Dangers of Exposure to Thimerosal Mercury Essay

higher in boys than girls. People have started to be more aware of autism and its symptoms to get

3. The EPA “safe dose” for mercury is 1,100 ppb (parts per billion) for women in their child-bearing years, as mercury levels above this value may impair neurological development in the fetus. Which

The population being discussed are children and adolescents with autism. What once used to be considered a rare disorder is now a common diagnosis and is well known in the community. Statistics coming from the Centers for Disease control now “identify around 1 in 88 American children” as having autism spectrum disorder with the disorder more commonly being diagnosed in boys ("What is autism?" ). This does not mean that the actual occurrence rates have gone up, it just means that today we are better able to diagnose the disorder and there is increasing awareness. Although not many, there are some risk factors for autism that have been identified. These include gender, family history and those with other medical conditions such as Tourette’s syndrome and epilepsy ("Autism:risk factors," 2012).

170). Thimerosal was first introduced in the 1930’s and is a preservative that eliminated the bacterial contamination in vaccines, but could possibly sit in the brain and cause neurological damage (Mooney, 2009, p. 60). Before 1989, American preschoolers had to only receive three vaccines; for polio, diphtheria-pertussis, and MMR. In 1999 the FDA and CDC decided that vaccine users should reduce or even get rid of the amount of thimerosal used in vaccines. The CDC also recommended that newborns should wait to get the Hepatitis B vaccination until a thimerosal free vaccination became available (Miller & Reynolds, 2009, p. 170). According to head of the chemistry department at University of Kentucky, Dr. Boyd Haley, “‘You couldn’t even construct a study that shows thimerosal is safe, it’s just too darn toxic. If you inject thimerosal into an animal, its brain will sicken. If you apply it to living tissues, the cells die. Knowing these things, it would be shocking if one inject it into an infant without causing damage’” (Kennedy, 2005, p. 59). With the being said, vaccine manufacturers began working to find a way to make a thimerosal-free vaccination, and eventually they made one. Then a decade later, children were receiving a total of 22 vaccinations by the time they started first grade. As the number of vaccines that children needed went up, the autism rate stayed

Countless deem that the definite reason for autism is not the dead or live virus found in vaccines but the derivatives’ within them. “Exposure to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that is used in vaccines and immunoglobulin preparations, has been hypothesized to be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)” (Price, et al., 2010). This continues to remain merely speculation. The Centers for Disease Control research analysis’ do not corroborate toxicity of these preservatives. Mercury produces verified detrimental effects on children when absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Vaccinations are not absorbed in the GI tract and are instead absorbed in the muscles or subcutaneous tissues, depending on the route of injection.

Throughout research done on the possible link between vaccines and autism, there have been three hypotheses: (1) the combination MMR vaccine causes autism by damaging the intestinal lining, which allows the entrance of encephalopathic proteins; (2) thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative

Revised Research Question: What factors have caused a fluctuation in the number of diagnosis of autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder amongst children in the past 20 years?

Another concern with vaccines is the addition of a form of mercury called thimerosal. “Thimerosal is best known as a preservative used in some vaccines to keep them from becoming contaminated”

The HAPI organization is fueling their mission on their fears about vaccinations. Dawn Winkler the executive director of the HAPI believed her infant died from mercury poisoning after receiving her vaccines. Mercury poisoning was never confirmed and medical professionals labeled the cause of death to be SIDS, also known as Sudden infant death syndrome. They use myths and make them frightening. The group’s main concern on vaccinations are the amounts of mercury. On the organizations website they pressure parents into choosing whether to vaccinate their children using the words “the most important decisions you will ever make for your child.” On a separate section of the website they say vaccines are supposed to be mercury free, which isn’t true. The reason why vaccines contain mercury and that is to kill any bacteria. They describe mercury as toxic in the tiniest amounts and never mention the fact that it has never shown to have harmful effects.

Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy. New York: St. Martin's, 2005.

In spite of false claims linking thimerosal to autism, several studies show that thimerosal does not have any link to autism and it is rather safe for the body to metabolize. When thimerosal enters the body, it is metabolized to two components, ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Both ethylmercury and thiosalicylate are readily eliminated from the body and do not build up to harmful levels. Methylmercury, however, is slightly neurotoxic and has the potential to build up for it is not as readily excreted from the body. Methylmercury is readily absorbed into the body through consuming seafood and is found in tiny trace amounts of thimerosal.

There has been research in the genetic factors that cause autism. One of these research methods is “family-based and case-control evaluations of candidate genes. These studies have identified numerous candidate loci, most consistently on chromosomes 7q, 15q and 2q.” ( Muhle et al. 2004; and Santangelo and Tsatsanis, 2005, as cited in Landrigan, 2010, pg. 220). Another form of genetic research that has occurred in studying autism is “cytogenetic studies…cytogenetic studies have identified abnormalities on chromosome 15q.” (Muhle et al. 2004, as cited in Landrigan, 2010, pg. 220). While, these genetic research opportunities have found relevant data, only about 8 percent of all autism cases are genetic (Landrigan, 2010). Another cause that has been researched is how environmental factors cause autism. One study found “an increased incidence of autism is reported among children exposed prenatally to thalidomide.” (Rodier, 2002, as cited in Landrigan, 2010, pg. 221). Another chemical that has been found to have a connection with autism is misoprostol. In the U.S. it is used to treat gastric ulcers and, in an instance in Brazil, four out of seven infants that were exposed to misoprostol had autism (Bandim et al. 2003, as cited in Landrigan, 2010, pg. 221). These are only a few examples of research projects and data that has been collected regarding childhood

According to a statement made the Federal Drug and Food Administration, thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound that since the 1930s and has been widely used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products. These said drug products include vaccines, and many have speculated that the organic compound may be influential in causing autism. Due to the concern and controversy over the topic, pharmaceutical companies made the decision to extremely

Mercury can also be found in the compound called thimerosal, which is used as a preservative for vaccines. Not long ago, when this information was introduced to the public, there was a scare which caused a decline in the amount of vaccines given to young children. To me, not vaccinating a child seems more dangerous than exposing the child to a trace amount of mercury. The article states how the FDA has been trying to ban the use of thimerosal, which they have been successful in doing in most drugs, besides the flu vaccine.

Kennedy, Robert F., and Marc A. Yaggi. "Mercury Poisoning Is a Growing Global Menace We Have to Address." The Guardian. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. .