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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/2/213632.shtml

A new study shows that autism may be linked after all
to the use of mercury in childhood vaccines, despite
government's previous claims to the contrary.

An article in the March 10, 2006, issue of the Journal
of American Physicians and Surgeons shows that since
mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the
alarming increase in reported rates of autism and
other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not
only stopped, but actually dropped sharply - by as
much as 35 percent.

Using the government's own databases, independent
researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs,
including autism, before and after removal of
mercury-based preservatives. Authors David A. Geier,
B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. analyze data from
the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS) and the California Department of Developmental
Services (CDDS) in "Early Downward Trends in
Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of
Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines."

The numbers from California show that reported autism
rates hit a high of 800 in May 2003. If that trend had
continued, the reports would have skyrocketed to more
than 1000 by the beginning of 2006. But in fact, the
Geiers report that the number actually went down to
only 620, a real decrease of 22 percent, and a
decrease from the projections of 35 percent.

This analysis directly contradicts 2004
recommendations of the Institute of Medicine which
examined vaccine safety data from the National
Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC. While not
willing to either rule out or to corroborate a
relationship between mercury and autism, the IOM
soft-pedaled its findings, and decided no more studies
were needed. The authors write: "The IOM stated that
the evidence favored rejection of a causal
relationship between thimerosal and autism, that such
a relationship was not biologically plausible, and
that no further studies should be conducted to
evaluate it."

As more and more vaccines were added to the mandatory
schedule of vaccines for children, the dose of the
mercury-based preservative thimerosal rose, so that
the cumulative dose injected into babies exceeded the
toxic threshold set by many government agencies.
Mercury is known to damage nerve cells in very low
concentrations.

The concern about vaccines may actually be underrated,
as it is generally acknowledged that the voluntary
reporting of such disorders has resulted in vast
underreporting of new cases. For example, the Iowa
state legislature banned thimerosal from all vaccines
administered there after it documented a 700-fold
increase in that state alone. California followed
suit, and 32 states are considering doing so.

Up until about 1989 preschool children got only 3
vaccines (polio, DPT, MMR). By 1999 the CDC
recommended a total of 22 vaccines to be given before
children reach the 1st grade, including Hepatitis B,
which is given to newborns within the first 24 hours
of birth. Many of these vaccines contained mercury. In
the 1990s approximately 40 million children were
injected with mercury-containing vaccines.

The cumulative amount of mercury being given to
children in this number of vaccines would be an amount
187 times the EPA daily exposure limit.

The Geiers conclude that mercury continues to be a
concern, as it is still added to some of the most
commonly-used vaccines, such as those for flu.

Despite its removal from many childhood vaccines, thimerosal is still
routinely added to some formulations of influenza vaccine administered to
U.S. infants, as well as to several other vaccines (e.g. tetanus-diphtheria
and monovalent tetanus) administered to older children and adults. In 2004,
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) retreated from the stated 1999 goal of the AAP and the PHS to remove
thimerosal from U.S. vaccines as soon as possible.As a result, assessing the
safety of TCVs [thimerosal-containing vaccines] is a matter of significant
importance."
Editor's Note: The new study confirms claims made by Dr. Russell Blaylock in
the Blaylock Wellness Report that childhood vaccines that contain
thimerosal, a mercury based preservative, could cause serious harm to
children, including autism. Dr. Blaylock has also warned that vaccines for
adults, such as the flu shot, pose dangers.