Does the Ingestion of Mercury Cause Autism - Research Paper Example

The objective of the present paper is to review three research articles on the said subject. The study contends that had mercury has been responsible for causing autism, the absence of thimerosal should have caused autism rates to descend. Thus the findings indicate little correlation between mercury and autism.
A University of Texas Health Science Center study reveals that high rates of mercury emissions led to, on average, a 17 percent increase in the rate of autism for every 1,000 pounds discharged. The findings point to the fact but do not prove, that mercury causes autism. The study calls for further research especially that centers on genetic and environmental causes of autism.

(Tong 2009) refers to the UC Davis study which established that blood mercury levels in autistic children and those without the condition were the same. Tong’s paper also takes note of Hertz-Picciotto's study which suggests that 400 percent of the 600 percent increase in autism diagnoses in California from 1990 through 2006 can be attributed to environmental factors. Thus other factors that may lead to autism need to be investigated.

CONCLUSION
The aforesaid discussion suggests that to date there is no conclusive evidence to prove that mercury ingestion and autism are correlated. The CDC and the FDA have also declared the association between mercury ingestion and autism as unsubstantiated. Some studies are, at best, only indicative of this relationship for they have failed to establish the link between mercury and autism in unambiguous terms. Further research needs to be conducted to look into the impact of genetic and environmental factors on autism. The review provides compelling reasons to accept the hypothesis: Mercury ingestion does not cause autism.

ABSTRACT 1
(Nationwide, flu vaccines still contain trace amounts of mercury preservative, according to federal health authorities.) “Autism rates increased consistently . . . throughout this period, despite the exclusion of mercury from nearly all childhood vaccines (Warren). Mainstream drug and medical groups, including the FDA, the CDC, and the Federal Institute of Medicine, have maintained there was no scientific evidence to support the theory that mercury caused autism -- a stance that enrages Haley and many parents.
Excerpts of discussions from the article. "Autism rates increased consistently . . . throughout this period, despite the exclusion of mercury from nearly all childhood vaccines. Our findings are inconsistent with the idea that mercury could be the explanation for increases in autism." (Warren)

As for Haley's argument that some children still might be getting some mercury from vaccines, Schechter (lead researcher of the study) said that could be true.
"I would not claim that children are getting no mercury from vaccines. But the average exposure for the population has substantially decreased over the past decade. If mercury from vaccinations was a primary cause of autism, you would expect rates to be dropping substantially." (Warren)



ABSTRACT 2
Counties with high rates of mercury emissions had an average 17 percent increase in the rate of autism for every 1,000 pounds discharged, said [Raymond Palmer], an associate professor of family and community medicine.
Scientists are investigating genetic and environmental causes. The debate over mercury initially centered on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative once used in vaccines. That theory is largely discredited, but scientists are looking at other sources of the neurotoxin.
"Overall this lends itself to support the hypothesis out there that autism is related to mercury. We hear about it in aerosol and we hear about it in fish. This study takes another angle; there are other sources of mercury exposure, too." (Tumiel)

Excerpts of discussions from the article. "It's a crude study that looks at rates of autism and pounds of emissions. A correlation doesn't mean cause." (Tumiel)
"Overall this lends itself to support the hypothesis out there that autism is related to mercury. We hear about it in aerosol and we hear about it in fish. This study takes another angle; there are other sources of mercury exposure, too." (Tumiel)
"These types of studies are useful in the early stages of a field. They are never definitive, but they point you in the direction of things you should look at." (Tumiel)

ABSTRACT 3
Another study published this month in the journal Pediatrics estimated autism's prevalence to be 1 in 91 children, an increase from the rate of 1 in 150 children reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008.
Excerpts of discussions from the article. "It's a pervasive belief that children with autism have tons of metal in them. We could not measure levels in the brain or other tissues, but mercury concentrations circulating in the blood of children with autism were similar to levels in other children." (Tong)
High levels of mercury have been known to cause severe neurological damage, and there have been hypotheses pointing to mercury as one of the possible causes of autism. Read More