Are Autism and Vaccines Linked?

Recommend (2) Comments (3)

For those who believe vaccines do correspond with the increase in autism, there is significant evidence. Mercury, unquestionably, is one of the earth’s most potent neurotoxins. Although some claim that only miniscule amounts of mercury were added to vaccines and pose no danger, anyone who analyzes a multi-dose vaccine vial knows that the Hepatitis B vaccine, administered at birth for over ten years, contained 25,000 ppb (parts per billion) of mercury in the multi-dose vial. The multi-dose DTP and Haemophilus B vaccine vials, administered 4 times each in the 1990s to children at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months of age, contained 50,000 ppb of mercury. According to the EPA, any liquid that contains more than 200 ppb of mercury is classified as hazardous waste based on toxicity characteristics (3). A rational person would not consider these to be small amounts.

There are currently eleven published, peer-reviewed papers, which discuss neuroinflammatory (swelling of the brain) disease as the underlying medical condition of autism. Chronic microglia activation is recognized as an important component of neurodegenerative disease and neuroinflammation and contributes to neuronal dysfunction and injury. The recognition of microglia as the brain's immune system and the understanding that chronic activation of this system leads to pathological consequences, has been the primary explanation for what is currently known as neuroinflammation (4). In a recent study, brain tissue was obtained during autopsy from autistic patients. The author's data demonstrates an active neuroinflammatory process in the cerebral cortex, white matter and in the cerebellum of autistic patients (5). Immunocytochemical studies showed marked activation of the microglia cells.
 
Studies show that Macaca fascicularis primates that were dosed with chronic levels of methylmercury continued to accumulate inorganic mercury in the brain six months after the methylmercury dosing stopped. These primates showed a significant increase in microglial activity in the brain. Results from mercury dosing of the brain in these primates demonstrated that methylmercury concentration plateaued at about 12 months while the inorganic mercury fraction, derived from the demethylation of methylmercury continued to increase 6 months later. Autometallographic determination of the distribution of inorganic mercury by cell types showed microglial and astroglial cells contained significantly more inorganic mercury deposits relative to other cells. This data suggests that inorganic mercury present in the brain is the toxic agent and is responsible for the changes in the microglial and astroglial population (6).

In another study, infant Macaca fascicularis primates were exposed to injected ethylmercury and equal amounts of ingested methylmercury. Primates exposed to the ethylmercury retained twice as much inorganic mercury in their brains in comparison to the methylmercury-exposed primates (7). These primates were exposed to mercury levels at a rate equal to what children in the United States received via standard childhood vaccines from 1991- 2003. This study did not take into account additional ethylmercury exposure from Rho D immunoglobulin injections that children of Rh negative mothers might have received during pregnancy nor does it look at mercury excretion issues.