The Vaccine-Autism Connection – Part I (Thimerosal)

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BERNARD RIMLAND, Ph.D., Director

April, 2004

Partial list of studies linking thimerosal to Autism

The Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued a statement asserting that “the available scientific evidence has not shown thimerosal-containing vaccines to be harmful.”   Their statement is false.   Following are some of the scientific studies that demonstrate thimerosal, a mercury-containing substance that is used as a preservative, to be harmful and to be a highly probably causal factor in autism.  Note that these studies are consistently ignored in the medical establishment’s publications claiming that there is no evidence for vaccine-caused autism.

Bernard S, Enayati A, Redwood L, Roger H, Binstock T.   Autism: a novel form of mercury poisoning. Med. Hypotheses. 2001 Apr;56(4):462-71. PMID: 11339848

Geier DA, Geier MR. An assessment of the impact of thimerosal on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Pediatr Rehabil. 2003 Apr-Jun;6(2):97-102.    PMID: 14534046

Geier MR, Geier DA.   Neurodevelopmental disorders after thimerosal-containing vaccines: a brief communication. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003 Jun;228(6):660-4.    PMID: 12773696

Geier & Geier. Parents' worries about thimerosal in vaccines are well founded! http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/eletters/112/6/1394

David Baskin, M.D. et al.   Thimerosal induces DNA breaks, caspase-3 activation, membrane damage, and cell death in cultured human neurons and fibroblasts. Toxicol Sci. 2003 Aug;74(2):361-8. Epub 2003 May 28.   PMID: 12773768

Mady Hornig, M.D Etiologic factors and pathogenesis of autism: evidence from  clinical studies and animal models. IOM presentation, Feb 9 2004 Audio only: http://www.iom.edu/view.asp?id=19108

Richard C. Deth, Ph.D. Effects of Mercury on Methionine Synthase: Implications for Disordered Methylation in Autism   DAN! 2003 Philadelphia - paper

Richard C. Deth, Ph.D.   A Link Between Thimerosal and the Brain: Can Vaccines Affect Central Nervous System Function?   Molecular Psychiatry 2004, Volume 9.  

Vojdani A, Pangborn JB et al.   Infections, toxic chemicals and dietary peptides binding to lymphocyte receptors and tissue enzymes are major instigators of autoimmunity in autism. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2003 Sep-Dec;16(3):189-99. PMID: 14611720

Jeff Bradstreet, M.D. A Case-control Study of Mercury Burden in Children with Autistic Disorders and Measles Virus Genomic RNA in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Children with Regressive Autism.   IOM presentation, Feb 9, 2004
Slides: http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/4705/17047/18065.aspx

Valsamakis A et al. style='mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>Altered virulence of vaccine strains of measles virus after prolonged style='mso-bidi-font-style: italic'>replication in human tissue. J Virol.  1999 73(10): 8791-7. PMID 10482633 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/73/10/8791.pdf

The CDC's original findings before the CDC began to manipulate the data, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act: High risk values for thimerosal injections and a range of neurologic problems, including ADHD, tics, language problems, and autism.   http://factsformedia.com/factsformedia/thimerosalstudy.pdf

Excerpts from CDC’s in-house conference: Thimerosal sequelae http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/library/IOM%20Simpsonwood%20in%20bold.pdf

Congressman, Dr. Weldon's letter to the CDC director, available at: http://momsonamissionforautism.org/Autism_Central/Dr_Weldon_Responds.shtml

Institute of Medicine presentation of Congressman Dave Weldon, M.D.
  http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/Weldon.pdf

Geier MR, Geier DA. Autism and thimerosal-containing vaccines: analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). IOM presentation, Feb 9, 2004.
  Slides: http://www.iom.edu/view.asp?id=18392
Audio: http://www.iom.edu/view.asp?id=19120

David Baskin, M.D. Relation of Neurotoxic Effects of Thimerosal to Autism. IOM presentation, Feb 9, 2004.  
Audio only: http://www.iom.edu/view.asp?id=19124

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