not anti-vaccine. We are anto mercury! Did you manage to miss that point? Further we and many scientist believe, that here you are injecting one of the most potent neuro toxins known into children without regard to childs wait or the formation of their blood brain barrier. My own autistic son began recieving vaccines on the day he was born in spite of being 8 weeks premature.
Further your arguement that nothing about the biological mechanism to prove mercury doesn't hold water. Our contecntion is that we know it does cause neurological disorders, we have never proven that in a supstational subset of children it does not. Or do you believe that erring on the side of caution is wrong?
Remember, Frist (oops I meant first) do no harm.
24 - Paul Watson
Claudine, your article itself seems to distort facts. Is there really mercury in MMR in the UK? How can this be? My understanding is that mercury cannot be added to the MMR, since the MMR contains live viruses. The mercury based preservative Thiomersal kills live viruses, so ironically MMR is in fact not one of the vaccines usually associated with the mercury-causes-autism hypothesis.
This being the case is your article to be trusted? I live in the UK and I am not familiar with any 1998 study linking mercury, vaccines and autism. Are you referring to the Wakefield study which started the MMR/autism controversy. As I understand it the alleged culprit in the MMR is the live measles virus - nobody has ever mentioned mercury. I saw the Horizon program and to the best of my recollection mercury was not mentioned, certainly not in the connection you represent as a fact.
Your article itself seems to contain little in way of reliable science. Your contribution to the debate seems to consists of little but accusing parents and researchers of hysteria, pseudoscience and subsciption to conspiracy theories. Could this be what the political theorists call 'mirror imaging' - accusing your enemy of doing what you do yourself, so you have an excuse to do it?
Meanwhile as far as I can see the evidence seems to mount of a link between mercury and autism. If thiomersal is too much for viruses, how can it be harmless to the much moer complex creatures we and are children are? If/when the research finally proves this, then I feel for your shame.
Or are you conspiring to ensure this research never happens?
25 - P Family
While I hesitate to jump on bandwagons in general - I'll say this much: In our family alone, two of three children (all born between 1990 and 1998) were diagnosed with PDD spectrum disorders: one with autism, one asperger's syndrome.
The difference between the two diagnosed and the one who has no signs of a PDD? Two were born in the U.S. and received the requisite vaccinations, and the other - bearing no symptoms - was born overseas and did not receive the same immunization content during the first two years of life (i.e., no mercury).
Would be far easier to pass it off as coincidence if we hadn't come across a handful of people in our travels through learning disability circles with similar stories to tell.