Thursday, March 17, 2005

Study Links Autism and Mercury

...which has nothing to do with asthma, I know. But in a way, it has a lot to do with this blog.

First off, here's the article from the LA Times.

Now, here's the connection. Throughout this blog, I've ranted time and time again about pharmaceutical companies -- how they encourage unnecessary vaccines, etc. It may not seem like a bad thing that they're incouraging vaccinations for things like chicken pox and the flu, but in fact, it may be. Read on.

While this study (funnily enough) doesn't specifiy it, skeptics like me have been questioning the link between autism -- and other disorders (like asthma) -- and vaccines. Both asthma and autism have reached epidemic proportions over the last generation or so, and many blame the last version of the MMR vaccine, which contained a mercury binding called thimerosal. (Thimerasol also binds the flu vaccine)

Since the speculation began, pharmaceutical companies have denied any connection. Which, to me, seems ridiculous. If you're injecting your baby with a known neurotoxin like mercury -- I don't care how small the amount is -- bad things are bound to happen.

Finally, this new study, which links the two. They do chicken out a bit, citing mercury in the air and water, and funnily not in injected vaccines. But at last, a connection. In writing.

And according to the article, autism rates over the last 20 years have jumped from 1 in 2000 to as high as 1 in every 166 children. Terrifying.

I'd love to see where asthma rates are today. And a study brave enough to reveal what's really causing the epidemic. (Vaccines? Latex paint? SUVs?)

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