] SafeMinds: Autism Study by Dr. Fombonne is Inaccurate and Incomplete

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SafeMinds: Autism Study by Dr. Fombonne is Inaccurate and Incomplete

Autism Study by Dr. Fombonne is Inaccurate and Incomplete

SafeMinds Aids to Correct Misinformation

A Quebec study to be published in the July 2006 issue of Pediatrics, the

official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, states that it is " very

clear " that there is no relationship between mercury-based thimerosal in

vaccines and the onset of autism. Dr. Fombonne of the McGill University

Health Center bases his opinion on a study among schoolchildren in Quebec,

Canada. According to an analysis by SafeMinds, however, the study methodology is

unlikely to lend itself to such declarative statements and should be treated

with skepticism, for a number of reasons.

The study looked at 27,749 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade in

a Montreal school district and found 187 cases of autism. The vast majority of

these cases (more than 90%) were born in years in which thimerosal vaccines were

widely used for infants in Quebec, as they were in the US. Only a tiny fraction

of the autism students were born when thimerosal-free DTP and Hib vaccines were

given, and these students may have been exposed to thimerosal from the Hepatitis

B vaccine newly recommended for infants of foreign born parents, which made up

over one fourth of the greater Montreal population.

Dr. Fombonne wrongfully claims that large-population studies in the United

States, England and Denmark also disprove a link between mercury and autism, and

he states that " there is no autism epidemic. " He conveniently ignores the vast

body of scientific evidence that has shown that environmental factors such as

mercury may have caused the increased number of autism diagnoses in the US and

other countries. Dr. Fombonne's actions have not historically been in the best

interest of families with autism-he has declared himself an expert witness on

behalf of various pharmaceutical companies in thimerosal-related litigation.

Thimerosal is a serious poison that is harmful via inhalation, ingestion or

contact with skin. Furthermore, thimerosal- containing vaccines elevate mercury

levels in the body to a level where adverse neurological outcomes are known to

occur. It is irresponsible for any pediatric doctor to justify

injecting our children with mercury.

The prevalence of all autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has risen to 1 in 166

children in the past 20 years. Several independent federal agencies and

respected scientists and researchers have received federal funds to investigate

the autism epidemic and the biological plausibility of a link between mercury

and ASDs. Multiple studies have indicated that there is a connection between

childhood vaccines containing thimerosal and the incidence of autism. No

conclusions have been made rejecting a link between mercury and autism.

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