New Evidence Confirms Link Between Autism and Mercury

Anna Hunt, Staff Writer
Waking Times

An international team of scientists has published a study that claims that a fundamental relationship exists between mercury and autism. The research results show that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had significantly higher levels of mercury when compared with healthy control children. A direct correlation was also observed between levels of mercury toxicity and the severity of autistic behavior. The study, Altered Urinary Porphyrins and Mercury Exposure as Biomarkers for Autism Severity in Egyptian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, was published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease.

The anti-vaccine movement for years has suspected a link between Thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine adjuvant (preservative), and autism. Researchers out of Egypt, Italy and Norway decided to test this claim. They formed a controlled study with 100 Egyptian children with a goal to reveal if compounds containing mercury are in fact contributors to the development of autism.

The test subjects were split into three groups: children with ASD (40), healthy controls (40), and healthy siblings of the ASD children (20). The scientist tested the children’s urinary samples, specifically comparing the level of urinary porphyrins, a biomarker of mercury toxicity. The researchers write:

Results showed that children with ASD had significantly higher levels of Hg [mercury], Pb [lead], and the porphyrins pentacarboxyporphyrin, coproporphyrin, precoproporphyrin, uroporphyrins, and hexacarboxyporphyrin compared to healthy controls and healthy siblings of the ASD children.

The present study indicates that coproporphyrin and precoproporhyrin may be utilized as possible biomarkers for heavy metal exposure and autism severity in children with ASD.

Autism, formally known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD, is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder which has become extremely prevalent particularly in the U.S. More people than ever before are being diagnosed with an ASD. It is estimated that 1 out of 50 U.S. school-aged children is diagnosed with autism.

Even though the neurotoxin mercury has been banned by the FDA since 1999, it still appears in vaccine formulations to this day. Some estimate that Thimerosal is still present in up to 60% of flu vaccines marketed today. Research continues to accumulate validating a link between autism presence or severity to mercury exposure as determined by measuring urinary porphyrins. Here are some additional studies worth reading:

Heyer et al. in 2012 (Autism Res 5:84) showed a correlation between the presence of autism and specific urinary porphyrins associated with mercury toxicity. This affirmed an earlier study by Kern et al. (2011, Pediatr Int 53:147) where specific porphyrins associated with mercury toxicity were significantly higher in ASD children as compared to non-autistic controls. Woods et al. (2010, Environ Health Perspect 118:1450) also saw disordered porphyrin metabolism in autistic kids which was not observed in non-autistic control children.

Kern et al. in 2010 (Biometals 23:1043) showed a strong relationship between the level of autism severity as measured by the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) instrument and the amount of urinary porphyrins observed in ASD children. Geier et al. (2009, J Toxicol Environ Health A 72:1585) also correlated urinary porphyrins to autism severity in a blind study using the childhood autism rating scale (CARS). This study was further elucidated by Geier et al. (2009, J Neurol Sci 15:280) where children with severe autism showed significantly higher urinary porphyrins associated with mercury toxicity as compared to those children with mild autism and non-autistic controls.

“Vaccines are big business. Pharma is a trillion-dollar industry with vaccines accounting for $25 billion in annual sales. CDC’s decision to add a vaccine to the schedule can guarantee its manufacturer millions of customers and billions in revenue with minimal advertising or marketing costs and complete immunity from lawsuits. High stakes and the seamless marriage between Big Pharma and government agencies have spawned an opaque and crooked regulatory system.” ~ Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

About the Author

Anna Hunt is writer, yoga instructor, mother of three, and lover of healthy food. She’s the founder of Awareness Junkie, an online community paving the way for better health and personal transformation. She’s also the co-editor at Waking Times, where she writes about optimal health and wellness. Anna spent 6 years in Costa Rica as a teacher of Hatha and therapeutic yoga. She now teaches at Asheville Yoga Center and is pursuing her Yoga Therapy certification. During her free time, you’ll find her on the mat or in the kitchen, creating new kid-friendly superfood recipes.

Sources:

www.wakingtimes.com/2015/07/24/vaccines-mercury-dirty-money-a-message-from-robert-kennedy-jr/
https://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/10/01/despite-thimerosal-mercury-ban-imposed-fda-60-percent-flu-vaccines-still-contain-deadly-neurotoxin/
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11011-016-9870-6
http://www.ecowatch.com/mercury-linked-autism-kennedy-2116850430.html

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This article (New Evidence Confirms Link Between Autism and Mercury) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Anna Hunt and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.

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