Vaccines
May Fuel Autism Epidemic
Autism,a severely incapacitating developmental
disability, has been increasing at an epidemic proportion over
the last decade. Insight
magazines Vaccines
May Fuel Autism Epidemic, by Kelly Patricia OMeara, details the
argument that
childhood vaccines may be to blame for the increasing cases of autism.
In
the United States, each state has reported increases in autism rates of
at least 500 percent over the last 10 years. The epidemic is spreading
so
quickly
that in California it is estimated that within the next four years the
numbers of autism cases will exceed the total number of cases of both
cerebral palsy
and epilepsy.
According to the article, vaccines given to newborns contain
an array of chemicals including formaldehyde (used in embalming), thimerosal
(nearly
50 percent mercury),
aluminum phosphate (toxic and carcinogenic), antibiotics, phenols(corrosive
to skin and toxic), aluminum salts (corrosive to tissue and neurotoxic),
methanol
(toxic), isopropyl (toxic), 2-pheoxyethanol (toxic), live viruses and various
other components.
Among these components, previous studies suggest that there
is a link between neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, and mercury
exposure from thimerosal-containing
childhood vaccines. Although U.S. health officials called for thimerosal
to be removed from vaccines in 1999, the article details how, because of
mislabeled
package inserts and other issues, it is extremely difficult for parents
and physicians to know whether the preservative is actually
in the vaccine.
The
article also discusses how the potential ties between U.S. health agencies
and the pharmaceutical companies could be the reason why much-needed public
warnings about the
potential dangers of mercury in vaccines have not been made.
Please visit
Insight magazine online to read the entire contents of this important article.
SOURCE: Insight Magazine June 9, 2003 |