Evidence Shows Link between Mercury Poisoning and Autism

Rebecca Lewis March 04, 2013

A new study published in the Polish journal Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis provides shocking findings that link mercury poisoning, particularly those obtained from childhood vaccination, to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Headed by Janet K. Kern, a team of researchers from the Institute of Chronic Illnesses in Maryland identified 20 metabolic changes that happen inside the body as a result of mercury poisoning, which also happens in a child who has autism. These include neuroinflammation, brain immune response activation, intracellular degeneration, reduced glutathione levels, pathological changes of blood vessels, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduced blood flow in the cerebrum and cerebellum.

Shocking link between mercury toxicity and ASD

According to Kern and her colleagues, evidence suggests that children with ASD are more vulnerable to heavy metal intoxication than typically developing children. For example, children with autism generally have lower levels of plasma glutathione (GSH) and sulphate (SO4) which are important in the body’s detoxification process. In the review, they cited an earlier study that shows 79 similarities between mercury toxicity and ASD. Another report, published in the journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, found that exposure to mercury vaccines shortly after birth, is responsible for inducing ‘neurotoxic’ effects on the brain. According to the study, mercury induces damage in different areas of the brain, particularly in the cerebellum where the toxic compound was found to inhibit gene expression, and in the thyroid gland, which plays a major role in the development of the human brain.

In the past years, many scientists have already linked mercury toxicity with autism but there were no concrete scientific bases that establish the relationship between the two. In their 41-page review, the researchers indicated how mercury can work with other toxic compounds in the body and potentially result to the development of ASD. Nevertheless, they are still unsure whether the link between mercury poisoning and autism is causal or only contributory in nature.

Dear Readers,

Does this mean it is time for health officials to raise the possibility of banning perinatal vaccinations containing mercury?

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Source of this article:

Evidence of parallels between mercury intoxication and the brain pathology in autism