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December 02, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Study Fuels Ongoing Debate Regarding Vaccines, Autism"

Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (11/29/02); Zimmerman, Rachel

A new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center indicates that infants immunized with vaccines preserved with mercury-based thimerosal had blood mercury levels below current safety limits and that children's bodies get rid of that form of mercury much more quickly than was believed. Thimerosal, now out of favor, has been blamed by some parents for the rise in reports of autistic children.  The Lancet study looked at 61 infants, most of whom had blood-mercury levels below 2 nanograms per milliliter after vaccination; the highest safety limit, set by the Environmental Protection Agency, is 5.8 nanograms.  Some critics counter that the study was too small and that delays in testing some of the infants may have missed the peak blood-mercury levels.  In an effort to address some of these issues, another study of 200 children is ongoing in Argentina.

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