The Vaccine-Autism Link: Facts and Myths

A federal court begins hearings today on the more than 4,800 claims by parents of autistic children that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal, present in certain routine vaccinations, led to their children's disorders.

It is the day that many of these families have pushed for since 1999.

Concerns about thimerosal's possible link to autism have gained publicity in recent years as the occurrence of autism in children has climbed steadily in the United States. Doctors have struggled to find a clinical reason for the increase. Because vaccinations are mandatory for all children at a certain age, some parents and doctors believe the vaccines indicate a common link that cannot be ignored.

However, current research weighs heavily against the premise of a thimerosal-autism link, as thus far a number of large scientific studies have shown no association between the two.

Most recently, a review of past research published this month in the journal Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases suggests "increasingly convincing epidemiologic and laboratory evidence against a causal relation of several alleged adverse events following immunization."

The findings bolster the position that has been steadfastly held by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that no link can be established between thimerosal and autism.

Researchers Speak Out

Prior to the summary, most physicians and researchers have agreed that the suggestion of such a link is likely baseless, as seen in their previous statements on the issue (responses collected from telephone interviews conducted in June 2005):

"Current literature demonstrates very clearly that there is no relationship between thimerosal in vaccines and autism," noted Dr. Julia McMillan of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee for Infectious Diseases. "Thimerosal has been studied more than anything else, and it is distracting a very important effort to get at the real cause of autism."

"It doesn't make biological sense," said Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Fourteen separate studies showed that there was never an increased risk [of autism from thimerosal], but it is very hard to unring that bell."

Dr. Eric Hollander, director of the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence, concurs. "There are no links between vaccines, thimerosal, or ethyl mercury and autism," he said. "Some people have unusual immune responses to vaccines, but that cannot account for autism."