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    Mercury Again Ruled Out as Autism Cause

    LiveScience.com – Thu, Feb 16, 2012

    Mercury does not cause autism, another study now concludes.

    The levels of mercury in the urine of children with autism were no higher than urine mercury levels of children without the condition, the study from England found.

    The discredited idea that the form of mercury, called ethylmercury, sometimes used in vaccines may lead to autism has led to reductions in vaccine rates and increases in cases of preventable diseases, such as measles and mumps, according to the study.

    But rates of autism have continued to rise after the use of the thimerosal in children's vaccines was stopped in 2001 in the developed world, according to the study.

    The researchers collected urine samples from 54 children with autism spectrum disorders, and compared these with three other groups: 115 children from the general population, 28 children who attended special schools (mainly because of learning disabilities), and 42 children who didn't have autism, but had a sibling with the condition.

    There were no differences, between any of the groups, in the concentration of mercury found in the urine. The researchers also noted that tests for other heavy metals — such as lithium, manganese, cadmium and lead — were also the same across all the groups.

    Previous studies have shown that the form of mercury, called ethylmercury, sometimes used in vaccines, cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. The form of mercury that has been linked to nervous system problems, called methymercury, can enter the brain from the blood.

    Previous studies that have looked at the urine mercury levels in children with autism have yielded mixed results, but those had involved testing the urine of children who had received chelation treatments, which lowers the level of mercury and other metals in the blood.

    Chelation treatments, which are sometimes given to children based on the idea that they may treat autism or improve its symptoms, may pose risks to children's health.

    The study was limited in that it included a relatively small number of children, the researchers wrote. It also could have been improved by using urine collected over a 24-hour period, rather than a single sample from each child, but 24-hour collections are difficult to accomplish, according to the study.

    Pass it on: Another study has found the mercury does not cause autism in children.

    This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. Find us on Facebook.

     

    13 comments

    • Joseph
      Joseph  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      Albe you have absolutely no science to back up your statement
      • Tom
        Tom 3 mths ago
        @Joseph, and this "study" has no science to back up it's findings, especially when they only sampled 54 children with autism. How is that statistically accurate?
      • TOO OLD
        TOO OLD 3 mths ago
        Tom: the same way that asking a question of 1000 people out of 350,000 ,000 provides an accurate answer to something.
    • Tom
      Tom  •  3 mths ago
      Great reporting...
      What study? Done by whom? Who funded it? Etc.

      I'm not saying it's bogus, but I did a study that concluded that journalists do shoddy jobs when reporting facts. I don't need to provide any more details.
    • Chris
      Chris  •  3 mths ago
      Since when is lithium a heavy metal? It is the lightest metal of all, 3rd on the periodic table, and lightest solid element. Any lighter it would be a gas.

      Anyway, that doctor that started this scare is next to a murderer. His false information has already lead to many deaths and there will be more. Fraudulent research is one thing, fraudulent research that leads to death is another.
      • Matt
        Matt 3 mths ago
        Well, in the context of astronomy, I know lithium is considered a heavy metal because anything heavier than hydrogen or helium is considered a heavy element in that context. 75% of the atoms in the universe are hydrogen, 24% are helium, and only 1% is "other" (since all those heavier atoms are only created by fusing together existing lighter atoms inside the cores of stars, which disperse them into the surrounding space when they go supernova), so proportionately, it makes sense in those terms. Not sure about the classification in the context of chemistry here on planet Earth, though. I'm less familiar with the particulars of the terminology in that field.

        Right there with you on the horrible atrocity of the "mercury causes autism" hoax, though.
      • The Resurrectionist
        The Resurrectionist 3 mths ago
        There's no real consensus on what makes a "heavy metal". It's just not really a scientific term, so take it as you will
    • Mike
      Mike  •  3 mths ago
      venus and uranus are still suspects. Hermes is also free to go. The investigation is ongoing.
      • amused reader
        amused reader 3 mths ago
        Correction Mike: 'Mercury' is the name that the Romans gave the Greek deity 'Hermes'. In short, Hermes' alias is Mercury. Thus he is not free to go. He could at least be let out for an hour or two of daily recreation. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have to come clean and explain their alibis. While Pluto is in another class, he still should be questioned.
      • Mike
        Mike 3 mths ago
        i was always a little suspicious of neptune... he's suppose to be around water yet all of his is frozen... something isnt right there.
    • J.D.
      J.D.  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  3 mths ago
      Somebody better inform Jenny McCarthy
    • TOO OLD
      TOO OLD  •  3 mths ago
      The uneducated true believers will never be swayed by the facts.
    • Otto Pilot
      Otto Pilot  •  Spring Branch, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Well, then, we need to check out every other planet until we find the culprit! On to Venus!
    • gigirider
      gigirider  •  3 mths ago
      They should study hair samples because children with Autism hold in the mercury and other toxins. There will be more mercury in the hair of normal children than in children with autism. Autism comes from children who can not detoxify. Mercury is in Flu shots and babies are getting that jab now too.
    • David
      David  •  Irvine, California  •  3 mths ago
      This study is useless. Studying urine levels in children with Autism would only possibly be valid if you were giving them a chelating agent and monitor what was being excreted from their bodies. In addition, the statement that ethylmercury ( the type that is in vaccines )
      cannot cross the blood-brain barrier is absolutely false. Please refer to the study done by
      Thomas Burbacher which showed that in primates ethylmercury will pass the blood-brain barrier and turn into inorganic mercury in the brain.
      Once again, the press does not check their facts before they report on this subject---
    • BrianD
      BrianD  •  3 mths ago
      The age of the mother, and to a much lesser extent the father, corelates to the increases in autism.
      • IngerT
        IngerT 3 mths ago
        correlation does NOT equal causation
      • BrianD
        BrianD 3 mths ago
        Pretend all you want...
    • amused reader
      amused reader  •  3 mths ago
      Abe: The truth of your allegation that autism is somehow related to an 'allergic reaction' to mercury equates with the 'truth' of bigfoot sightings. Your posting is baseless and irresponsible. You present your opinion as fact, but that only undercuts your credibility. When you draft something to post, you should begin by stating that you merely are posting what you want to believe.
      Stop relying on gossip magazines as your main source of information. Finish high school. Learn something about the scientific method. You may find education rewarding.
    • Abe
      Abe  •  3 mths ago
      Higher levels of mercury in children with autism is not the problem. The issue with mercury is that children that are predisposed to autism have an allergic reaction to even small amounts of mercury when it enters their body.
      • J
        J 3 mths ago
        I agree, every child is going to react to it differently. This is a horrible "study".
      • Peerone
        Peerone 3 mths ago
        Mercury should be tested also using hair and stool samples,not just single urine samples.
      • mage
        mage 3 mths ago
        Ok but there is no evidence that vaccinations cause autism, and ample evidence of not having them can cause death. So use vaccination you might get a hypothetical reaction for which no case of autism has ever been attributed to or get measles and die
    • Peerone
      Peerone  •  Nashville, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      Rather than "mercury again ruled out as autism cause" it should read " pay no attention to this study, using a small number of children, that proves nothing". Talk about headlines being deceiving.
     Post a comment
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