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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.