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Thimerosal in Vaccinations and Autism

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Thimerosal in Vaccinations and Autism HUM/114 September 1, 2014

Are vaccinations linked to autism because of thimerosal? In my opinion, no they are not. The first article chosen is Federal Panel Hears Testimony on Vaccinations and Autism. By Alicia Ault from the New York Times. This article was about a testimony that was brought before a federal panel. The testimony was based on a mercury-based preservative also known as thimerosal. It is said that it is the reason for the rising rates of autism. Some toxicologist have become steadily convinced of the potential link, because levels of mercury are higher in children with autism. However, since 1999, thimerosal has been gradually removed from vaccines that are given to children in the United States, yet autism rates are still rapidly increasing. According to Ault, the Center for Disease Control, (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, (AAP) have said there is no credible scientific evidence that links thimerosal with autism, or any other childhood neurological disorders, for that matter. The second article I chose is titled Vaccinations and Autism, from the Philadelphia Inquirer. This article also informed readers of the many studies that have not found any connections between vaccines and autism. This article also suggested that the California Department of Public Health found that autism rates in children continued to rise during 1995 through 2007, even though there has not been thimerosal in vaccines since 2001. There are disputes of the link from the Vaccine Education Center at the children’s hospital claiming autism to

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