Very Important 3 New Studies on Mercury and Autism

[Guest guest]

Very Important 3 New Studies on Mercury and Autism

This update is from Dr. Mark Geier & Geier

This is a status update regarding the continuing avalanche of

ever increasing numbers of studies that are emphatically supporting

and extending the theory that mercury exposure, and particularly,

mercury exposure from Thimerosal-containing vaccines plays a

significant role in causing autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

First, and perhaps most importantly, is the first

epidemiological peer-reviewed study on US children (other than our own

extensive body of peer-reviewed studies) to show a statistically

significant increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders following

exposure to increasing doses of mercury from Thimerosal-containing

childhood vaccines. This study is attached to this email saved as

Hepatitis B triple series vaccine and developmental disability in US

children aged 1-9 years1 in Adobe Acrobat Format.

http://www.sarnet.org/lib/hepBdds.pdf

This study was published in the journal of Toxicological and

Environmental Chemistry by newly published researchers on Thimerosal

from the School of Public Health, Stony Brook University Medical

Center, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony

Brook.

These researchers reported their, " study investigated the

association between the hepatitis B triple serieis vaccination in

children age 1-9 years and developmental disability, proxied by

parental report of early intervention or special education services

(EIS) in the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey (NHANES). "

Further, they stated, " while this study uses EIS as a proxy for

developmental disability in general, but not specifically autism,

autism mertis consideration because it is a develpmental disorder with

recent notable impacts on EIS. The number of children receiving

special education services for autism increased 500% from 1991/92 to

1998/99 (CDC 2007b). "

Finally, " vaccination with hepatitis B triple series vaccine

during the time period vaccines were manufactured with Thimerosal

exposed newborns and infants to ethylHg (CDC 2000). By using NHANES

1999-2000 data for children age 1-9 years of age, children who were

candidates for the Thimerosal-containing triple series hepatitis B

vaccine were included in the study sample. The eldest children who

received the triple series hepatitis B vaccine would have been

vaccinated during 1991, the first year that the thimerosal-containing

vaccine was recommended for newborns (CDC 1991), while the youngest

children would have been vaccinated during 1999, the last full year of

known access to only Thimerosal-containing vaccines (CDC 2000). "

These researchers reported, " The study sample data set was

obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

(NHANES) 1999-2000 data set, which included a total of 9965

participants - both adults and children. NHANES is a cross-sectional,

random household survey of the civilian population based on a complex

probability sampling design. The survey is a continous program of the

National Center for Health Statistics (CHS), which is a part of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NHANES provides

information about the distribution of health problems and risk factors

that contribute to poor health outcomes. In addition to conducting

interview of almost 10,000 persons per year, the survey examines a

nationally representative of about 5000 persons each year. The sample

for the survey is selected to represent the US population of all

ages...Epidemiologists and health science researchers use NHANES data

to generate findings that provide guidance for public health policy

development and health program design. NHANES data provide researchers

with important clues to the causes of disease (CDC 2004a). "

In the present study, the researchers examined the status of

hepatitis B vaccination among the participants examined. A total of

1,824 observations included children aged 1-9 years of age and with

parents who answered either 'yes' or 'no' to the survey questions,

" Does your child receive Special Education or Early Intervention

Services? " Participants were evaluated that had either received a full

course of hepatitis B vaccination or were unvaccinated, and a number

of other variables were considered in evaluating the children. The

researchers conducted statistical analyses using SAS, and analytical

methods employed were those previously suggested by the NCHS of the CDC.

These researchers reported regarding their findings, " the odds

of receiving EIS were approximately nine times as great for

vaccination boys (n=46) as for unvaccinated boys (n=7) after

adjustment for confounders. "

The researchers strongly concluded, " This study contributes to

answering an unresolved question of the Institute of Medicine's

(IOM's) 2001 Immunization Safety Review (IOM 2001) as well as the same

question not addressed by the IOM's 2004 review (IOM 2004), namely,

whether there is an association between thimerosal-containing vaccines

and neurodevelopmental disorders, in general (McCormick 2004). As did

the IOM in their 2004 study, et al. (2004) more specifically

concluded that studies did not demonstrate a link between

thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, and cited supporting

evidence from cohort studies conducted in the United Kingdom (UK),

Denmark, and Sweden. However, unlike the United States, past (CDC

1991; CDC 1998) and present (CDC 2006b), these countries' vaccination

schedules do not recommend universal vaccination of newborns with the

Hepatitis B vaccine (ECDC 2006a, . Sweden recommends that Hepatitis

B be given at birth only to infants of mothers positive for Hepatitis

B (ECDC 2006c). In 1998, the UK vaccinated newborns with the Hepatitis

B vaccine, but again, only to infants of mothers positive for

Hepatitis B (Ovetchkine and Reinert 1998). Thus, it is reasonable to

question the applicability of findings from the UK, Denmark and Sweden

studies to the US immunized pediatric population. This study found

statistically significant evidence of an association between the

thimerosal-containing Hepatitis B triple series vaccine and EIS, a

proxy for developmental disability. Although Hepatitis B vaccines

administered to children in United States no longer contain

thimerosal, those administered to children in developing countries

without the means to prepare single dose vials do contain thimerosal

(WHO 2004, 2006). Moreover, influenza vaccines distributed in United

States do contain thimerosal (CDC 2006a). Thus, children's previous

and potential future exposure to thimerosal remains an important

public health concern. Future research should (1) examine how public

health efforts might better identify harmful exposures and susceptible

children; (2) institute effective protective and quality improvement

measures; (3) conduct cost-benefit analyses that more comprehensively

consider the costs and more accurately assess the risks for the US

population of children, especially subpopulations of susceptible

children. "

Second, a study, " Vaccine Preservative, Thimerosal, Causes

Wide-Spread Neurodevelopmental Disturbances in Young Rats " by

Researchers from University of Warsaw, Dpartment of Pharmacology,

Institute of of Psychiatry and Neurology, including the Marie Curie

Chair, European Union, was presented at the International Conference

on Autism and Vaccinations: Is There a Link? at the University of

Warsaw (October 25-26, 2008). http://www.sarnet.org/lib/thimrats.pdf

We attended this conference and had meetings with many of the

researchers from various European countries (including Poland,

Germany, England, and France), as well as US researchers, presenting

evidence of the role of mercury, and in particular, Thimerosal, as a

causal factor for autistic disorders. A copy of an abstract from the

above cited study published in the conference proceedings is attached

to this email saved as Vaccine Preservative Thimerosal Causes Wide

Spread Neurodevelopmental Disturbances in Young Rats1.pdf in Adobe

Acrobat Format.

These researchers described, " in this study, we examined the

potential neurotoxic effects of Thimerosal, which was administered to

rat pups i.m. on postnatal days 7, 9, 11, 14 in four equal doses,

mimicking infants' immunization scheme. We monitored mercury

distribution to different organs, general animal development,

conducted several behavioral tests and examined the brains for

neuropthaological changes. The following evahvioral tests were chosen

to monitor alterations of rats' beavior in the context of beahviors

observed in Autism Spectrum Disorders: motor acitivity in the open

field, pain reaction and pain sensitivity (hot plate), sociation

interactions, learning and memory (water maze). Brain hisopathological

obsercations (H & E and immunohistochemsitry - GFAP, neurofilaments,

synaptophysins) were carried out as well. "

These researchers observed, " mercury from postnatally

administered Thimerosal accumulated in several organs and remained

there in large amounts for at least 30 days...The brain contained

13-18% of the amount of mercury originally injected i.m., calculated

per tissue/body weight. Mercury remained in the brain in significant

amounts at least for 30 days after Thimerosal injection. "

Further, " the animals exposed postnatally to Thimerosal had

noticeably impaired locomotor acitivity. They were significantly

slower in the open field and in water maze, and exhibited more anxiety

than control rats. They had markedly impaired pain reactions, measured

in hot plate test and their social interactions were disturbed. "

Finally, " the brain weights of Thimerosal injected rats were

signficantly reduced and there were wide spread morphological and

pathological changes in several brain regioins, particularly in the

cerebral cortex, striatum, amygdale, hippocampus and the cerebellum.

These researchers concluded, " the multiple behavioral and

neuropathological changes observed in young rats exposed postnally to

Thimerosal confirm that this vaccine preservative is neurotoxic to the

developing mammalian organisms. As such it could be responsible, in

part, for the brain and other organs damage in children, exposed to it

in many vaccines. "

Third, we have attached to this email a copy of a new

peer-reviewed study (in press) from the journal of Environmental

Health saved as Feeding Mice with Diets Containing Low Dose

Methylmercury-Fish & Adverse Effects1 in Adobe Acrobat Format.

http://www.sarnet.org/lib/mercmice.pdf The importance of this study

is that it examines very, very low dose exposure to postnatal

methylmercury dosing and its effects on behavioral testing, brain and

other organ pathology (as measured by gene expression), and

mitochondrial dysfucntion in mice. The dosing regiments resulted in

brain levels of mercury as follow: Low Dose = 5 parts-per-billion

(equal to the amount of mercury presumed to present in Hornig et al.'s

mouse model of Thimerosal induced autism, and 10-fold lower than that

present in the brain of Burbacher et al.'s infant monkeys dosed with

Thimerosal-containing vaccines mimicking the US childhood vaccine

schedule.

Medium Dose = 63 parts-per-billion (about equal to the brain

mercury level present in Burbacher et al.'s Thimerosal-exposed infant

monkeys) High Dose = 299 parts-per-billion (about 5-fold higher to

the mercury level present in the brain of Burbacher et al.'s

Thimerosal-exposed infant monkeys, and within a few fold of the brain

mercury level of Burbacher et al.'s methylmercury exposed infant monkeys).

These researchers observed that mercury expoure at all the

levels examined induced significant differences in gene expression

related to mitochondrial metabolism, oxidiative stress, detoxication

processes, and cellular apoptosis. It was observed in the hippocampus

region of the brain (a key damaged area in autism) that the moderate

dose of mercury exposure significantly induced up-regulation of genes

associated with oxidative stress, detoxification processes, and

cellular apoptosis (i.e. cell programmed death).

Further, these researchers observed that significant

mitochondrial dysfunction was observed even in the low dose exposure

group, and that the type of damage that occured involved cytochrome c

oxidase (a key component of electron transport in the mitochondrial),

which previously reported to be abnormal in many children diagnosed

with autistic disorders.

Finally, these researchers observed that in the low and moderate

dose groups significant negative impacts were observed in behaviors as

measured in a large battery of beavhioral measurements.

[Guest guest]

The MERCURY DEBATE.. has long since NOT been a debate. Those that wish

to believe that scientific evidence proves nothing.. can thing that if

they may.. so keep your insults to yourseves * to the cynic's and

critics * . We've known for quite some time that this team of Doctos

has been working hard on the effects of Thimerosal. I do believe they

deserve a round of applause and a 'Thank You' from all.. even those who

have forgotton how to thank people that are helping their kids in

whatever way they can. I do think that we all must remember that there

is no blood test for Autism/ASD;s. Criteria has been sharpened and as

awareness arose so did the numbers.. but the arose so high that it's

literally rediculous. Some have mocked me for using the terms "

EPIDEMIC and PANDEMIC " ... of course Autism is not a plague. And

while I certainly understand that some high functioning kids are doing

great.. I also know that some parents need to understand there are kids

with Autism that ARE locked up, that ARE biting and hitting themselves

day and night.. there are hundreds of thousands with improper

educations. I think it's Time the Dad and Son Grier family tem goes

before congress.. but with a new administrations. Should be

interesting to see.. especially now that the word " Autism ' is known

well by the president elect as he debated over it.. It's a season for

change and its all we can hope for. I hope all is well with everyone's

educational program. If need be you can contact me at

Peace4kids@.... Peace be with you,

E. , Sr.

Dir/Advocate The Office of Advocacy for Autistic Childen

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