Screaming Eagle Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Wed Jan 30, 5:09 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The mercury in a vaccine preservative is pumped out of a baby's body too quickly for it to do any damage, researchers reported on Wednesday in a study they say should further absolve shots of causing autism. ADVERTISEMENT The study in the journal Pediatrics reinforces what many vaccine experts have said for years -- that the form of mercury found in the preservative is handled differently by the body than the kind found in pollution and contaminated fish. "It takes a certain amount of time and a certain concentration ... to make it into the brain," Dr. Michael Pichichero of the University of Rochester in New York, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. Thimerosal is widely used to preserve vaccines and is made from a kind of mercury called ethyl mercury. It allows vaccines to be distributed in multi-dose containers. "The World Health Organization has continued to sanction the use of thimerosal in vaccines because it has proven to save many lives by preventing bacterial contamination," said Pichichero, who has served as a consultant to several vaccine manufacturers and the WHO. Many studies have shown thimerosal is safe, but some vocal groups have continued to lobby against its use and it has been removed from all childhood vaccines in the United States except for some influenza vaccines. Pichichero's team studied 216 infants from R. Gutierrez Children's Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where thimerosal is still routinely used in vaccines. They were divided into three age groups to have their blood-mercury levels tested before and after they were immunized at their newborn, 2- or 6-month checkups. Blood tests showed the half-life of ethyl mercury -- the time it takes for the body to dispose of half of it -- was 3.7 days. The more dangerous methyl mercury, known to damage nerves, has a half-life of 44 days. GONE TOO FAST "Until recently, that longer half-life was assumed to be the rule for both types of mercury," Pichichero said. "Now it's obvious that ethyl mercury's short half-life prevents toxic build-up from occurring. It's just gone too fast." The blood tests also showed most of the infants had methyl mercury in their blood, at safe levels, before they were ever vaccinated, he said. Autism is marked by a variety of difficulties in social interaction and behavior, from the awkwardness of Asperger syndrome to severely debilitating repetitive behaviors and an inability to speak. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 150 children has autism or a related disorder in the United States. Experts know genes play an important role. Because autism is often diagnosed in toddlers, who also have undergone a battery of childhood immunizations, some advocacy groups argue that the vaccines may have caused the condition. The U.S. Institute of Medicine reported in 2004 that no link could be found between vaccines and autism and took the unusual step of urging researchers to look elsewhere for a cause. The U.S. debate was renewed because ABC television is planning to debut a new legal drama this week with an episode in which a jury finds that a mercury-based preservative in a vaccine caused a child's autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics asked ABC to cancel the show but the network has refused. In a separate study on Wednesday, a team at the University of Washington's Autism Center reported that children with autism have normal-size heads at birth but develop accelerated head growth between six and nine months of age. (Editing by Will Dunham and John O'Callaghan Link to comment
Clovis Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I don't know if there is a connection or not. If there is why don't the people in their 30's or so have a marked increase? Has the formula changed? Is it that along with other things or a build up of too many? I'm not saying there couldn't be just wondering why it's just now exploding so badly. I do know that there are terrible side effects of vaccines. My nephew (now late 20s) had his 3 month shots and witin a few hours was running a high fever and had gone blind. I don't remember how it was discovered but his doctors said there was definately a link. I am up in the air about vaccines. For some things they may be a good things, but things like chicken pox? I think kids need to get a few things to build up NATURAL immunity. Too many people have no immunity to anything any more, either from vaccines as a child that have worn off in adulthood or mutation of germs. I know autism can be a devistaing thing and truly hope there is no link, but until it's proven one way or the other I'm sure they'll keep right on giving vaccines. Link to comment
Mother Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have but one question to ask about this. Who funded those studies? ((( ))) Link to comment
Screaming Eagle Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Sharp eye, Mother. It says the U. of Rochester conducted them but that doesn't tell us who was behind it financially. Might want to search at the University site for details. Link to comment
TXQFMom Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 ***** I don't know if there is a connection or not. If there is why don't the people in their 30's or so have a marked increase? Has the formula changed? Is it that along with other things or a build up of too many? I'm not saying there couldn't be just wondering why it's just now exploding so badly. ***** For one thing the number of shots given has risen DRAMATICALLY and they are begun at younger ages. http://www.cispimmunize.org/IZSchedule_Childhood.pdf The 2008 recommendation list includes - 26 vaccines (injections) covering 14 diseases by the age of 18 MONTHS! Link to comment
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