Advocacy for Autism Answers-- Understanding Ubiquitous Mercury

Earlier this week, the prestigious scientific journal, Nature, published an article entitled "Autism Study Panned by Critics". The article discussed the controversies surrounding a recently suspended clinical trial that proposed the use of chelating agents on children with autism.

The hypothesis in this trial is that on average and relative to the control group, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who undergo chelation with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) will show greater improvements in communication and social behavior. The trial description says there is need for empiric evidence for effects of chelation therapy in view of prevalent use of chelation in autistic children despite lack of scientific or clinical evidence of efficacy .

I won't comment on the medical value of using chelating agents, but the article does promote some fallacies in a condescending and inappropriate manner about mercury as a possible cause, or contributing cause, of autism to those families desperately seeking answers to a now epidemic disease (1 in 150 children are diagnosed with autism- CDC, 2007). This disease is particularly irksome as there are no definitive scientific causal answers. Yet the authors act as if mercury has been eliminated as a possible mechanism, when in fact there is a gathering body of evidence linking mercury as a neurotoxin to segments of the population who show a possible genetic susceptibility based on genetic association studies. The imperious claim that the issue of mercury's role as a causal factor in autism has been settled is unsupported by the facts.

Fallacy 1) "Parents are using such therapy on children with autism because of their belief -- which has been scientifically discredited -- that mercury from vaccinations caused their children's condition."

Let's be clear. Mercury from vaccinations as a contributing factor to autism, or perhaps the threshold breaking factor, in genetically susceptible children has not been scientifically discredited.

Mercury is a known neurotoxin, found ubiquitously in the environment. Its various forms come from or are derived from , both natural sources, such as volcanic activity, and man-made sources. Background levels in the environment have increased in the post-industrial era several-fold, coming from coal power plants and other industrial sources. And, the world is only getting more toxic -- for example, China is opening two new coal power plants a week to fuel their growing economy .The effluents from these plants, including mercury, are carried in the upper atmosphere east towards North America, and are causing rises in mercury levels in the Pacific Ocean.

Mercury has long been a contaminant in food. Methyl mercury is the predominant form of mercury in the food chain and gets concentrated as it moves up the food chain: bacteria->plankton->small fish->larger predatory fish->humans and animals.

Image from Technical Report: Mercury in the Environment: Implications for Pediatricians
Goldman, Lynn R., Shannon, Michael W., the Committee on Environmental Health, Pediatrics 2001 108: 197-205

The effect of this 'bioaccumulation' is well known, and has led to dietary fish restriction recommendations from the EPA and the, FDA. Women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, and nursing mothers are at risk if they eat two tuna fish sandwiches a week! (The specific advice is to avoid certain species of fish, and limit fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury to 2 meals per week. Children are recommended the same guidelines but "smaller portions".

The other major route of exposure is mercury in dental amalgam, itself a topic of much controversy.

Nataf et. al. 2006 and Geier and Geier, 2006, have shown that higher body burdens of mercury, as indicated by urinary porphyrin profiles, are significantly higher in autistic children.

And the recent ruling in Vaccine Court in favor of an autistic child with mitochondrial disease highlights the importance of individual risk factors in determining associations of vaccine or other sources of mercury in causation of this disease. The court ruled in favor of link between vaccination and the onset on autism-like symptoms in a child with underlying predisposition due to mitochondrial disorder.

Bottom line is, mercury in vaccines is one source contributing to a total body burden. And, the role of inter-individual variations has not been clarified. The contention that parents' beliefs have been "scientifically discredited" is wrong.

Fallacy # 2) "Others argue that the study doesn't make scientific sense because autism has not been documented as a symptom of high-dose mercury poisoning......."

Three prominent studies (Palmer et. al., 2008, Windham et. al, 2006, Palmer et. al, 2006) document an association between environmental sources of mercury release and autism rates , , . The most recent of these studies shows a statistically relevant increase of 2.6-3.7% increase in the rate of autism based on proximity to industrial power plants.

Multiple studies have indicated the differential susceptibility of children to deleterious neurological effects of mercury, including both fish consumption and pure environmental factors (Landrigan et. al., 2002, Grandjean et. al, 1995, Ramirez et. al, 2003, Rice et. al, 2000), and the accumulation of higher concentrations of mercury in breast-fed infants than blood levels of their nursing moms.

There are undoubtedly many unknown factors with respect to retention of mercury, impairment of detoxification pathways, and elimination rates which vary in individuals, for a number of environmental and genetic factors.

Debating the merits of a particular clinical trial and the usefulness of the conclusions that could be drawn from the endpoint is fair game in approving and evaluating clinical trial design and acceptability of conduct.

To use such debate as a platform to surreptitiously proffer fallacies and assumptions as scientifically proven fact in irresponsible.

All links last accessed on July 16, 2008.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00376194
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6769743.stm
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1721109,00.html
Raymond F Palmer, Stephen Blanchard, and Robert Wood, "Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence," Health & Place (February 12, 2008), doi:S1353-8292(08)00014-2.
Raymond F Palmer et al., "Environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: an ecological study of Texas," Health & Place 12, no. 2 (June 2006): 203-9, doi:S1353-8292(04)00117-0.
Gayle C Windham et al., "Autism spectrum disorders in relation to distribution of hazardous air pollutants in the San Francisco bay area," Environmental Health Perspectives 114, no. 9 (September 2006): 1438-44, doi:16966102.

Comments

[lisakaz2]

I would suggest ppl in this situtation get the kid a "hair elements" test and if indicated try chelation. I'm on a regimen of dmsa and lipoic acid. I'm told it's a slow form of improvement. There is an IV kind of similar agents which can be dangerous. I am going to check it out with a specialist who performs this kind of work. I have been told I have MS, I have been told I have mercury poisoning. Parents should be very careful about decisions regardings inoculations and such. Mercury is ubiquitous indeed, which is why any part of it that can be removed should be removed.

I'd add -- try to avoid using plastics for austistic kids as much as possible, like buying items in glass or paper containers as much as possible. I can say that because I chewed on it as a kid. And buy natural/organic for these kids, too.

[msloan53]

While the jury may be out on mercury in general, I think it's important to differentiate methylmercury, the type found in fish, volcanoes and coal-fired power plants, from ethylmercury, which is found in thimerosal, the preservative no longer used in vaccines given to small children. It's a major distinction.

Methylmercury is a known neurotoxin, as you say, and can cause long-term damage. The same isn't true of ethylmercury, because the body metabolizes it fairly rapidly. Unlike methylmercury, ethylmercury doesn't accumulate in tissues.

The most compelling argument against a thimerosal-autism link is the fact that autism rates haven't been affected by removing it. This was demonstrated in Denmark and Sweden, which eliminated thimerosal in the early '90s and saw no effect on autism rates, as well as the growing (and similar) American experience.

That doesn't mean mercury may not be a culprit in autism's rise. But I think research should now focus more on environmental sources of methylmercury, which thimerosal-containing vaccines never were. (By the way, the MMR vaccine, also accused of triggering autism, has never contained thimerosal or mercury in any form.)

[SAC123]

While it is true that the body metabolizes methylmercury and ethylmercury differently, there is still no proof that ethylmercury does not cause harm. Whether it accumulates or not, it can still do damage.

As for the argument against the thimerosol-autism link, it has not been refuted. The major study that is most often cited actually showed a significant link. However, over time, that study was watered down, changed, reworked, etc. until it showed the results that the drug companies and government wanted. In fact, the CDC openly acknowledged that the study was not appropriately examined and is revisiting it. I suggest you look carefully at the Report to Congress on Vaccine Safety Datalink submitted by Dr. Gerberding of the CDC.

Additionally, Thimerosol has NOT been removed from childhood vaccines as is commonly thought. While it has been reduced, it still remains. Several vaccines, including commonly used tetanus and flu vaccines, still contain Thimerosol as the preservative. Several other vaccines no longer use Thimerosol as the preservative but it is used as part of the production process. The vaccines contain trace amounts (despite processing to "remove" it). These trace amounts may be enough to harm vulnerable populations.

Wouldn't it be nice if it was easy to eliminate vaccines and vaccine ingredients as a contributing factor to autism? At this time, that just cannot be done.

[TannersDad]

It is simple to me. My son spoke. My son got shots. My son stopped speaking.
His Doctor committed suicide. The new Doctor is a Defeat Autism Now Doctor and started him on a new diet and supplements. Now he said his first words in six years... "Hi Daddy" the week before Father's day.

ANY and ALL research should be done in the alternative therapies. Why are they all labeled fringe? Because no studies have been done to date. Mainstream media has turned their back on us. This will be one of mankinds greatest tragedies and this generations legacy.

It has been said that America is a hopeful nation. We believe in answers. We were the first to fly. We made it to the moon. One group is fighting to bring children out of autism and has some results. The other wants to leave them there and has their results.

I have hope that the government, the medical establishment, the education system, the legal system, the insurance system, our religious community, the press, and our American (world) citizens will come to the aid of my son and all the others robbed of their voice.

[recless]

The problem here is that there is no way to know if mercury is a cause or just a symptom of autism. Currently there is no way to know if mercury is a causal element or just happens to build up in autism patients.

[TannersDad]

The problem here is everyone is avoiding the elephant in the room...
What are we doing with these kids????? It is time for the pharma to step up take a swing, also Government, insurance, education, the public, and the Mainstream Medical community. If a bird dies in a mine, do you stand around and say we are not sure what caused it. You get out as fast as you can by whatever means you can.

The bird is DEAD. Time to start running. Pay the bill or ...

[research]

I don't know why they can't use some other preservative process in vaccines. My guess is they are being cheap. They used to put that same mercury compound in contact lens solution. I started to become allergic to it. By then, apparently lots of people had had adverse reaction to the mercury compound, because the contact lens solution companies were busy advertising mercury free solutions.