Jim, I tried to reply to your last posting, but it didn't work, so am sending this

[Guest guest]

Jim,

I came across mention of the hep B study on the UK JABS forum today, not knowing that it had already been posted here a a few days ago. I guess I've had my head wrapped around report card writing recently, and have not been able to keep up with all of messages here lately. I then spent more time, trying to get my son to access the paper on line, using his university account, all to no avail. We were able to access the journal, but only much older articles. Later, doing a Google search, I was surprised to find the study in question posted on the Schafer Autism Report. Luckily, I accessed it and managed to print out a copy. That was a few hours ago. I don't know what happened afterward, but now it seems that the study is GONE from its previous address (file damaged, apparently).

Anyway, I was excited to find that someone had actually done a study about something I have been wondering about for the last few years. Here in Canada, children (infants) were receiving thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccines until cerca 2000, even though these were not listed on our official schedules. Our Health Canada manages to spew forth contradicting statements like they can't even tell they've put a foot into their own mouths. I am too tired to drudge up the links again, but only today I read some statements from them that our scheduled childhood vaccines have not had thimerosal in them since 1994. At the same time, I know that in the past, I have read that Health Canada was OK with thimerosal in infant hepatitis B vaccines, and saw no need to remove it, even in 1999. Thimerosal-free hepatitis B shots did not become licensed and even available in Canada, until after 1999, more like 2000/2001.

It would be interesting if someone could try and replicate Gallagher and Goodman's study here in Canada, especially in some of our larger cities where we have high numbers of Asian immigrants, whose children got hepatitis B vaccines, even though these vaccines were not routinely offerred to non-Asian children born in Canada during those same years.