AUTISM AND MERCURY - COINCIDENCE OR CAUSE AND EFFECT?

by Lyn Redwood

Autism is a neurological disorder that is characterized by impairments in language, cognitive and social development. Symptoms usually manifest in the first two years of life. Once considered a rare disorder with an incidence of only 1-3 per 10,000 births, autism is now reaching epidemic proportions with an incidence of 20-40 per 10,000 births and "clusters" of 1 per 150 have been reported in New Jersey and California. Autism now ranks third among childhood developmental disorders, making it more common than Down's syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Cystic Fibrosis.

Initially thought to be psychiatric in nature, autism was attributed to a child's exposure to an uncaring or "refrigerator" mother. Currently, autism is undergoing more scientific scrutiny and as a result, abnormalities in the immune, gastrointestinal and neurological systems have been documents. Another abnormal finding is the presence of heavy metal toxicity, notably mercury, in autistic children. When considering a source for exposure to mercury in the first two years of life, one possible source is immunizations.

In June 1999, the Food and Drug Administration discovered that "infants who receive thimerosal containing vaccine at several visits may be exposed to more mercury than recommended by Federal guidelines for total mercury exposure." Thimerosal, a preservative used in some vaccines to prevent contamination, is 49.6% mercury by weight. Infants who are being vaccinated using multi-dose vials with thimerosal can receive 62.5 micrograms of mercury per visit. For an average sized child this represents an exposure approximately 100 times the 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of daily exposure considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. The manufacturer's safety data sheet for thimerosal states, "Highly toxic... Danger of cumulative effects... Avoid prolonged or repeated exposure... and the Chemical, physical, and toxicological properties have not been thoroughly investigated."

Next is the question of cause and effect, in other words, is a high dose bolus exposure to mercury a possible explanation for the myriad of abnormalities found in the child suffering from autism? I believe the answer to this question is yes. Mercury is known to cause neurotoxicity, especially in small infants whose brains are still developing. Mercury also disrupts cell physiology through its enzymes, membranes, and structural proteins. Symptoms of mercury toxicity in young children mirror those of autism. The recent increase in the numbers of children diagnosed with autism directly correlates with the addition of hepatitis B and HIB vaccine to infants in the early 1990's.

This article was written by Lyn Redwood, whose son, Will, was exposed to mercury in excess of federal guidelines via thimerosal in vaccines. After developing normally, in his second year of life he began to slip away... losing speech, eye contact and becoming withdrawn and despondent. Ultimately, he was diagnosed autistic. When the announcement by the FDA that some infants had been exposed to mercury in excess of federal guidelines, Lyn began further investigations into her son's level of exposure and indeed, he was one of those infants. Analysis of his baby hair (at the age of 20 months) revealed toxic levels of mercury. It is her hypothesis that this may be the cause of his autism. Her goal is to conduct and support efforts toward research and treatment of Autism spectrum disorders and to educate parents into this area. If you would like more information on this subject, please visit her website at tlredwood.home.mindspring.com or e-mail her at autism-mercury@mindspring.com .