| Autism is on the rise, an article appearing in the Journal | | | | The article goes on to discuss testimony before the |
| of Environmental Medicine (2000;10:261-266) reports. | | | | US House of Representatives given by parents in |
| Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control | | | | 2000. A six-month old child receiving the full course of |
| reported 40 cases per 10,000 in Brick Township, New | | | | vaccinations gets a dose of mercury that exceeds the |
| Jersey and 67 cases of autism spectrum disorder in | | | | acceptable dose permitted by the EPA. In other |
| the year 2000. In Cambridgeshire, in the UK, there | | | | hearing, Congressman Dan Burton said that his |
| were 57 cases per 10,000. Similarly, in London there | | | | grandson became autistic after a course of |
| were 58 cases per 10,000. Between 1987 and 1998 | | | | immunizations that exposed the child to 41 times the |
| there was an increase in autism between 273% and | | | | level of mercury considered safe for adults. |
| 346%, depending on the definition of autism used. | | | | The medical community has conducted some studies |
| When reviewing studies published between 1966 and | | | | that deny the possibility that vaccinations are |
| 1988, there was an average prevalence rate of 4.3 | | | | responsible for autism. The studies that appear in |
| per 10,000. When looking at studies published between | | | | medical journals have tested things like the amount of |
| 1989 and 1998 there is a prevalence rate of 7.2 per | | | | mercury in the hair of autistic children compared to |
| 10,000. | | | | healthy normals; essentially there was no difference in |
| It has been postulated that the increase in cases is due | | | | the hair levels. There have also been studies that |
| to a change of the diagnostic criteria, but others are | | | | involved testing for mercury before and after |
| concerned that the cause may be mercury. The | | | | inoculation; researchers found no difference. There has |
| symptoms of autism mimic those of mercury | | | | been research comparing societies that use less |
| poisoning. The increase in autism also parallels the | | | | mercury in vaccines-finding that they have the same |
| increase in the number of immunizations. That added | | | | autism rate. What has not been done is a comparison |
| to the fact that autism pretty much didn't exist until the | | | | between a population that does not vaccinate and one |
| 1940s, after the advent of immunization, makes many | | | | that does. A study like that would probably solve a lot |
| suspect immunizations as a possible cause of autism. | | | | of the controversy. |