The Word Is Already Out: No Causal Association Between Early Exposure to Mercury and Neuropsychological Outcomes
Jenny McCarthy has stated that she “believes that childhood vaccinations may play a part” in causing autism; it indeed seems that nary a day goes by without hearing a report about a parent saying that their child became autistic after receiving a vaccine (as Generation Rescue Angel Anne Dachel notes in the September 25th WEAU news). McCarthy seems to be referring to a specific vaccine—she has referred to the MMR vaccine as the “autism shot“; Dachel, and many others, have stated that it is thimerasol, a mercury-based preservative, that causes autism. Research to be published in the September 27th New England Journal of Medicine does not support a link between early thimerasol exposure and neuropsychological deficits in children.
Safe Minds Executive Director Sallie Bernard is listed as an external consultant and dissenting member of the study. Safe Minds has already issued a press release stating that the NEJM “draws a misleading conclusion.” From the Safe Minds press release:
“Early Thimerosal Exposure and Neuropsychological Outcomes at 7 to 10 Years,” appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM, 9/27/07 issue), concludes that the study “does not support a causal association” between thimerosal and neuropsychological outcomes in children. The conclusion misleads the public, implying without qualification that a relationship has been disproved. In fact, “the study was unable to prove either the presence or absence of a causal relationship,” noted Bernard, the panel’s only consumer representative.
That Bernard should state such a conclusion is no surprise; Safe Minds “focuses on the role of mercury in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.” Through its press release, Safe Minds and others who believe in a mercury-autism link have preempted the actual publication of the study and put out a message to the public about the study that might, in and of itself, be misleading. Earlier today (September 26th), a post on Adventures in Autism included commentary on the NEJM study by Bob Krakow of A-CHAMP; information about the study had been provided by, it was noted, an “advocate from our own community” who was an “external consultant to the study” (this would seem to be Bernard).
My review of the study will appear tomorrow.
13 opinions for The Word Is Already Out: No Causal Association Between Early Exposure to Mercury and Neuropsychological Outcomes
Robin H. Morris
Sep 26, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Then how can they scientifically explain all 4 of my quadruplets receiving the MMR vaccine and only one with autsim?
MJ
Sep 26, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Robin - are they identical or fraternal? With multiples that makes all the difference in the world.
My (identical) twins are both autistic which means that there is an over 90 percent chance of them both having autism. Whereas if they are fraternal there is slightly higher than average chance of that happening.
With quads you normally have a combination of fraternal and identical, so is it possible the one with autism doesn’t have an identical sibling?
Although I have to say - I don’t know how you managed with 4 - two at once was a handful.
As to the study published today, it has nothing to do with autism or any link to autism. An excerpt from the study -
“Our study did not examine the possible association between autism and exposure to mercury from vaccines and immune globulins.”
Major news outlets are already promoting this study as “proving” that there is no relation between autism and vaccine when that is clearly that is not the case. For example :
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Germs/story?id=3655803&page=1
So is it any surprise that the “other side” is attempting to counter the inaccurate PR campaign?
Moi ;)
Sep 26, 2007 at 9:39 pm
It’s Not Autism. It’s “Autism” - aka mercury poisoning. And Mercury isn’t in the MMR vaccine….
Sigh.
Moi ;)
Sep 26, 2007 at 9:40 pm
BTW Kristina, do you know who paid for that study? I don’t think twice about ANY study unless I know how it was funded.
Moi ;)
Sep 26, 2007 at 9:43 pm
OK, duh, we are talking CDC. Does anyone believe ANYTHING the government tells them any more? I mean, they allow lead, poison dog food, and all kinds of crap from China to come into the country….
Kristina Chew, PhD
Sep 26, 2007 at 11:47 pm
From the endnotes: “The findings and conclusions in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.”
No Causal Association Between Early Exposure to Mercury and Neuropsychological Outcomes
Sep 27, 2007 at 12:01 am
[…] the authors of the study clearly state its parameters and, too, its limitations, news sources and some autism organizations (those that claim that autism is really “mercury poisoning”) are packaging the study as […]
Joseph
Sep 28, 2007 at 9:06 am
Then how can they scientifically explain all 4 of my quadruplets receiving the MMR vaccine and only one with autsim?
Are they identical quadruplets? (That’s very rare, isn’t it?)
Joseph
Sep 28, 2007 at 9:08 am
In terms of conflict of interest, the CDC went out of its way to make things as transparent as possible. They hired independent consultants. Sallie Bernard, of SafeMinds, participated in the study as a consultant. She only dissented *after* the results came in.
long day's journey into acceptance
Sep 28, 2007 at 10:50 am
Plus, “identicals” aren’t really identical .. owing to epigenetics and such.
long day's journey into acceptance
Sep 28, 2007 at 10:55 am
Run, Sally, run. Takes her sealedMind and runs home. Mad, Sally, mad. Has her secretary send out inane press releases. Says she’s ready for her close-up now.
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