a dentist's view

[Guest guest]

Comments from a dental discussion group in oral medicine forwarded without

comment. Could anyone send this to Boyd Haley?

Mercury as a cause of autism and autism spectrum disorders: a failed

speculatioin (sic)

Yesterday's Archives of General Psychiatry had yet another well-designed and

convincing study that demonstrated no link between mercury, in this case in

thimerosal (used as a preservative in vaccines), to either the incidence or

prevalence of autism. Thimerosal was removed from vaccines circa 1999-2000.

Briefly, Schechter and Gether show that rise in reported cases of autism in

California, one of the most populous states, continued despite this removal. A

number of other relevant studies are discussed by Dr. Gorski, below, and in the

Schechter and Gether paper, and the accompanying editorial.

The speculation that autism, and associated conditions, was linked to all forms

of mercury, has been spread widely by anti-mercury activists. Historically this

goes back to the neo-anti-amalgamists of the early 80's and has been propagated

by a number of individuals, most prominently Boyd Haley, a chemist at the

University of Kentucky. Parenthetically, most of Haley's scientific experience

or experimental has little to do with mercury. Haley was one of the

anti-mercury, anti-amalgam advocates who expanded the unproven speculations

about mercury into the arena of vaccine preservatives. Other unproven claims,

including mercury as a cause of alleged " bone cavitations " , a subject of much

discussion on this list, abound.

Schechter R and JK Grether (2008).

Continuing Increases in Autism Reported to California's Developmental Services

System.

Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 65: 19-24.

An accompanying editorial by a respected autism researcher, Frombonne of

Montreal Children's Hospital, should also be read.

Fombonne E (2008).

Thimerosal disappears but autism remains.

Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 65: 15-6

Frombonne comments on some of the questionable " research " done to support the

thimerosal speculations, and lists some of the things done to autistic children

based on the alleged mercury etiology of autism.

In my experience these include: weird diets, massive infusions of gamma

globulin, treatment with gonadotropin releasing factor inhibitors, chelation

treatments, sweat boxes, and more. Hundreds of children have reportedly had

fillings removed and/or been chelated to " treat " their autism. Two years ago a

5 year-old autistic child (Nadama case) reportedly died in County

Pennsylvania while being chelated with disodium EDTA. That case is currently

being litigated, by the Pennsylvania Medical Board (alleged unprofessional

conduct), by the child's parents (alleged wrongful death), and by the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (alleged manslaughter).

Most importantly, the anti-thimerosal campaign translated into non-vaccination

by thousands of parents. World-wide this has had tragic consequences already,

and has created a pool of susceptible children and young adults who are missing

essential vaccinations, which will likely be a public health problem for years

to come.

For an enlightened review of the issue at a new website

(www.sciencebaedmedicine.org) devoted to critical analysis of issues in modern

medicine see:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=14

by Gorski, MD

" One of the most pernicious medical myths of recent years has been the claim,

promulgated by a subgroup of parents of autistic children and facilitated by

scientists of dubious repute, that somehow the mercury in the thimerosal (ethyl

mercury) preservative used in common childhood vaccines in the U.S. until early

2002 causes autism...... "

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bill domb