http://www.opposingviews.com/users/naa The mission of the National Autism Association is to educate and empower families affected by autism and other neurological disorders, while advocating on behalf of those who cannot fight for their own rights. We will educate society that autism is not a lifelong incurable genetic disorder but one that is biomedically definable and treatable. We will raise public and professional awareness of environmental toxins as causative factors in neurological damage that often results in an autism or related diagnosis. We will encourage those in the autism community to never give up in their search to help their loved ones reach their full potential, funding efforts toward this end through appropriate research for finding a cure for the neurological damage from which so many affected by autism suffer. http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/are-autism-and-vaccines-linked Over the last decade, autism has gone from a rare and misunderstood condition to a disorder that may affect as many as 1.5 million Americans. Without a clear explanation in sight, parents and doctors have worked tirelessly to pinpoint the cause of autism, but the answer remains elusive. Are vaccines the missing link? Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:47:05 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/are-autism-and-vaccines-linked http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-bottom-line Only epidemiological studies are used to dismiss the autism –vaccine connection, and these are not without their flaws. The cited studies using primates and actual mercury dosing reveal real concerns regarding the impact of mercury on the brain. NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:39 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-bottom-line http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/not-just-mercury Another toxic metal, aluminum, is used as an additive in many childhood vaccines. This includes 250 micrograms in the Hepatitis B vaccine administered at birth. At two months of age, a child could be exposed to 1,250 micrograms of aluminum from... NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:36 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/not-just-mercury http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-science-is-there 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... NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:33 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-science-is-there http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/denmark-didn-t-hit-the-mark The “no causal link” study most frequently cited is from Denmark (1). Denmark banned thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, in 1992 after health authorities realized the excessive amount of mercury exposure occurring through the use of... NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:26 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/denmark-didn-t-hit-the-mark http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/conflicts-of-interest-seem-to-outweigh-our-children-s-interest The science that says vaccines are not related to autism is based solely on large epidemiological, or statistical, studies. Problems with these studies include ties to organizations connected to the vaccine program. This type of influence makes it... NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:23 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/conflicts-of-interest-seem-to-outweigh-our-children-s-interest http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-autism-mercury-debate-is-far-from-over While the role of vaccines in autism has been argued for more than eight years, both sides of the debate claim that the science supports their position. Given the stunning increase in the autism rate from 1 in 10,000 children to 1 in 150 children... NAA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:41:15 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-autism-mercury-debate-is-far-from-over