more on thimerosal

[Guest guest]

Hi all. In case you are interested in possibly more evidence linking thimerosal and autism, here is an email that was posted on another list I belong to. Gives you something to think about.

Marotta

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This was forwarded to me on a local (California) list, from RickRollens, co-founder of the MIND Institute at U.C. .

>> According to information released today by the California State>> Department of Developmental Services (DDS), California's>> developmental services system has just experienced the first ever>> nine month sustained reduction in the numbers of professionally>> diagnosed new cases of full syndrome autism being added to>> California's developmental services system.>>>> The data compares new intakes from the most current three consecutive>> quarterly periods (October 2003 through June 2004) to all other>> previous October through June time periods.>>>> Not only did the most recent three consecutive quarter period produce>> the first sustained reduction in the 35 year history of California's>> developmental services system (197 fewer new cases then the previous>> October through June period), but the most current recently completed>> quarter, April 2004 through June 2004, produced the all time largest>> reduction of any quarter (108 less cases) in the history of the system.>>>> DDS only reports professionally diagnosed cases of full syndrome DSM>> IV autism and DOES NOT include PDD, NOS, Asperger's Syndrome, or any>> other autism spectrum disorder in this reporting category. The>> numbers reported by DDS do not include children under the age of>> three years old.>>>> Historically, the four to six year old age group dominate the new>> intake population. Within the past few months, for the first time,>> children born in the years 1999 and 2000 are now entering the system.>>>> What makes this historic development of this very recent reduction in>> new cases of autism so important is that those children from the>> birth cohorts of 1999 and 2000 are now entering the system. First>> with the year 1999 and much more so with year 2000, these are the>> widely recognized first two years of the beginning of the serious>> effort to substantially reduce the amount of the mercury containing>> preservative Thimerisol in childhood vaccines.>>>> Could this be the beginning of the decline of the autism epidemic?>> Have we discovered a "smoking gun" environmental factor that has>> contributed to the epidemic?>>>> California, with the world's best record keeping system, is the de>> facto "canary in the coal mine" in tracking new cases of autism. In>> 1999 the first DDS report on autism established for the first time>> the existence of a growing autism epidemic. A report released by DDS>> in 2003 documented a doubling of the autism caseload from 1999-2002.>>>> Recently published groundbreaking research initiated and funded by>> the U.C. M.I.N.D. Institute, and conducted by Dr. Mady Hornig>> at Columbia University, has established a biological mechanism in an>> animal model that combines genetic susceptibility and Thimerisol>> poisoning which results in behaviors in the animal model very similar>> to human autistic behaviors. Autism like brain pathology was also>> discovered in these animals. Many more of these independent studies>> currently being conducted at M.I.N.D. and at other facilities around>> the world will shed more light on the viral/bacterial/toxin>> interaction with genetic susceptibilities in the coming months.>>>> Please see the DDS data below, and review the attachments which>> include an important chart and complete data spread sheet.>>>>>> # of new cases Increase over>> previous April though June>> three quarter>> period increase from>>>> previous year>>>>>> Oct. - Dec., 1999>> Jan. - March 2000 1331>> -->> -->>>> April - June 2000>>>> Oct. - Dec., 2000>> Jan. - March 2001 1930>> 599 176>> April - June 2001>>>> Oct. - Dec., 2001>> Jan. - March 2002 2314>> 384 182>> April - June 2002>>>> Oct. - Dec., 2002>> Jan. - March 2003 2391>> 77 -15>> April - June 2003>>>> Oct. - Dec. 2003>> Jan. - March 2004 2194>> -197 -108>> April. - June 2004>>>