Sunday, June 24, 2007

Bobby Kennedy Jr. (Thimerosol Activist) is Coo Coo

Bobby Kennedy is still pushing the "autism is caused by thimerosol-containing vaccines" story. There just is not good evidence showing that thimerosol-containing vaccines are a cause of autism. For example, from a review by Doja and Roberts:
Our literature review found very few studies supporting this theory, with the overwhelming majority showing no causal association between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine and autism. The vaccine preservative thimerosal has alternatively been hypothesized to have a possible causal role in autism. Again, no convincing evidence was found to support this claim, nor for the use of chelation therapy in autism.
Sure you can find published papers such as this one by Geier and Geier claiming otherwise:
Significantly increased adjusted (sex, age, vaccine type, vaccine manufacturer) risks of autism, speech disorders, mental retardation, personality disorders, thinking abnormalities, ataxia, and NDs in general, with minimal systematic error or confounding, were associated with TCV exposure.
But look a little more closely at the "Institute for Chronic Illnesses, Inc. background here. It's pretty hard to take these guys seriously (they are also quacks).

A new study supports the lack of association of thimerosol with autism:
These findings support the consensus that exposure to ethylmercury in thimerosal is not the cause of the increased prevalence of autism.
On top of these studies both the CDC and the Institute of Medicine report that "There is no convincing evidence of serious harm from the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines".

[Note: Currently, in the USA, no thimerosol-containing vaccines are given to children under the age of 12]

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