Re: Any thoughts on this UK paper about mercury levels in urine?

February 19, 2012

I've only read this very quickly, but some initial thoughts:

how much hg you're excreting can have very little to do with how much is in you

causing damage. eg " This study makes no comparisons of brain mercury levels

between the two groups "

the paper methodology seems to want to dismiss outliers, which is exactly what

most of our kids are, although they do say at the end that these kids might be

worth looking at more closely.

the damage caused by hg in bolus doses doesn't just stop because the exposure

has stopped--it sets off a cascade of problems in children. none of that is

measure in urine excretion.

Anita

>

0029547-g001

>

> I'm not good at reading the diagrams. Apparently the ASD children and the

special school children had more mercury in their urine. I'mnotsure about the

classification of the children ie which group they were assigned to. Eg ASD

children might also be in special school.

>

> One group of children was much older than the others (special school) and

would have been affected by circulating pubertal hormones, I think.Also any

child in a special school, even if not diagnosed with an ASD, may have a

biological problem that might include problems with heavy metals.

>

> Also - can you assume anything about the effect of thiomersal in a baby when

you are only measuring their urinary mercury excretion once they are 8 -12 years

of age?

> Margaret

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