Boyd Haley Ph.D. RESPONSE TO 2008 R. SCHECHTER AND J. GRETHER PUBLCIATION
In January of 2008, researchers at the California Department of Public
Health published a paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry that was
widely reported to show that vaccines play no role in autism. Noted
researcher Boyd Haley has graciously given ARRI permission to publish his
response to this study.
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RESPONSE TO 2008 R. SCHECHTER AND J. GRETHER PUBLICATION 'CONTINUING
INCREASES IN AUTISM REPORTED TO CALIFORNIA'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES
SYSTEM' WHICH ADDRESSES CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT
OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DATA ON EVALUATION OF THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIMEROSAL AND AUTISM
8 January 2008
by Boyd Haley, Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
We should all consider that there are two top priorities in the
vaccine/autism issue every American should be concerned with. We need to
develop a safe vaccination program, and we need to find the cause of
autism and eliminate it if possible. I have been a
strong proponent of investigating thimerosal as the
casual agent for autism spectrum disorders based on
the biological science that shows thimerosal to be incredibly
toxic, especially to infants. I know of nothing remotely as toxic as
thimerosal that numerous infants would be exposed to before 3 to 4 years
of age. Below I present several comments regarding
this issue and the 2008 Schechter-Grether study that I
think are relevant. Mainly, while the
Schechter-Grether study appears to be a well done study it suffers from the
fatal flaw of assuming that thimerosal was removed to safe levels in
vaccines by 2002. They also cut a fine edge as to time when a
significant drop in autism rates would be expected.
Further, no study exists that proves our vaccine
schedule alone is safe, let alone the current one that
still exposes infants to thimerosal, a concern they do not address. The
alarming concern is that these authors seem more involved at providing
material saying thimerosal is safe than they are concerned with the
obvious fact, openly presented in their own data on
autism rates, which strongly indicated that increased
rates of autism started with the CDC mandated vaccine
program. References to support the comments are readily available
in many recent publications.
1. Autism was not a known, described illness until about 1941-3, 8 to
10 years after the introduction of thimerosal and similar organic
thiol-mercury compounds in biological mixtures used in medicine and other
areas. This argues against autism being a genetic illness.
2. In 1977, 10 of 13 infants treated in a single hospital by topical
application of thimerosal for umbilical cord infections died of mercury
toxicity. This same topical was used on adolescents without obvious ill
effects which strongly supports the concept that infants are very
susceptible to thimerosal toxicity.
3. The recent increase (starting about 1990) of autism spectrum
disorders correlated well with the advent of the CDC mandated vaccine
program which increased thimerosal exposures with increased vaccinations.
Due to its toxicity, thimerosal would have to be suspect for causing
autism.
4. As expected by science, extensive searching for a genetic cause of
autism has not turned up a significant find that would explain the recent
increased rate in autism. The latest genetic find, at best, might
explain 0.5% of autism causation. Most agree that a
genetic predisposition is likely (like those that lead
to low glutathione levels), but that a toxic exposure
is absolutely needed. Consider also, that this increased toxic
exposure would have had to occur in all 50 states at about the same time
as all states have reported similar increases in
autism rates. Only something like the government
recommended vaccine program fits this need for a time
dependent, uniform exposure of a toxin throughout all the states.
5. In the Schechter-Grether study it is implied or assumed that all
thimerosal containing vaccines were gone by the end of 2002 due to their
expiration dates. I don't think this is a valid assumption. I have
talked to mothers who asked to see the vaccine inserts
as late as 2004 and found thimerosal present as a
preservative in infant vaccines being used in certain
clinics. Also, in 2004 the influenza vaccine was recommended by
the CDC for infants 6 months of age and older. It would appear as if a
thimerosal free vaccine time-frame would be very hard to identify, if one
ever existed. I have read that the average age of autism diagnosis is
near 44 months of age. Therefore, while it does seem
reasonable to expect a decrease in autism after 4 to 5
years of complete thimerosal removal, assuming a
consistent diagnostic protocol was used, it appears this has not
been accomplished. This means the Schechter-Grether study is likely
somewhat premature in reaching the conclusions reported in that enough
time has not passed for the expected decrease to occur
and that they were quite optimistic in identifying the
dates of thimerosal reduction and underestimate
exposures occurring between 2002-4.
6. If, indeed, the complete removal of thimerosal from vaccines was not
followed in an appropriate time by a decrease in autism then this would
be solid proof that thimerosal was not causal for
autism. However, thimerosal has not been completely
removed from vaccines and thimerosal used at the
original levels in the manufacturing of these vaccines with a
trace amounts left in the vaccines when
bottled. I don't know what level a 'trace'
is since it is not a term used in science to describe an actual
amount. Some called the 12.5 micrograms mercury in the older vaccines a
a 'trace' amount. Bottom line, the infants are
still getting some level of thimerosal,
a 'trace'amount that is free
and an amount of ethylmercury that is bound to the
proteins that induce the immune response.
If vaccines are causing autism and it appears this is a strong possibility based on the California data and, if removing thimerosal added as a preservative really does not reduce the autism rate then the causation is much more complex.
Consider the possibilities that:
A. Autism may be caused by a thimerosal modified protein that sets off an
immune response or causes some other biological reaction that can cascade
with injurious effects. Since the vaccines are manufactured with
thimerosal present in abundance it is quite likely that any cysteine
containing proteins would be modified with ethylmercury. Removal of most
of the free thimerosal (or just not adding it) would not decrease the
level of any toxic modified protein produced during
the vaccines production that might be causal.
Removing the thimerosal added as a preservative would not
decrease the amount of this ethylmercury modified protein in those
vaccines with a 'trace'
thimerosal levels.
B. That autism could be caused in susceptible individuals by very low
thimerosal or ethylmercury modified protein exposures due to their
genetic susceptibility or other factors (general
health, gender). In this scenario the higher
thimerosal exposures are not required and the induction of
autism is not thimerosal concentration dependent at the old and new
thimerosal vaccine levels, but just requires a significant exposure level
that is met by the vaccines containing the lower a 'trace'
amounts of thimerosal and past thimerosal levels in
vaccine production processes.
Bottom line, if genetic susceptibility is involved then causation of autism
may not increase linearly with increased thimerosal exposure. Causation
may only require low thimerosal exposure or exposure
to modified proteins. It is possible that the
reduction of thimerosal as in the a 'trace'
was just not enough to produce a safe vaccine.
Not all toxins work like alcohol and the old 'a dose
makes the toxin' is not
always correct. As long as they are used, the mere use of 'a
trace' thimerosal in vaccines along with higher levels in the flu vaccine
will always prevent a conclusive answer to
thimerosal's involvement in autism causation. What
should be studied is the ?ono exposure? versus the
?oexposed? populations with regard to autism rates.
7. If indeed autism is rare among the non-vaccinated Amish populations,
as reported by Dan Olmstead, I find it an amazingly oversight that the
CDC and others responsible for infant health do not
fund a study in this area.
This study could go both ways, if the Amish have autism rates identical
with the rest of the population the argument would be over---neither
vaccines nor thimerosal would be causal for autism, and I personally
would argue in this direction. If, however, the
autism rates in the Amish are exceptionally low then
vaccines would have to be considered as a prime
suspect in causation with the presence of the highly toxic thimerosal the
main suspect.
If the results in the 2008 Schechter-Grether study hold up with time, and
complete removal of thimerosal does not cause a drop in autism rates and
the autism rates in non-vaccinated populations are low then something
else in the vaccines would have to be considered the
major causation factor for autism. However, without
doing the non-vaccinated population studies there
cannot be a conclusive statement either way about either vaccines or
thimerosal as being causal for autism. The steadfast refusal of the CDC
and others to support such studies being done is part of the reason that
many parents, scientists and physicians have severe doubts about the
sincerity of their efforts to resolve this issue. This is how I think,
when I review a paper submitted for publication I
always ask why an obvious experiment wasn't done. The
study of non-vaccinated populations is a very obvious
experiment that the CDC and its supporters appear to refuse to
consider. This makes me suspicious that this knowledge exists and is
being suppressed because knowledge of the rate among
the non-vaccinated population would answer many
questions.
Finally, the Schechter-Grether study may be good news to the vaccine
manufacturers and those who recommended and use the mandated vaccine
program as it serves as manufactured uncertainty about the thimerosal
involvement in autism causation. However, it presents a major concern to
the parents and families of infants since it implies that our vaccines,
even with most of the free thimerosal removed, may not be safe and that
our CDC does not have a clue about what to do make
them safe. Common sense would lead most to attack
finding the cause of autism instead of trying to prove
something besides thimerosal is causal. The major question is ?oare
our vaccines causing autism?---only comparing the non-vaccinated to the
vaccinated will answer this question. Common sense would have lead to
this comparison being done first and being done 10-15
years ago. In the recent past I have recommended that
parents vaccinate their children with thimerosal free
vaccines as I considered them safe. If Schechter-Grether
are correct, and vaccines, but not thimerosal, correlate with increased
autism rates, then I am in error assuming vaccines are now safer with
regards to autism risk than they were 2000.
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