Mercury & Autism

Thimerosal From Vaccines. Thimerosal is 49.6% ethylmercury by volume. It is highly neurotoxic. Before 1986, children received a total maximum dose of ethylmercury of 100 micrograms in the first two years of life. By 1991, this dose was up to 246 micrograms in the first 2 years of life, an increase of 246%. This dose was largely maintained between 1991 and 2001, and continued well into 2002 as inventories of ethlymercury-containing vaccines were worked down. The primary drivers of the increased dosing were the introduction of the Hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B) and the Haemophilus Influenzae Type B vaccine (Hib).

Of more concern, the ethlymercury received in the first 6 months of life grew from a maximum of 75 micrograms before 1986 to 187.5 micrograms by 1991, an increase of 250%. The younger an infant is, the less capable they are of processing mercury due to an undeveloped renal system. Hep B, introduced in 1990, was mandated to be given on the first day of life. Also, the practice of giving multiple vaccine doses during single visits became more widespread, which creates a more toxic body burden of mercury on a single day.

None of these figures include the ethlymercury exposure from flu shots, which typically have 25 micrograms of ethylmercury by themselves (and most still do).

One of the big challenges in evaluating the impact of Thimerosal on our children is that its increase occurred simultaneously with an increase in vaccines overall: from 10 in the mid-1980s to 36 today for children under 5. Are there other things in vaccines, when so many are given, that are dangerous to certain children? We believe there are, but no testing has ever been done to confirm this, or evaluate the safety of tripling the vaccine schedule.

Please note: the notion that mercury has been removed from the childhood immunization schedule is simply untrue, as you can read in our section, Battling Misinformation.

Mom's Toxic Mercury Load. Many mothers of mercury-poisoned children are themselves mercury toxic. Mercury in the mother is passed to the child during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. Primary contributors to a mother's toxic load, in order of likely impact, include:

1. Any Vaccines Received During Pregnancy. Most likely vaccines mothers receive during pregnancy include the RhoGAM shot (for women who are Rh-negative) and the flu shot. "RhoGAM Moms" are approximately 15% of the general population but 49% of the population of mothers of autistic children.
2. Dental Mercury Amalgams. "Silver Fillings" contain mercury and are toxic to the body. The more fillings someone has, the higher a mercury load they have in their body. Mercury Amalgams should be removed safely. Learn more and find a mercury-free dentists at www.iaomt.org.
3. Other Vaccinations Received Prior to Pregnancy. Thimerosal-containing vaccines administered due to international travel, illness, or annual flu shots would all contribute to mercury body burden.
4. Fish Consumption Before and During Pregnancy. Unfortunately, most fish contain mercury and fish consumption during pregnancy is not recommended.

Synergistic Toxins. "Synergistic Toxins" are toxins that enhance the toxicity of mercury. The most common synergistic toxins to mercury that children are exposed to include:

1. Antibiotics. Many children diagnosed with autism have a history of multiple rounds of antibiotics for ear infections. Antibiotics are a synergistic toxin with mercury and also damage the gut flora of the intestine, which is one of the primary means the body uses to excrete mercury. A mother who receives antibiotics during pregnancy in combination with her own mercury body burden would create the same impact on the fetus.
2. Aluminum. Aluminum is another toxic metal found in vaccines. The combination of aluminum means that toxicity goes from 1+1=2 to 1+1=60 or more.
3. Testosterone. Testosterone accelerates mercury's toxicity and helps explain why approximately 90% of the cases of autism are male.

Here is Donald Miller, M.D. Professor of Surgery, University of Washington, discussing aluminum and synergistic toxicity:

"Another important factor with regard to mercury on the mind, which officials at the CDC, FDA and the professors in the IOM do not consider, is synergistic toxicity - mercury's enhanced effect when other poisons are present. A small dose of mercury that kills 1 in 100 rats and a dose of aluminum that will kill 1 in 100 rats, when combined have a striking effect: all the rats die. Doses of mercury that have a 1 percent mortality will have a 100 percent mortality rate if some aluminum is there. Vaccines contain aluminum."

Here is Boyd Haley, Ph.D. and Chair of the Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, discussing testosterone and synergistic toxicity:

"One of the conundrums of autism is why there is an approximate ratio of four boys to every girl who gets this disease. Dr. Lovell therefore tested the possibility that this could be hormone related. The latest results were quite marked in their effects. Neurons that were pre-incubated with estrogen demonstrated substantial protection against thimerosal-induced neuron death. In contrast, the addition of testosterone caused a very large increase in thimerosal-induced neuron death. A low nanomolar level of thimerosal that gave less than 5 percent neuron death in three hours could be increased to 100 percent cell death by the addition of one micromolar level of testosterone. Testosterone alone at this level also showed less than 5 percent cell death. The opposing effects of estrogen and testosterone may explain the gender-based four-to-one ratio. Most important, the tremendous enhancement of thimerosal toxicity by testosterone points out the impact of synergistic effects when addressing mercury toxicity."

A Child's Own Dental Mercury Amalgams. Per the above, dental mercury amalgams are not safe and should be removed by a mercury-free dentist.

High Seafood Consumption. Per the above, most fish do contain mercury. For children, canned tuna is the most commonly consumed product and should be avoided.

Other. Broken thermometers or fluorescent tube lights, living near a coal-burning plant, consuming toxic soil, consuming batteries are all examples of the many other ways a child may be exposed to mercury.