Do Vaccines Really Cause Autism?

You've seen the news stories, you've read the magazine articles and you've watched the debate turn nasty and heated on internet discussion boards. So you know that the mercury in childhood vaccinations has been linked to everything from mental illness to developmental disorders. But are these stories actually credible or are they the result of an overzealous "natural" movement?

Let's look at the facts. Studies by four completely separate research teams working on three different continents have failed to provide any evidence linking autism to the mercury in childhood vaccines. Over and over, decade after decade, vaccines have been proven safe and effective for the vast majority of children.

Why Parents Are Worried

Despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of mainstream physicians endorse vaccines as a safe, effective way to prevent childhood illnesses, the media has afforded anti-vaccine proponents a significant amount of attention on both the national and local levels. Using scientifically shaky research, these marginalized scientists have built compelling cases by preying on the fears of worried parents who have neither the time nor resources to de-bunk them.

The truth is that autism is typically diagnosed at about the same time a child receives most of his vaccines. Because the two events--vaccinations and the diagnosis of autism--often occur with months of each other, parents just naturally associate the two. But the alleged cause-and-effect relationship may be nothing more than mere coincidence.

Evidence to the Contrary

It's important to realize that the form of mercury we normally associate with mercury poisoning is very different from the form of mercury used to preserve vaccines. Methylmercury, which is the "natural" form of mercury found in the environment, has long been recognized as a toxin, especially in high doses. However, ethylmercury, the form of mercury used to preserve some vaccines, is a different form of mercury. Ethylmercury is broken down in the body and excreted relatively quickly. While methylmercury is stored in the tissues of the body, ethylmercury is not.

No one is suggesting that mercury is healthy. But most studies linking developmental disorders and mercury exposure focused on methymercury--not the ethylmercury used in some vaccines.

The danger of mercury poisoning was graphically illustrated in Iraq in the early 1970s. In 1971, Iraq imported a large amount of mercury-laden grain which Iraqi farmers later made into bread. At least 6500 Iraqis were sickened and 450 died as a result of mercury poisoning. Pregnant women who ate the bread later delivered babies suffering from mercury-linked conditions like epilepsy and retardation--as you would expect--but the incident of autism in the Iraqi population remained the same.

And What About Breast Feeding?

If mercury was really related to autism we would see an increased incident of this developmental disorder in breastfed babies. A baby who is nursed exclusively can absorb several times the amount of mercury used in all his childhood vaccines combined yet there's no evidence that suggests breastfed babies are at any higher risk for autism than formula-fed infants.

The Real Tragedy

Parents in the 1940s and 1950s knew all too well what polio, measles and other childhood diseases could do to a child's body. They feared the disease much more than they feared the potential side-effects of the vaccines. By contrast, today's young parents have likely never seen a child paralyzed by polio or brain-damaged by measles. They simply don't realize that these once-common illnesses are still very real threats to their children. And that's the real tragedy. Thousands of children for whom vaccines are both safe and appropriate are being put at risk by parents who, for various reasons, are never given the information to make an informed choice.

Ultimately, you and only you make the decision to vaccinate. But for the sake of your child, please learn the facts and make an informed decision. I did, and even though I've worked with "natural" products throughout my career, I still made the decision to vaccinate. Should you? That's up to you.