New Scientific Evidence
Links Autism to Vaccines and Mercury
Ending
the Autism Epidemic Starts with Removal of Harmful Exposures, Says SafeMinds
Two
new papers published this week in the peer-reviewed neuroscience journal Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis point
to vaccines and heavy metal toxins including mercury as causes of the alarming
rise in autism. The Centers for Disease Control now estimate autism to affect
one in 110 children, up 40% from just a few years ago.
"The
rapid increase in autism cannot be explained solely by changes in diagnostic
practices and awareness," said Sallie Bernard, president of SafeMinds. "We must
look at what babies and pregnant women are being exposed to that has created
this epidemic and take immediate steps to protect our children from these
hazardous substances."
In the first study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Thoughtful
House in Austin, Texas compared two sets of macaque infant monkeys. One set of monkeys was unvaccinated while the
second set received vaccines identical to the 1990s pediatric vaccine schedule,
most of which contained mercury. Infant macaques were used due to their
similarity to human infants. Macaques share 93.5% of the DNA found in the human
genome.
The
contrasting results were remarkable. The vaccinated monkeys showed increased
brain growth, which the authors theorize may arise from the inability to prune
neurons. Larger head size is a hallmark of human infants who later develop
autism. The vaccinated primates also showed a different rate of maturation of
the amygdala section of the brain than the non-vaccinated monkeys. Amygdala
dysfunction has been long implicated in autism. The amygdala region is
responsible for emotions, memory and learning. Individuals with autism often
struggle in these areas.
In the second paper, two scientists from the University of Northern Iowa made a
critical appraisal of research that has been used to disprove a link between
autism and heavy metals, and mercury in particular. They found statistical
errors in several studies so that a re-analysis of the data demonstrated a
greater presence of metals in autistic children than controls. The authors
calculated that 43 out of 58 scientific reports suggest some link between heavy
metals and autism may be present, while 13 reports suggest no link. They concluded that while questions remain,
"the weight of evidence favor[s] a connection."
SafeMinds
is calling for the United States government to pass legislation banning mercury
in vaccines as has been done already by many states, based upon these two new
significant articles and the growing scientific literature casting doubt on the
safety of the infant vaccine schedule and of exposures to heavy metals
including mercury. Most influenza vaccines contain mercury. SafeMinds also asks
Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 so that harmful chemical
substances like mercury in medical products will be discontinued when proof of
safety is absent.
"While
we wait for the government to act, the public can take steps to limit their
exposures to toxicants which can alter fetal and infant development leading to
developmental disabilities like autism," said Ms. Bernard. "The public can
refuse vaccines made with mercury, can make choices for their child's vaccine
schedule, and can create homes that are largely mercury-free."
For more information.
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