Melton Shire Council Australia
Exposure to high levels of mercury can cause brain damage, and many have tried to establish a link between mercury and the development of autism and other persistent developmental disorders in toddlers and preschoolers.
New research, however, has revealed that young children who test normal for mental and social development tend to have equivalent or higher levels of mercury in the bodies than do children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome or another developmental disorder.
Analyses of blood samples drawn from 452 children between the ages of 2 years and 5 years reported in the online version of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives showed that "blood mercury levels had similar means and overall distributions across diagnostic groups. The geometric mean for typically developing children, 0.28 mcg/L, was significantly higher than for autism/autism spectrum disorder (0.19 mcg/L) or developmentally delayed (0.17 mcg/L) children; after adjustment for demographic factors and mercury sources and application of weights, the geometric means for autism/autism spectrum disorder, developmentally delayed and typically developing children were 0.26, 0.16, and 0.24 mcg/L, respectively,"
The research, led by Irva Hertz-Picciotto of the Department of Public Health Sciences and M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigations of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute at the, University of California--Davis, Davis, was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the M.I.N.D. Institute.
The vaccine preservative thimerosal has drawn particular attention from individuals and groups that make a link between mercury and autism. Thimerosal does contain mercury, but the amount of the element in vaccine doses is lower than the amount of mercury in most servings of fish. Hertz-Picciotto and her colleagues found the most mercury in children who ate the most fish. Additionally, Hertz-Picciotto told HealthDay, few childhood vaccines still contain thimerosal and almost none of the children she and her team assessed "had vaccines that would have or could have contained thimerosal."
Beyond any physical cause of autism that may be identified, the growing numbers of developmental disorder diagnoses may be due merely to increased recognition of the conditions by health care providers. After estimating that about 1 of every 100 U.S. children has some autism spectrum disorder, authors of an October 2009 Pediatrics article wrote, "The observed point-prevalence is higher than previous U.S. estimates. More inclusive survey questions, increased population awareness, and improved screening and identification by providers may partly explain this finding."
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Comments
This study is odd. Parents of kids with autism are concerned about the ethylmercury injected into their children at birth and again at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months of age in the 1990's. This mercury quickly clears the blood and enters the brain and kidneys in a matter of days. They could have saved the taxpayers alot of money if they had just looked at 3 different studies done since 2002 which clearly shows this mercury would be long gone from the blood. What is the real purpose of this study, to generate misleading headlines? Also, seems kinda odd that this came out right when the mercury laden H1N1 vaccine is about to hit the market.
If this is true, the fact that there is any difference in mercury levels between typical and ASD kids suggests that those on the spectrum may metabolize mercury differently. This study in no way make the case that environmental factors aren't contributing to the prevalence of autism.
As clearly known by any doctor or scientist, that blood levels are not an accurate measure of mercury burden. A hair test is much more accurate. Read Andrew Hall Cutlers books No Amalgam and hidden hair toxicities.
Let's do some more math here Ed. Let's say in 1998 a two month old baby recived 60 mcg of mercury via 3 vaccinations (Hepatitis B, DTaP, and HIB) in one "stay well" visit. This was a pretty common combination. Now a two month old has about 0.5 liters of total blood. So, 60 mcg divided by 0.5 liter = 120 mcg/l. Ouch. That's a little bit more than, "the geometric mean for typically developing children of 0.28 mcg/L. If we took vaccines away from pediatricians, what else would they have to do with themselves. Jerk off you say. That's better than destroying the lives of millions of U.S. children.
Jerry, where is your extraordinary evidence to your extraordinary claim that pediatricians have ruined the lives of "millions" of U.S. children. Also, you math is wrong. But, since you have no time to back up your claim, I won't waste my time correcting yours.
It's actually also been shown that kids with autism have lower hair mercury levels too. They aren't able to detox mercury appropriately and it is causing neurological damage. Therapies that help chelate and detox mercury help them, which means the mercury has been accumulating in their tissues. This research if adequately interpeted in the context of all the other available evidence corroborates the hypothesis that mercury in vaccines is contributing to autism. Those wishing to learn more about vaccines and autism can visit phinsights.com/autism.html
The problems with this study have been covered already by other comments. What is amazing to me is how much traction this study is getting in the press when other studies that directly refute this claim are getting nowhere.
Here's some links to three studies that show direct correlations between vaccines, mercury, and autism:
OK, maybe not. Examiner won't let you link. Stupid. Anyway, all of those articles are at NaturalNews.com and you can find them by searching my name ("Aaron Turpen") or "vaccine."
All three of those articles have links to the original study (if available) and include other information to go with it.
In case anyone's interested, that is. Most people I talk to have made up their minds: either vaccines are manna from heaven or they're the most evil thing ever invented.
I agree a study of blood levels does not make sense. I've read the hair study (less mercury, lead, etc. in the hair of people with autism because it is not expelled by the body). Here is the deal. Why does one person who smokes die of lung cancer at 38 and another lives to be 98 with no lung cancer? Why does one child in a family suffer from a disease and another exposed to the same food, air, etc. does not? Because every body processes chemicals differently and everyone has different genetics. Some bodies are better at removing toxins than others, some organs are more resilient in some bodies than others. You can study this issue forever and the fact of the matter is that mercury does not belong, at any level, in vaccines, dental amalgam or anywhere else in the human body where an alternative is available. This is common freaking sense. Hello all you genious' pharm mfg's out there, figure out a less toxic alternative. Insurance Co's, tell me why mercury fillings cost less than white?
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