TUESDAY JAN 8, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) - New research from the State Public Health Department suggests that vaccine preservatives may not play a role in the development of autism. This is because the rates of the disorder continued to increase in California despite removing the preservative thimerosal from the vaccines seven years ago.  

The study period in question lasted from 1995 to 2007. It may be mentioned here that the mercury-based thimerosal was withdrawn from vaccines in 2001. Several studies have suggested a link between vaccines containing thimerosal and the development of autism.  

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects learning and social interaction ability in children. Because mercury is a nerve irritant, it was thought that vaccines containing the chemical somehow played a role in autism.  

The current study is published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, a publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

"If thimerosal exposure is a primary cause of autism, then the prevalence of autism would be predicted to decrease, as young children's exposure to thimerosal has sharply decreased to its lowest levels in decades," said lead author Robert Schechter, a medical officer with the California Department of Health Services.

Ideally if there was a link between autism and thimerosal, then autism rates should have declined after 2001. That has unfortunately not happened. There were 0.6 autism cases per 1,000 live births in 1995. This number jumped to 4.1 cases per 1,000 live births in 2007.

Canadian autism researcher Dr. Eric Fombonne said in an editorial accompanying the stdy that parents should be reassured by these findings.

Geraldine Dawson of Autism Speaks agreed with Dr Fombonne.   "The bulk of the evidence thus far suggests that mercury is not involved, but I think parents still have many questions," Dawson said. "I think until parents are satisfied, we need to continue to examine the question."

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that at least 1 in 150 children continued to suffer from autism in the United States. Number wise 300,000 children aged 4 to 17 had the disorder in 2004.

However, this study can not exclude the possibility that vaccines, but not the vaccine preservative have something to do with the increased risk of autism.  Observations have beeb reported that autism is rare or nearly non-existant in Amish community in which no children receive any vaccine.

Editor's note:

Those who consider using vaccines in their children should not take it for granted.  No one could guarantee that it is safe for your kids. That is why the federal government sets up a system that handles the cases of injuries resulting from administration of a variety of vaccines. In all states 3 except one, concerned parents can request a waiver for mandated vaccination based on the religious and philosophical beliefs.