Did Andrew Wakefield Perpetrate an "Elaborate Fraud"?

[lupercal]

Plutonia asked:

CBS, I did ask very nicely that posters who insist on bringing autism into the discussion of vaccine safety, be good enough to present some actual evidence of a link between the two in order to justify their doing so.

This I and others have done, repeatedly, complete with full citations and in many cases links. If you choose to ignore the evidence, fine, but please don't pretend it doesn't exist.

................
And since a new page effectively wipes the slate clean, let's unwipe it momentarily:

CBS, I did ask very nicely that posters who insist on bringing autism into the discussion of vaccine safety, be good enough to present some actual evidence of a link between the two in order to justify their doing so.

I understand that you may have overlooked my request, it's completely understandable with all the activity here yesterday, never the less, I insist on it as, let's say, more than a courtesy.

I will wait for you to either present some sound evidence of a link between autism and vaccines or retract your above statement.

Thank you.

Hi plutonia, could you please tell us which of the dozens if not hundreds of studies linking mercury in vaccines to neurodevelopmental disorders cited in this 2005 doc which I posted here 24 pages ago you consider unsound, and why? As a courtesy.

. . . there are studies galore making it clear that pharma companies have known about the dangers of mercury for decades, lied about it, caused unbelievable damage, and are now covering their butts a la operation asbestos, which we're also not supposed to know about:

Tobacco Science and the Thimerosal Scandal
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. - June 22, 2005
http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/docs/Th ... lFINAL.PDF
Pages 18-22 of 66:

Indeed, the link between ethyl mercury and neurological disorders is as well-documented in medical and scientific literature as the link between tobacco and cancer.55 And the totality of the evidence is overwhelming. Scores of animal, DNA, epidemiological, clinical, cadaver and other studies point to mercury as a prime culprit in America’s epidemic of neurological disorders.56

Toxicological studies show mercury, in all forms, is a potent neurotoxin,57 and many studies support a relationship between thimerosal exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders.58 59 Animal studies and experimental studies clearly document biological and molecular abnormalities in brains exposed to thimerosal. Among them, multiple in vitro experiments with cells from the brains of animals prove that thimerosal causes membrane damage and cell death. 60

Pharmacokinetic studies show that mercury tends to accumulate (and remain for considerable periods of time) in the brains of primates and other animals after injection of Thimerosal, and its dangers have long been assumed by the pharmaceutical industry and within governmental regulatory agencies and in the scientific community. 61

Truckloads of studies show that developing infant brains are particularly susceptible to low doses of mercury. 62 63 Reams of medical evidence from Europe, Russia, Japan and the United States link thimerosal (ethylmercury) to developmental and other neurological disorders, including autism.“You couldn’t construct a study that shows thimerosal is safe,” Dr. Boyd Haley told me. “It’s just too darn toxic. If you inject thimerosal into an animal, its brain will sicken,” he continued. “If you apply it to living tissue, the cells die. If you put it in a Petri dish, the culture dies. Knowing these things, it would be shocking if one could inject it into an infant without causing damage.” 64

Indeed, no clinical study has ever demonstrated the safety (or the efficacy) 65 of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

The damaging effect of thimerosal, for example, is uncontested in Eli Lilly’s own Material Safety Data Sheet, a disclosure document required by federal law. Lilly acknowledges that thimerosal is “toxic;” has “Nervous System and Reproductive Effects” and “alters genetic material.” The company also warns that exposure to the mercury in their product “in utero and in children can cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment.”66

In 1977, a well-known published Russian study by Dr. N.D. Mukhtarova found that the majority of adults who were exposed to much lower concentrations of ethyl mercury than those given to American children in vaccines were still suffering neurological injury and neuropathology several years after the exposure.67
…………………………………………………………………….
55 In August of 1998, the FDA reviewed the existing literature on Thimerosal in an internal “Point Paper” prepared for the Maternal Immunization Working Group. This document recommended [emphasis added]: For investigational vaccines indicated for maternal immunization, the use of single dose vials should be required to avoid the need of preservative in multi-dose vials…Of concern here is the potential neurotoxic effect of mercury especially when considering cumulative doses of this component in early infancy. Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, Government Reform Committee. Mercury in Medicine Report. Washington, DC: Congressional Record, May 21, 2003:E1011-30. The EMEA, which is responsible for establishing guidelines for the use of drugs and biologics in the European Union, issued a report on June 29, 1999, following an initial meeting in London on April 19, 1999 encouraging the removal of Thimerosal from childhood vaccines [emphasis added]: The toxicity profile of ethylmercury would appear to be similar to that of methylmercury. “In view of the demonstrated risks of Thimerosal and other mercurial containing preservatives, for vaccination in infants and toddlers, the use of vaccines without Thimerosal and other mercurial preservatives should be encouraged.” Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, Government Reform Committee. Mercury in Medicine Report. Washington, DC: Congressional Record, May 21, 2003:E1011-30. In a July 2, 1999, email, Dr. Ruth Etzel of the USDA noted [emphasis added]: “We must follow three basic rules: (1) act quickly to inform pediatricians that the products have more mercury than we realized; (2) be open with consumers about why we didn’t catch this earlier; (3) show contrition. If the public loses faith in the Public Health Services recommendations, then the immunization battle will falter. To keep faith, we must be open and honest and move forward quickly to replace these products.” See also Jalili MA, Abbasi AH. Poisoning by ethyl mercury toluene sulphonanilide. Br J Ind Med 1961;18:303-8. (Mass poisoning of Iraqi farmers by ethyl mercury) See also Samluji S. Granosan M Mercurial poisoning with fungicide. J Fac Med Baghdad 1962;4:83-103. See also Dahhan SS, Orfaly H., Electrocardiographic Changes In Mercury Poisoning. Am J Cardiol. 1964 Aug;14:178-83. (Ethyl mercury poisoning causes heart and tissue injury.) See also Al-Kassab S, Saigh N. Mercury and calcium excretion in chronic poisoning with organic mercury compounds. J Fac Med Baghdad 1962;4:118-123. See also Spann JW, Heath RG, Kreitzer JF, Locke LN. Ethyl mercury p-toluene sulfonanilide: Lethal and reproductive effects on pheasants. Science 1972;175:328-31. (Water birds die or suffer reproductive effects from ethyl mercury exposure).

56 Baskin DS, et al., Thimerosal induces DNA breaks, caspase-3 activation, membrane damage, and cell death in cultured human neurons and fibroblasts, Toxicological Sciences 74(2):361-8 (2003) (Study demonstrates that thimerosal in micromolar concentrations rapidly induces membrane and DNA damage and initiates programmed cell death in human nervous system cells and muscles.)and Costa M, et al, DNA Damage by Mercury Compounds: An Overview, Advances in Mercury Toxicology, Suzuki T, et al,(Eds.), Rochester Series on Environmental Toxicity, Plenum Press, New York, pages 255-273 (1991) (Review of mercury and DNA damage. Most abundant DNA lesions induced by mercury were DNA strand breaks. As breaks are not repaired, the authors suggest these may be of significance in producing cell death. Mercury was found to bind tightly to DNA and no agent was found that could dissociate the two.) and Ariza ME, et al, Mutagenic effect of mercury in eukaryotic cells, In Vivo 1994 Jul-Aug;8(4):559-63, (Acute exposure to low concentrations of mercury in Chinese hamster ovary cells results in a dose dependent binding of mercury to DNA. Study showed that even low doses (0.1 to 0.4 microM) of mercury that were non-toxic to cells caused mutations in genes when compared to non-treated controls)


57 A quick search at the National Library of Medicine’s PUBMED and TOXNET websites netted hundreds and even thousands of studies on search terms such as: mercury neurotoxicity, mercury and development and mercury and brain. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed) and (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search). NoMercury.org has a page dedicated to such studies: The Science, “Is Mercury in Vaccines Dangerous?” (2005) at: http://www.nomercury.org/science.htm (last visited June 15, 2005).

58 Ball LK, Ball R, Pratt RD. An assessment of thimerosal use in childhood vaccines. Pediatrics. 2001 May;107(5):1147-54. PMID: 11331700. (High-dose exposure to thimerosal causes acute neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Limited data on toxicity from low-dose exposures to ethylmercury are available, but toxicity may be similar to that of methylmercury … Exposure of infants to mercury in vaccines can be reduced or eliminated by using products formulated without thimerosal as a preservative.”).Gasset AR, et al., Teratogenicities of ophthalmic drugs. II, Arch Ophthalmol 1975;93:52-55. (The ethyl mercury from Thimerosal readily crosses the blood/brain barrier and placenta when administered to rabbits and their offspring.) and Makani S, Gollapudi S, Yel L, Chiplunkar S, Gupta S. Biochemical and molecular basis of thimerosal-induced apoptosis in T cells: a major role of mitochondrial pathway. Genes Immun. 2002 Aug;3(5):270-8. PMID: 12140745. (Thimerosal causes important immune system cells to self-destruct by disrupting the energy pathway causing an imbalance in the cell's chemistry to the point of overloading the cell's defense system (glutathione). and Murata K, et al, Delayed brainstem auditory evoked potential latencies in 14-year-old children exposed to methylmercury, J Pediatr. 2004 Feb;144(2): 177-83, (Study looked at possible exposure-associated delays in auditory brainstem as objective measure of neurobehavioral toxicity in 14-year-old children with developmental exposure to mercury. Study found that some neurotoxic effects from exposure to mercury in the womb are irreversible.) and Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S, Shim S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC. Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70. PMID: 14745455. (Study found that thimerosal inhibited growth factor signaling pathways that regulate the body’s ability to excrete heavy metals.) and Derban LK. Outbreak of food poisoning due to alkyl-mercury fungicide on southern Ghana state farm. Arch Environ Health 1974;28:49-52. (Mass poisoning by ethyl-mercury fungicide on southern Ghana state farm kills hundreds and leads to autistic-like symptoms in children.)

59 Baskin DS, et al, Thimerosal induces DNA breaks, caspase-3 activation, membrane damage, and cell death in cultured human neurons and fibroblasts. Toxicological Sciences 74(2):361-8 (2003). (Study demonstrates that thimerosal in micromolar concentrations rapidly induces membrane and DNA damage and initiate programmed cell death in human muscle and nerve tissues.) Ueha-Ishibashi T, Oyama Y, Nakao H, Umebayashi C, Nishizaki Y, Tatsuishi T, Iwase K, Murao K, Seo H. Effect of thimerosal, a preservative in vaccines, on intracellular Ca2+ concentration of rat cerebellar neurons. Toxicology. 2004 Jan 15;195(1):77-84. (Thimerosal caused brain damage and cell mutation in 2-week-old rats and its potency is almost similar to that of methylmercury.) Limke TL, Heidemann SF, Atchison WD. 2004. Disruption of intraneuronal divalent cation regulation by methylmercury: are specific targets involved in altered neuronal development and cytotoxicity in methylmercury poisoning? NeruroToxicology. (25):741-60. (Organic mercury crossing the blood-brain barrier accumulates in the highest concentrations in the cerebellum, especially the neuronal cells. The cerebellum controls movement and cognition.) Oliver WT, Platonow N. Studies on the pharmacology of N-(ethylmercuri)-p-toluenesulfonanilide, Am J Vet Res. 1960 Sep;21:906-16. (Ethylmercury caused progressive degenerative changes in the heart, moderate hypoalbuminemia [an abnormally low blood level of albumin], and reduced blood A/G ratio. It produced diffuse lesions in the cord, cerebellum, cerebrum and caused glomerulonephhritis [a type of kidney disease caused by inflammation of the internal kidney structures (glomeruli)].) Mukai N., An experimental study of alkylmercurial encephalopathy, Acta Neuropathol, Acta Neuropathol (Berl). 1972;22(2):102-9. (Mice injected with ethyl mercury suffer brain damage.) Tryphonas L, Nielsen NO., Pathology of chronic alkylmercury poisoning in swine. Am J Vet Res 1973;34:379-392. (Pigs fed methylmercury suffer severe brain and kidney damage.) Miller MW, Clarkson TW (Eds) et al., Mercury, Mercurials and Mercaptans, Chapter 12. Metabolic fate of ethyl mercury salts in man and animal. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1973, pgs. 209-32. (Ethylmercury accumulates in brains of mice, causing damage similar to methylmercury.) Wright FC, Palmer JS, Riner JC. Retention of mercury in tissues of cattle and sheep given oral doses of a mercurial fungicide, Ceresan M. J Agric Food Chem 1973;21:614-5. (Mercury accumulates in brain, organs and tissues of sheep and cattle.) See also Cinca I, et al., Accidental ethyl mercury poisoning with nervous system, skeletal muscle, and myocardium injury, J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1980 Feb;43(2):143-9. (“The clinical, electrophysiological, and toxicological, and in two of the patients the pathological data, showed that this organic mercury compound has a very high toxicity not only for the brain, but also for the spinal motoneurones, peripheral nerves, skeletal muscles, and myocardium.”)

60 Humphrey ML, Cole MP, Pendergrass JC, Kiningham KK. Mitochondrial Mediated Thimerosal-Induced Apoptosis in a Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line (SK-N-SH). Neurotoxicology. 2005 Apr 30; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 15869795. (Study tracked thimerosal’s chemical pathway in cells, found it killed neurons, caused morphological changes, including membrane alterations and cell shrinkage. Findings suggest thimerosal causes deleterious effects on the cellular architecture and initiates cell disintegration.) Parran DK, Barker A, Ehrich M. Effects Of Thimerosal On Ngf Signal Transduction And Cell Death In Neuroblastoma Cells. Toxicol Sci. 2005 Apr 20; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 15843506. (Human tissue cells exposed to increasing concentrations of Thimerosal experienced cell death and fragmented DNA. Thimerosal interfered with cell function at very low levels, less than 1ppb. At 4.35 nM Thimerosal, 50 percent of neurons were killed in 48 hours, meaning that less than 1ppb of mercury from Thimerosal could kill neurons, nearly 20 times less than Burbacher et al (2005) found building up in the neurons of monkeys (16ppb) after Thimerosal injection. Parran et al concluded that “[t]hese data demonstrate that thimerosal could alter NGF induced signaling in neurotrophin-treated cells at concentrations lower than those responsible for cell death.”) Shanker G, Aschner M. Methylmercury-induced reactive oxygen species formation in neonatal cerebral astrocytic cultures is attenuated by antioxidants. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 2003 Jan 31;110(1):85-91. (Shanker et al show methylmercury causes oxidative stress and kills brain cells, and that antioxidants protect these cells from damages. Dr. Jill James’ work suggests that autistic children have abnormal levels of antioxidants which would make them more vulnerable to the damages caused by mercury in vaccines.). See also Sebe and Itsuno Organomercury compounds and Minamata disease. Subtle changes within the organism. Nisshin Igaku Jpn J Med Prog. 1962 Sep;49:607-31. Japanese. No abstract available. PMID: 13987554 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966] (Demonstrated neurotoxicity of ethyl mercury, found signs of poisoning in rats, consisting of weight loss, ataxia [inability to coordinate muscular movements], and closing of the hindlegs.) Saito et al. [Studies on Minamata disease. I. Establishment of the criterion for etiological reserch in mice.] Jpn J Exp Med. 1961 Aug;31:277-90, PMID: 14496123 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966] (Ethyl mercury causes dolphin kick convulsion and Minamata disease in mice.) Yonaha M, Ishikura S, Uchiyama M. Toxicity of organic compounds. III. Uptake and retention of mercury in several organs of mice by long term exposure of alkoxethylmercury compounds. Chem Pharm Bull 1975;23:1718-25. Nelson EA, Gottshall RY. Enhanced Toxicity for Mice of Pertussis Vaccines When Preserved with Merthiolate. Appl Microbiol 1967;15:590-593. (Thimerosal-containing vaccines are more toxic for mice than unpreserved vaccines prepared from the same parent concentrate and containing the same number of organisms…An increase in mortality was observed.) Fagan DG, Pritchard JS, Clarkson TW, Greenwood MR. Organ mercury levels in infants with omphaloceles treated with organic mercurial antiseptic. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Dec;52(12):962-4. PMID: 606172 (Analyses of tissues from 10 patients dead from Thimerosal poisoning deduce that Thimerosal can induce blood and organ levels of organic mercury which are well in excess of the minimum toxic levels in adults and fetuses…Although Thiomersal is an ethyl mercury compound, it has similar toxicological properties to methyl mercury and the long-term neurological consequences produced by the ingestion of either methyl or ethyl mercury-based fungicides are indistinguishable.)

61 Yonaha M, Ishikura S, Uchiyama M. Toxicity of organic compounds. III. Uptake and retention of mercury in several organs of mice by long term exposure of alkoxethylmercury compounds. Chem Pharm Bull 1975;23:1718-25. (Rats poisoned by ethyl mercury suffer weight loss, loss of muscle control, and closing of the hindlegs.) Saito et al. reported the dolphin kick convulsion as a criterion for experimental Minamata disease in mice. Blair AMJN, Clark B, Clarke AJ, Wood P. Brain and tissue concentrations of mercury after chronic dosing of squirrel monkeys with thiomersal. Toxicology 1975;3:171-6. (Ethyl mercury from Thimerosal found to lodge in brain tissue of monkeys. Authors concluded “accumulation of mercury from chronic use of thiomersal-preserved medicines is viewed as a potential health hazard for man.”) See also Harry GJ, Harris MW, Burka LT. Mercury concentrations in brain and kidney following ethylmercury, methylmercury and Thimerosal administration to neonatal mice. Toxicol Lett. 2004 Dec 30;154(3):183-9. (Mice injected with Thimerosal accumulate mercury in the brain and kidney. “By 7 days, mercury levels decreased in the blood but were unchanged in the brain.”) and Burbacher T, Shen DD, Liberato N, Grant KS, Cernichiari E, and Clarkson T. “Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal,” The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, April 21, 2005. Accessed online June 15, 2005 at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf. (Monkeys were exposed to vaccines containing thimerosal (via i.m. injection) at birth and 1, 2, and 3 weeks of age. Burbacher’s study confirmed the earlier results of other scientists showing that mercury from Thimerosal clears from the blood by going into the organs of the body, not by being excreted.) and Magos L, Brown AW, Sparrow S, Bailey E, Snowden RT, Skipp WR. The comparative toxicology of ethyl- and methylmercury. Arch Toxicol. 1985 Sep;57(4):260-7. PMID: 4091651. (Neurotoxicity of ethyl- and methyl- mercury were similar, though higher levels of inorganic mercury were found in brains of ethylmercury-treated rats.)

62 National Research Council. (2003). Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury. Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Life Sciences. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. (See Chapter 5.) Mahaffey KR. (1999). Methylmercury: A new look at the risks. Public Health Reports. 114(5):402-13. (Pre-natal and infant mercury exposures cause multiple impacts to basic brain development by disrupting the division and migration of neuronal cells.) See also IOM, NTP, NIEHS PowerPoint presentation: Comparative Toxicity of Ethyl and Methyl Mercury viewed at http://www.iom.edu/includes/DBFile.asp?id=7504. (“Ethylmercury is a potent neurotoxin … Infants may be more susceptible than adults … Ethylmercury exposure from vaccines (added to dietary exposures to methylmercury) probably caused neurotoxic responses (likely subtle) in some children.”)

63 Axton JHM. Six cases of poisoning after a parenteral organic mercurial compound (Merthiolate). Postgrad Med J 1972;48:417-21. (Four children and two adults who were accidentally injected with toxic amounts of Thimerosal…Five out of the six patients died). and Crump KS, et al, Influence of prenatal mercury exposure upon scholastic and psychological test performance: benchmark analysis of a New Zealand cohort, Risk Anal. 1998 Dec;18(6):701-13, (Decreased scholastic and psychological test performance significantly associated with the level of mercury in mothers’ hair.)

64 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Telephone Interview with Boyd Haley, April 9, 2005.
65 Stetler HC, Garbe PL, Dwyer DM, Facklam RR, Orenstein WA, West GR, Dudley KJ, Bloch AB. Outbreaks of group A streptococcal abscesses following diphtheria-tetanus toxoid-pertussis vaccination.
Pediatrics. 1985 Feb;75(2):299-303. PMID: 3881728. (Study showed thimerosal was ineffective at preventing bacterial contamination. “The only feasible and cost-effective preventive measure now available is careful attention to sterile technique when administering vaccine from multidose vials.”) Notably, one of the co-authors of this study, Dr. Walter Orenstein, served as Director of the National Immunization Program at the CDC from 1993-2002 and promoted continued use of Thimerosal.

66 Eli Lilly, MSDS, (1991). Accessed online June 15, 2005 at http://www.nomercury.org/science/docume ... y-1991.pdf.

67 Mukhtarova ND. Late sequelae of nervous system pathology caused by the action of low concentrations of ethyl mercury chloride. Gig Tr Prof Zabol 1977 Mar(3):4-7.
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I may have introduced some cut-n-paste errors so go to the link, which is a perfectly formatted quotable PDF doc, for the real deal

[barracuda]

I don't think anyone here has ignored the evidence. It's just that some of us haven't been convinced by it, even after you've posted your favorite Robert Kennedy for the third (!) time. But just to be clear, which specific vaccines do you recommend against receiving that are currently used in the U.S., and which do you consider as relatively safe?

For reference, here is a table of the thimerosal concentrations in vaccines used in the U.S. at present.

[lupercal]

But just to be clear, which specific vaccines do you recommend against receiving that are currently used in the U.S., and which do you consider as relatively safe?

That's an entirely different question, oh stickler for thread topicality, so let's stick to Plutonia's until we get it answered. Which of the scores of studies Kennedy cites would either of you consider unsound, or unconvincing, and why?

[barracuda]

I'm pretty much bored by all of his thimerosal cites, mostly due to a quick glance at the link I posted above. It shows that within the regular schedule of children's vaccines, there is virtually no thimerosal present, whatsoever. Multi-dose presentations of influenza vaccinations do contain small amounts, but my child doesn't receive those.

And as I vaguely recall, we covered this territory roughly a hundred pages ago.



Anyway, in recent autism news:

Scientists Link 'Sets' of Genetic Abnormalities to Autism Risk

DNA analysis of more than 1,000 kids may one day lead to better treatments, researchers say

TUESDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- While the genetic underpinnings of autism are enormously complex, new DNA research is honing in on sets of abnormal genes that may play a role in the disorder.

Researchers from the Center for Biomedical Informatics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) said that, while other scientists have theorized about a connection between gene mutations, impaired brain development, and the onset of autism, their work is the first to establish the link.

The medical problem, the CHOP researchers said, has to do with genetically driven disturbances in the way nerve cells communicate (via synapses) as well as the manner in which these communications are handled by key neural "messengers," or neurotransmitters.

"This large study is the first to demonstrate a statistically significant connection between genomic variants in autism and both [nerve cell] synaptic function and neurotransmission," senior author Peter S. White, a molecular geneticist and director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics, said in a hospital news release.

White and his colleagues report their findings in the March 1 online issue of Molecular Psychiatry.

The study authors pointed out that while prior research has implicated individual gene abnormalities with an increased risk of autism, each particular abnormality that has been identified to date has been linked to very small percentage of autism cases.

What's new about the current effort, the team said, is the uncovering of entire collections of genes with similar neural roles which, taken as a group, seem to be associated with a greater proportion of autism risk.

The finding stems from a DNA analysis involving about 1,000 autistic children and their families, as well as parallel research with mice.

Searching for links between genetic irregularities and abnormal motor control and/or learning disabilities, the study authors focused on so-called CNVs -- "copy number variations" -- that occur when the number of copies of a particular gene varies from one individual to the next. These CNVs accounted for relatively big chunks of the genetic mutations, the researchers said.

The gene sets of CNVs, they noted, are comprised of more DNA structure than simple individual "snips" of DNA. These CNV gene sets have previously been associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In all, about 800 CNVs were identified as exclusive to autistic children. In addition, the CNVs in question tended to be found in genes central to the impaired biological functions that show up in autistic behavior, such as those involving synapse function, nerve cell communication, and brain development, the CHOP researchers said.

"This suggested to us that there may be many different -- possibly even hundreds -- of genetic paths to autism, with only a few gene alterations relevant to each individual patient," White said. "But if those hundreds of genes have similar roles in the nervous system, the end result may lead to the same diagnosis: an autism spectrum disorder."

[Plutonia]

Round, round we go, I guess.

57 A quick search at the National Library of Medicine’s PUBMED and TOXNET websites netted hundreds and even thousands of studies on search terms such as: mercury neurotoxicity, mercury and development and mercury and brain. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed) and (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search).

No mention of autism in your search criteria Loopy? Strange 'cause if you go here you can find several pages of studies that directly address autism/vaccine causality which invariously conclude no connection.

NoMercury.org has a page dedicated to such studies: http://www.nomercury.org/science.htm

NoMercury.org I'll let Kevin Leitch handle cause he does it so well and Barracuda is right, refuting the same fallacies over and over is tedious.

27 Sep 2005

Pinks Disease And Autism

NoMercury, the website of Dr Alan and Lujene Clark RN is a website dedicated to proving the idea that mercury causes autism. Alan Clark writes a loooooonngg open letter about it – an amassing of the evidence one assumes – in a page amusingly entitled ‘the science’.

Lots of people (including me) have debunked a lot of whats on that page and what the Clark’s believe and more will do so in the future no doubt. What I’ve been meaning to tackle for some time is their attempt to provide historical medical data to back up their claims that mercury causes autism.

In order to do this, they make use of a form of mercury poisoning called ‘Pinks disease’ which is a phenomenon rarely seen these days but which went through a few periods of high prominence, particularly in the early 20th century and again in the mid 50’s in the UK.

The Clarke’s make use of Pinks disease in order to try and explain why thiomersal only causes autism in such a very low set of kids:

"Why does mercury toxicity at levels found in vaccines seem to only affect a subgroup of children, predominantly males? History provides the answer. The same target subgroup was noted in the early 20th Century during the epidemic of Pink’s Disease (Acrodynia) that was determined to be caused by mercury in teething powders given to children. About 1 in 500 children were afflicted, and some died as a result of this toxic insult."

Firstly, lets note that despite Clark’s claims above neither he nor Pinks disease reveal why autism affects mainly boys. There are no valid scientific theories that account for that fact. And lets be clear – in order for thiomersal to be taken seriously as a causative of autism, there damn well needs be. The absence of such data is (just like the evidence against the so called autism epidemic) another major unraveling of the conspiracy-theorists shroud of mystery.

Clarke then goes on to quote Dr. Thomas Clarkson, who, in his ‘The three modern faces of Mercury’ said:

"It is interesting that not a single case of Acrodynia* has been reported from exposure to vaccines despite the propensity of thimerosal to produce this syndrome when given in sufficient amounts."

[*a disease occurring in infants and young children in which mercury poisoning is strongly implicated as the cause.]

Which is a great point. Clarke, of course, takes issue with it:

"That remark is quite interesting in the face of many parental reports of just such a rash occurring in their child after a bolus of Thimerosal-laden vaccines in the 1990’s."

He then goes onto ‘prove’ his point by linking to a PDF on his own site that not only details a case study of Pinks disease but includes pictures so we can judge how Pinks disease makes kids hands and feet pink.

Intriguingly, I came across a differing version of these exact same images. There were two main differences between this report and the Clark’s – firstly, the report I found is hosted on a medical science database which tends to lend it a bit more credence. And the second difference? Well go see for yourself. Is it just me or has the level of ‘pinkness’ seemingly and magically drained away from the report on the Clarks website? Far be it from me to accuse anyone in the Clarke household of being a dab hand with Photoshop but if I was told I was going to look at something called Pinks disease I’d expect something more along the lines of whats on the Science site than whats on the Clarks site. You, Dear Reader, can make up your own mind.

Clarke then goes on to say:

"Acrodynia is probably the most widely recognized form of mercury poisoning. Its symptoms have been documented as early as 1931 by Bancroft, Grant, Tanner, et al (Journal Lancet 71:56, 1931) and studied more extensively in the 1950’s by Warkany and Hubbard. In fact, a statement in some of their earlier work is almost eerily predictive of the symptoms we are seeing today since the iatrogenic exposure to mercury was increased significantly by the rapidly expanded immunization schedule beginning around the early 1990’s. Have their words from 1953 come back to haunt the medical community because mercury was left in vaccines?"

Fascinating stuff. Except Clarke glosses over the pathology of Pinks disease. I mean, from what Clarke says about Pinks disease above you’d expect the pathology of Pinks and autism to be very similar.

"The child becomes listless, no longer interested in play, restless and irritable. Generalised inconsistent rashes, which are protean, recur from time to time. Early, the tips of the fingers, toes, and nose acquire a pinkish colour and later the hands and feet become a dusky pink, with patchy areas of ischemia and cyanotic congestion. The colouring shades off at the wrists and ankles. These changes in the extremities are the most distinctive features of the syndrome and are responsible for the term pink disease. Frequently the cheeks and the tip of the nose acquire a scarlet colour."

"As the disease becomes established, the sweat glands are enormously dilated and enlarged and perspiration is profuse. Secondary infection may lead to a severe pyoderma (a pus-like skin disease). There is desquamation of the soles and palms, which, though usually superficial, may be severe and recur during the course of the disease. The fingers and toes appear oedematous; the swelling is due to hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis of the skin. An outstanding symptom is constant pruritus with excruciating pain in the hands and feet. Children will rub their hands together for hours, and older children will complain of a severe burning sensation."

"The nails become dark and frequently drop off. Occasionally, gangrene of the toes and fingers develop and trophic ulcers may result from the constant rubbing of the hands and feet. The hair tends to fall out and is often pulled out by the child."

"There is photophobia without evidence of local inflammation of the eyes. The children shield their eyes or bury their faces in their pillows. The lax ligaments and hypotonia permit the children to assume unusual positions. In extreme cases the teeth may be lost; necrosis of the jaw bones frequently follows. Initially, the gums appear normal except for a slightly deeper red colour, later they become inflamed and swollen. Salivation then becomes pronounced, and the saliva often flows from the mouth in a constant stream. Anorexia is prominent, but because of the excessive perspiration large quantities of water are consumed. There may be diarrhoea and prolapse of the rectum is a frequent complication. The blood pressure and pulse rate may be increased significantly. Fever is usually not present unless there is some complication such as urinary tract infection or bronchopneumonia. Neurological symptoms are an important part of the syndrome and include neuritis, mental apathy, and irritability. "

"Early in the disease the tendon reflexes may be normal or increased, but later they disappear. There is not a true motor paralysis, but because of the soft, flabby musculature the child has no desire to walk and is hypotonic, listless and hypomotile. The severe pain prevents normal sleep. There is no time when a child with acrodynia appears happy or comfortable; the child does not play or smile, but appears dejected and melancholic, a picture of abject misery."

Neonatology.

Does that sound anything – anything at all – like autism or autistic people you know? No, me neither. Clarke follows up with what one assumes is his knock out blow – ‘Autism – a Novel Form of mercury Poisoning’. A study that wasn’t good enough to make it into a proper science journal. One of the conclusions in that study and which Clarke points proudly to is:

"Due to the extensive parallels between autism and HgP [mercury poisoning], the likelihood of a causal relationship is great."

Er, yeah. Extensive parallels. Right. It seems that the medical science of the time (and now) says that Pinks disease has a causal relationship with mercury. It also seems very obvious to me that Pinks disease shares no commonality with autism whatsoever. It also seems clear to me that Clark uses Pinks disease in a vague manner with nothing substantive to back up his assertion at all. We’re back to square one: Yes, mercury is bad – no there’s no evidence it causes autism.

Yeah. Horrific. Not autism. Just so we are sure, here's the DSM's criteria:

DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR 299.00 AUTISTIC DISORDER
A. A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at
least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3)

(1) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

a) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction

b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to
developmental level

c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing,
bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity ( note: in the
description, it gives the following as examples: not actively
participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary
activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or
"mechanical" aids )

(2) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:

a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language
(not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)

b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic
language

d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social
imitative play appropriate to developmental level

(3) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior,
interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the
following:

a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in
intensity or focus

b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional
routines or rituals

c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole body movements)

d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

B. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:

(1) social interaction

(2) language as used in social communication

(3) symbolic or imaginative play

C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

See how it is cleverly differentiated from Rett's and that other terrible sounding thing? Rett's disorder can be quite similar to autism:

Signs of Rett syndrome that are similar to autism:

* screaming fits
* panic attack
* inconsolable crying
* avoidance of eye contact
* lack of social/emotional reciprocity
* general lack of interest
* markedly impaired use of nonverbal behaviors to regulate social interaction
* loss of speech
* balance and coordination problems
* gastrointestinal problems
* sensory problems.

But seriously, Loop, Minamata?

Minamata disease in mice.

That's this:

Symptoms: Some patients experienced muscle tremors, vision and hearing loss, and trouble controlling their eye movements. Other patients had numbness in their hands and feet or slurred speech. Some patients only exhibited mild symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and loss of taste and smell. Mercury poisoning is often called "Mad Hatter's Disease," after the effect of prolonged mercury exposure on early hat makers. In severe cases, patients exhibited hallucinations and delusions, aggression, and other forms of "madness," as well as loss of consciousness and even death.

Burbacher T, Shen DD, Liberato N, Grant KS, Cernichiari E, and Clarkson T. “Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal,” The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, April 21, 2005. ...

(Neurotoxicity of ethyl- and methyl- mercury were similar, though higher levels of inorganic mercury were found in brains of ethylmercury-treated rats.) ...

63 Axton JHM. Six cases of poisoning after a parenteral organic mercurial compound (Merthiolate). Postgrad Med J 1972;48:417-21. (Four children and two adults who were accidentally injected with toxic amounts of Thimerosal…Five out of the six patients died). ...

67 Mukhtarova ND. Late sequelae of nervous system pathology caused by the action of low concentrations of ethyl mercury chloride. Gig Tr Prof Zabol 1977 Mar(3):4-7.

Yep. You've made a great case for mercury toxicity but have utterly failed to prove an autism/ vaccine connection. Once again. I guess you just thought that autism was the same as mercury poisoning.

But Loopy, if you want to tell us about vaccines and neurological disorders, that's fine, you may be on to something, let's look at it. Just keep in mind that autism isn't a neurological disorder, it's classified as a developmental disorder with unique, if broad, features.


And lastly, for the win, Wakefield is caught holding hands with the Co$:

Shinga posted yesterday on “extraordinary…correspondences between Patrick Holford and Dr Andrew Wakefield”. The ‘science’ behind this story has already been torn to pieces all over the blogosphere – read a summary of posts here and here – so I’m not going to look at this again. ...

However, when I was looking into the debate around Sunday’s awful Observer story on MMR, I found another surprising correspondence: both Holford and Wakefield appear to be linked to the Safe Harbor organisation. Safe Harbor is a controversial ‘alternative’ mental health organisation, which was established by “a very prominent Scientologist called Dan Stradford who apparently has reached the level of Operating Thetan – Level VIII” and which has had a history of substantial Scientologist involvement. As the quackometer shows, Holford is on Safe Harbor’s advisory board.

Wakefield, too, has been plugged by Safe Harbor: their newsletter advertised his presence at a ‘Defeat Autism Now’ conference. Safe Harbor also had someone who they rather chummily referred to as “Dr Andy Wakefield” speaking at their Miami conference, and even threw a dinner in Wakefield’s honour. I’d presume that ‘Andy’ is the same Dr Wakefield – I can’t think of any other Gastroenterologists with the same name who were also Research Director of the ICDRC. I can’t find any reference to Safe Harbor providing Holford with any dinners – which seems a bit unfair, given Holford’s status as a prominent nutritionist.

Anyway, so what does all this tell us? There does seem to be a surprising link between Safe Harbor (and thus certain prominent Scientologists) and two significant figures promoting bad science on autism and vaccination. ...

http://holfordwatch.info/2007/07/09/hol ... n-science/

Go to the original for the many links.

[bks]

I've never heard it suggested that the Rosenhan experiment (really it was a bit of devilish journalism) was connected in any way to Co$. The anti-psychiatry movement, which influenced Rosenhan, intersected with Co$ through Szazs' CCHR, but who ever claimed Szasz was a Scientologist? Of course, neither was Foucault, Goffman, Deleuze and Guattari etc. The foundational anti-psychiatric claims are completely independent of the stain of Scientology and it's saddening to hear someone feel like they have to pre-qualify their appreciation for a very good study on the possibility it may be linked in some way to the Co$. [not blaming you, catbirdsteed].

Anyway.

Many defended psychiatry, arguing that as psychiatric diagnosis relies largely on the patient's report of their experiences, faking their presence no more demonstrates problems with psychiatric diagnosis than lying about other medical symptoms. In this vein psychiatrist Robert Spitzer quoted Kety in a 1975 criticism of Rosenhan's study:

If I were to drink a quart of blood and, concealing what I had done, come to the emergency room of any hospital vomiting blood, the behavior of the staff would be quite predictable. If they labeled and treated me as having a bleeding peptic ulcer, I doubt that I could argue convincingly that medical science does not know how to diagnose that condition.[4]

The retort to Spitzer, of course, is that if he was diagnosed with a peptic ulcer, within a couple of days of routine observation there's a very good chance the diagnostic error would have been caught. Certainly it would have been noticed well before 19 days had elapsed, which was the median stay for Rosenhan's pseudopatients in the mental institutions to which they gained entry.

[lupercal]

Plutonia you get an E for effort but you haven't given a reason to consider even one of the dozens of studies cited in the RFK report "unsound." So let's see what you did instead:

Round, round we go, I guess.

57 A quick search at the National Library of Medicine’s PUBMED and TOXNET websites netted hundreds and even thousands of studies on search terms such as: mercury neurotoxicity, mercury and development and mercury and brain. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed) and (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search).

No mention of autism in your search criteria Loopy? Strange 'cause if you go here you can find several pages of studies that directly address autism/vaccine causality which invariously conclude no connection.

How about this one?

Thimerosal and autism? A plausible hypothesis that should not be dismissed* 1
[PDF] from vtce.org
MF Blaxill, L Redwood… - Medical hypotheses, 2004 - Elsevier
The autism–mercury hypothesis first described by Bernard et al. has generated much interest
and controversy. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reviewed the connection between mercury-containing
vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. They concluded that the ...
Cited by 47 - Related articles - All 16 versions

http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en& ... thimerosal

Moving along:

NoMercury.org has a page dedicated to such studies: http://www.nomercury.org/science.htm

NoMercury.org I'll let Kevin Leitch handle cause he does it so well and Barracuda is right, refuting the same fallacies over and over is tedious.

NoMercury.org was not a study, but a collection of citations, and thus irrelevant to my question, but in any case the link is apparently dead so you just wasted a couple of feet of screen space.

But seriously, Loop, Minamata?

Minamata disease in mice.

But seriously what?

Burbacher T, Shen DD, Liberato N, Grant KS, Cernichiari E, and Clarkson T. “Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal,” The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, April 21, 2005. ...

(Neurotoxicity of ethyl- and methyl- mercury were similar, though higher levels of inorganic mercury were found in brains of ethylmercury-treated rats.) ...

63 Axton JHM. Six cases of poisoning after a parenteral organic mercurial compound (Merthiolate). Postgrad Med J 1972;48:417-21. (Four children and two adults who were accidentally injected with toxic amounts of Thimerosal…Five out of the six patients died). ...

67 Mukhtarova ND. Late sequelae of nervous system pathology caused by the action of low concentrations of ethyl mercury chloride. Gig Tr Prof Zabol 1977 Mar(3):4-7.

Yep. You've made a great case for mercury toxicity but have utterly failed to prove an autism/ vaccine connection. Once again. I guess you just thought that autism was the same as mercury poisoning.

The point is that even much lower levels of mercury are known to be neurologically toxic, and that the vaccine manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has admitted knowledge of such effects, which is supported by many other studies:

The damaging effect of thimerosal, for example, is uncontested in Eli Lilly’s own Material Safety Data Sheet, a disclosure document required by federal law. Lilly acknowledges that thimerosal is “toxic;” has “Nervous System and Reproductive Effects” and “alters genetic material.” The company also warns that exposure to the mercury in their product “in utero and in children can cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment.”66

In 1977, a well-known published Russian study by Dr. N.D. Mukhtarova found that the majority of adults who were exposed to much lower concentrations of ethyl mercury than those given to American children in vaccines were still suffering neurological injury and neuropathology several years after the exposure.67

Moving along:

But Loopy, if you want to tell us about vaccines and neurological disorders, that's fine, you may be on to something, let's look at it. Just keep in mind that autism isn't a neurological disorder, it's classified as a developmental disorder with unique, if broad, features.

I've interacted with enough autistic children to know that it's a very serious brain malfunction, NOT just kids being kids, or parents having unrealistic expectations, or any such social or psychological construction. A kid with autism has a seriously impaired brain.

And lastly, for the win, Wakefield is caught holding hands with the Co$:

Changing the subject again. The point is that links between mercury (thimerosal) and autism have been thoroughly and repeatedly established in the reams of studies cited here, and that vaccine manufacturers including Eli Lilly have for decades knowingly poisoned children with their neurologically toxic products.

[barracuda]

The point is that links between mercury (thimerosal) and autism have been thoroughly and repeatedly established in the reams of studies cited here...

Not even once in thirty pages. Or perhaps you mean such as the study you cited?

Thimerosal and autism? A plausible hypothesis that should not be dismissed

That "study" does nothing of the sort. It "establishes" no such "link". At all.

Pleas quit bumping this thread with absolutely nothing. Move on.

[lupercal]

^ You miss the point. I asked Plutonia to explain why the results of any of the RFK studies should be considered "unsound" and she could not. Nor can you. In the total absence of any reason to think otherwise I therefore conclude that the studies are perfectly sound as are the sobering conclusions he draws from them. Case closed.

[barracuda]

It's not whether I can, but whether I will. In my opinion, the genetic component is probably the whole of the issue, as cases of autism continue to surface even though thimerasol use has radically declined.

You're mind is already made up on the subject of a disorder neither you nor anyone else really understands in the first place. So of course, for you, the case is closed. Keep preaching to that choir, though.

[Plutonia]

Plutonia you get an E for effort

E for E-Meter don't you mean Loopy?

I've interacted with enough autistic children...

And now you are interacting with an adult autist who has read and thought a lot about autism and who may have some insights which could help you to understand what you are talking about.

So again, if you want to talk about the dangers of vaccines, great! But since you continue to asperse autistics with your dogmatic tirades, it's apparent to me that autism is the real target of your interest, and not vaccines at all.

Why would that be, Loopy?


Oh, and I tried all those links and they work fine.

[compared2what?]

^ You miss the point. I asked Plutonia to explain why the results of any of the RFK studies should be considered "unsound" and she could not. Nor can you. In the total absence of any reason to think otherwise I therefore conclude that the studies are perfectly sound as are the sobering conclusions he draws from them. Case closed.

I can. As I would imagine anyone reading the descriptive summaries can. While they may or may not be sound in themselves, all are either about:

(1) mercury poisoning by other means than vaccination, in other amounts than in vaccination, other circumstances than in vaccination and/or by other forms of organo-mercury than thimerosal used to break down to back when it was in more than one vaccine that not everyone gets; or

(2) they're in vitro studies showing thimerosal and/or ethyl-mercury destroying cells in a Petri dish, which mightn't even imply and certainly doesn't prove anything about its in vivo toxicity, due to:
(a) there being a world of difference between a complex living organism and a few cells in a petri dish; and
(b) just about any substance, including water, being toxic to cells in a dish when all you're doing is splashing that substance on the cells and waiting for something to happen; or

(3) small animal studies that (unless I missed one) purport to demonstrate, as Plutonia said, the neurotoxicity of mercury but say nothing at all about its relationship to autism. Or, indeed, about whether the amount of ethylmercury that's in vaccines would be neurotoxic if it was delivered via vaccine over the period of time during which childhood immunization occurs.

That last thing is also the reason that this...

The point is that even much lower levels of mercury are known to be neurologically toxic, and that the vaccine manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has admitted knowledge of such effects, which is supported by many other studies:

...raises some questions, those questions being:

Do you mean lower levels than the total amount of mercury into which the total amount of thimerosal in all vaccines together would once have translated back when thimerosal still was in vaccines?

Or do you mean lower levels than the total amount of mercury into which the total amount of thimerosal in one vaccine manufactured by Eli Lilly would once have translated (or still does, if it's the flu shot)?

Because if it's the former: Hey. Before they stopped using it for vaccines, those shots weren't given all at once. They were given months apart from one another. During which some or almost all of the mercury from the first round of injection(s) would have cleared the child's system Therefore, you can't just add all of the thimerosal (formerly in) shots together and call the result the sum total toxic amount of mercury to which vaccines expose children. It's not.

And if the latter -- Really? There's more thimerosal in that one flu shot than it took to poison an animal or human being? Are you sure? Because, seriously, I sure didn't know that. I wonder why vaccine opponents don't make more of that information .

[lupercal]

^ You miss the point. I asked Plutonia to explain why the results of any of the RFK studies should be considered "unsound" and she could not. Nor can you. In the total absence of any reason to think otherwise I therefore conclude that the studies are perfectly sound as are the sobering conclusions he draws from them. Case closed.

I can.

Maybe you can, in fact I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I don't see where you actually have, so RFK's studies and conclusions will have to stand.

The point is that even much lower levels of mercury are known to be neurologically toxic, and that the vaccine manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has admitted knowledge of such effects, which is supported by many other studies:

...raises some questions

Oh absolutely, like why Eli Lilly ever peddled its unbelievably toxic topical mercury treatment as a vaccine preservative in the first place, and why they're still allowed to in the US, most other reasonably informed nations including Russia having long ago outlawed the insanity? From Lilly's own Material Safety Data Sheet (and yes Plutonia, the nomercury.org links are dead as doornails, replaced by irrelevant adware, which makes me think you don't read sources very carefully, or at all), Thimeropoison being 100% Lilly's toxic cash cow:

Eli Lilly and Company
Material Safety Data Sheet
Thimerosal
Effective Date: 22-Dec-1999
Section 1 - Chemical Product and Company
Manufacturer:
Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly Corporate Center
Indianapolis, IN 46285

(snip)

Section 2 - Composition / Information on Ingredients
Ingredient CAS
Thimerosal 54-64-8
Thimerosal contains 49.6% w/w organically-bound mercury.
Exposure Guidelines: Thimerosal - No known occupational exposure limits established.
Mercury - (Alkyl compounds, as Hg) PEL 0.01 mg/m3 TWA, 0.4 mg/m3 ceiling. (Aryl compounds, as
Hg) TLV 0.1 mg/m3 TWA (skin). BEI 35 micrograms total inorganic mercury per gram of creatinine
sampled in urine before the shift. BEI 15 micrograms of total inorganic mercury per liter of blood
sampled at the end of shift at the end of workweek.
UK- (Alkyl compounds, as Hg) Exposure Standard 0.01 mg/m3 TWA, 0.03 mg/m3 STEL (skin).
Ireland - (Alkyl compounds, as Hg) Occupational Exposure Limit 0.01 mg/m3 TWA, 0.03 mg/m3
15-minute STEL (skin).
Thimerosal
France - (Alkyl compounds as Hg) Occupational Exposure Limits 0.01 mg/m3 (VME) TWA (skin).
Germany - (Organic mercury compounds, as Hg) TRGS 900 Limit Value 0.01 mg/m3 TWA, 15-minute
limit not to exceed 4 times MAK (skin).
Section 3 - Hazards Identification
Appearance: Light cream-colored crystalline powder
Physical State: Solid
Odor: Faint metallic odor/taste
Emergency Overview
Special
R = Reproductive
A = Allergen
Emergency Overview Effective Date: 08-Dec-1999
Lilly Laboratory Labeling Codes:
Health 2 Fire 1 Reactivity 0 Special R, A
Primary Physical and Health Hazards: Skin Permeable. Toxic. Mutagen. Irritant (eyes).
Allergen. Nervous System and Reproductive Effects.
Caution Statement: Thimerosal may enter the body through the skin, is toxic, alters genetic material,
may be irritating to the eyes, and causes allergic reactions. Effects of exposure may include numbness
of extremities, fetal changes, decreased offspring survival, and lung tissue changes.
Routes of Entry: Inhalation and skin absorption.
Effects of Overexposure: Topical allergic dermatitis has been reported. Thimerosal contains
mercury. Mercury poisoning may occur and topical hypersensitivity reactions may be seen. Early signs
of mercury poisoning in adults are nervous system effects, including narrowing of the visual field and
numbness in the extremities. Exposure to mercury in utero and in children may cause mild to severe
mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment. Based on animal data, may be
irritating to the eyes.
Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure: Hypersensitivity to mercury.
Carcinogenicity: No carcinogenicity data found. Not listed by IARC, NTP, ACGIH, or OSHA.
Section 4 - First Aid Measures
Eyes: Hold eyelids open and flush with a steady, gentle stream of water for 15 minutes. See an
Thimerosal
ophthalmologist (eye doctor) or other physician immediately.
Skin: This product is intended for topical application to the skin. However, in case of unintentional
exposure, especially to large areas of skin, wash with soap and water. If symptoms develop consult a
physician.

(snip)

Thimerosal
Chronic Exposure
Thimerosol is a mercuric compound. Toxicity data for thimerosal and mercury are presented.
Target Organ Effects: Thimerosal - Kidney effects (tubule necrosis), lung effects (tissue changes).
Mercury - Nervous system effects (insomnia, tremor, anorexia, weakness, headache), liver effects
(jaundice, digestive effects (hypermotility, diarrhea).
Other Effects: Thimerosal - Decreased weight gain.
Reproduction: Thimerosal - Decreased offspring survival.
Mercury - Changes in sperm production, decreased offspring survival, and offspring nervous system
effects including mild to severe mental retardation and motor coordination impairment.
Sensitization: No applicable information found.
Mutagenicity: Thimerosal - Mutagenic in mammalian cells.

(snip)

EC Classification
T+ (Very Toxic)
N (Dangerous for the Environment)
Risk Phrases
R 26/27/28 - Very toxic by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed.
R 33 - Danger of cumulative effects.

. . . and more, lots more:
http://www.vaccine-tlc.org/docs/Thimero ... 0Sheet.pdf

Yes, lots and lots of unanswered questions here.

During which some or almost all of the mercury from the first round of injection(s) would have cleared the child's system

"Cleared the child's system" according to whom, L. Ron Hubbard? Plutonia, Barracuda, don't miss your cue!

[barracuda]

...Lilly's own Material Safety Data Sheet...

Dude, do you even know what an MSDS is, or what they are actually used for? Because it seems as if you don't. For comparison, here is an MSDS for a substance which you ingest, and have ingested, directly or in the form of by-products, in all probability, every single day of your life:

http://www.westlake.com/_filelib/FileCa ... lorine.pdf

Wow, I guess we can safely and intelligently promote a link between end-consumer chlorine use and respiratory/pulmonary ailments based upon this document, as it clearly states:

Effects of Overexposure:

Low concentrations of chlorine can cause itching and burning of the eyes, nose, throat
and respiratory tract. At high concentrations chlorine is a respiratory poison. Irritant effects
become severe and may be accompanied by tearing of the eyes, headache, coughing,
choking, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness and
death. Bronchitis and accumulation of fluid in the lungs (chemical pneumonia) may occur hours
after exposure to high levels. Liquid as well as vapor contact can cause irritation, burns and
blisters. Ingestion can cause nausea and severe burns of the mouth, esophagus and stomach.

Chronic: Prolonged or repeated overexposure may result in many or all of the effects reported
for acute exposure (including pulmonary function effects).

Here's another scary, scary one:

Chronic Effects on Humans: Causes damage to the following organs: blood, lungs, mucous membranes.

Other Toxic Effects on Humans: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant). Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, permeator), of ingestion, of inhalation.

Special Remarks on Toxicity to Animals: Not available.

Special Remarks on Chronic Effects on Humans: Embryotoxic and/or foetotoxic in animal. Excreted in maternal milk in human.

Special Remarks on other Toxic Effects on Humans: Not available.

http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Acetyls ... id-9922977

Yes, that is from the MDMS for aspirin. Run for the hills.

MSD sheets are required for the transportation and storage of large raw amounts of the substance covered, as a "component of product stewardship and workplace safety, it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner." Have you ever consulted an MSDS regarding any common substances you might encounter at your local grocery store, dentist, swimming pool or garden? Why or why not?

An MDMS has literally nothing to do with a determination of the safety or lack thereof of the substance they cover when that substance is used a consumer setting. It is an irrelevant, scaremongering strawman in this discussion.

Meanwhile, in news regarding legitimate research into the actual causes of autism, studies show serotonin may play a role in many cases of autism.

[elfismiles]

There was another RadarOnline article which has since been taken down / re-linked...

Changing Her View? Jenny McCarthy Abandons Controversial Position On Vaccines And Says Her Son...
Ever since Jenny McCarthy's son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2007, she's been the public face of the disorder, founding an organization to the cause, writing about it in books, and stridently ... Radar Online
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/ ... es-autism/

... now this ...

Jenny McCarthy: ‘My Son Does Have Autism’
Posted on Jan 4, 2014 @ 10:36AM | By Radar Staff
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/ ... ve-autism/