Old Vaccines May Pose
Autism Risk to Children
By James R. Hood
ConsumerAffairs.Com
October 7, 2002
A growing number of scientists, doctors and parents believe they know the
cause of the rapid increase in the incidence of autism in children, a
syndrome marked by impaired social, communication and sensory skills.
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Many believe a substance called thimerosal is to blame. Thimerosal, which is 50 percent mercury, was until recently used as a preservative in vaccines and over-the-counter children's medications, including infant stuffy-nose drops and children's eardrops and eyedrops.
Mercury is toxic to mammals and is a known cause of birth defects and brain damage.
Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told pharmaceutical companies to stop using thimerosal in some early-childhood vaccinations, including the three-in-one "MMR," which protects against mumps, measles and rubella and is typically given in early childhood, about the time autism often appears.
Drug companies, meanwhile, are lobbying Congress to enact legislation that would protect them against lawsuits on behalf of injured children.
Despite the FDA's order and the growing sense that thimerosal poses a serious risk to young children, hundreds of thousands of doses of thimerosal-containing vaccines have been given since the order was issued -- and hundreds of thousands more remain stockpiled in warehouses, pharmacies and doctors' officenationwidede.
A child vaccinated with old vaccines containing thimerosal would receive as much as 237.5 micrograms of mercury by age 2 -- about 7 times as much as a child given new vaccines without thimerosal.
The incidence of autism has been increasing rapidly in recent decades. It was estimated at one in 10,000 in the mid-20th Century to one in 500 a decade ago. Today it is one in 150.
The FDA could have ordered a recall of all the old vaccines but did not do so, instead choosing to let drug companies use up their existing stock first. That infuriates many parents and others who are convinced of a link between thimerosal and autism and other disabilities.
"If a baby walker turns over and hurts three or four children, it's immediately recalled," said the Rev. Lisa Sykes, whose six-year-old son suffers from autism, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Nor was the FDA's go-slow approach universally popular in Congress. Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) criticized the FDA and called for a recall last year.
"We cannot in good conscience leave thimerosal-containing vaccines on the shelf until used up, potentially exposing children to chemicals that may lead to neuro-developmental disorders. Mercury is toxic to the human body," Burton said.
"I will be sending a letter this week to Secretary Thompson asking that these products be recalled. In the meantime, I am asking every doctor, every health clinic, and every facility that provides childhood immunizations to check your vaccine supplies and return all thimerosal-containing vaccines and request thimerosal-free vaccines," Burton added.
While thimerosal has not been firmly established as the cause of the growing incidence of autism, neither has it been shown not to be the cause. Mercury is toxic in sufficient quantities and some researchers believe that some children may have a genetic ophysicalal predisposition that makes them more susceptible to harm from vaccines containing thimerosal.
"The bottom line is thimerosal has a history of being very toxic," said Dr. Boyd Haley, chairman of the department of chemistry at the University of Kentucky. He said federal agencies are being irresponsible in relying on existing mercury-safety standards for adults in trying to determine how much, if any, mercury is safe for children in the first few years of life.
"A lack of proof is not proof of a lack of something," Haley said in a Media General News Service interview.
"I can absolutely guarantee that a pregnant woman should not be exposed to mercury," Haley said. "Some people will say certain levels are OK. They have no data for that."
The FDA is remaining mum on the growing controversy and simply refers callers to its Web site, which quotes studies that say there is no "conclusive link" between mercury and autism. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) say they "agree that thimerosal-containing vaccines should be removed as soon as possible."
What can parents do? While lobbyists, lawyers, doctors and Congress wrestle over responsibility, it's up to parents to safeguard their children. The simplest way to do that is to:
- Read the list of ingredients on every pharmaceutical product before you give it to your children. Refuse to purchase or administer any product that contains thimerosal or mercury in any form.
- Tell your physician that you expect him or her to be certain any medication he prescribes of administers is mercury-free and that you will hold him or her responsible for any consequences.
- Tell the nurse giving your child an injection that you expect him or her to ensure that medication does not contain mercury.
- Tell your pharmacist that you expect him or her to ensure that your child's medication is mercury-free.
Besides exposing children to the risk of mercury poisoning, industry and governmental inaction endangers children by causing their parents to delay or even eliminate vaccinations that are crucial to preventing serious diseases.
In Canada, as many as 1 in 20 families is choosing not to vaccinate their children because of fears about the risks of vaccination, particularly mercury poisoning, a recent study found. In Toronto, the figure may be as high as 9 percent, nearly 1 in 10.
There is no doubt that, in general, immunization is the most beneficial medical intervention of all times but it is equally certain that any vaccination carries health risks, including death in certain rare cases. The risk of death from such common infectious diseases as mumps, measles and rubella is thousands of times greater than the risk of serious complications from vaccination.
However, when government and the medical profession fail to address risks that can be prevented, it undermines public confidence in vaccination, observers said.
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