Autism Paper
Vaccination: Contributor or the only thing to blame for Autism?
By: A Sheridan
Autism is a developmental disorder that causes an impaired social interaction and communication among the individuals affected. It is classified as a spectrum disorder because it affects a variety of people to various degrees (Autism Society of America, 2009). The cause of autism is unknown but some blame vaccinations like MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and the influenza vaccination on the cause because they both contain thimerosal, which is a mercury based preservative (CDC Website, 2009), is a compound that kills or prevents the growth of microorganism, such as bacteria or fungi (FDA Website, 2007). The unknown onset of autism causes the argument of whether or not thimerosal is the contributor or the blame for the onset of autism. Vaccines were invented to protect children from deadly diseases like polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, varicella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and hepatitis A & B. Prior to 1999, most vaccinations contained a preservative called thimersoal to prevent bacterial contamination in multi-dose vials of several childhood and adult vaccines (McCormick, 2005). The active ingredient in thimerosal is ethyl mercury, a close chemical relative of methyl mercury (McCormick, 2005). Exposure to high levels of methyl mercury is toxic and can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and seizures (Turkington and Tzeel, 2004). Thimerosal began to be removed from vaccines in 1999 as a precaution to decrease mercury exposures, despite the absence of data at that time to suggest that thimerosal was in fact dangerous at the levels present in vaccines (McCormick, 2005). By 2000 all vaccines, except for MMR and influenza are thimerosal free (CDC Website, 2009). Today, both vaccines still contain thimerosal because of the live virus that is still in both vaccines. In the early 1990’s parents of autistic children began
By: A Sheridan
Autism is a developmental disorder that causes an impaired social interaction and communication among the individuals affected. It is classified as a spectrum disorder because it affects a variety of people to various degrees (Autism Society of America, 2009). The cause of autism is unknown but some blame vaccinations like MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and the influenza vaccination on the cause because they both contain thimerosal, which is a mercury based preservative (CDC Website, 2009), is a compound that kills or prevents the growth of microorganism, such as bacteria or fungi (FDA Website, 2007). The unknown onset of autism causes the argument of whether or not thimerosal is the contributor or the blame for the onset of autism. Vaccines were invented to protect children from deadly diseases like polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, varicella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and hepatitis A & B. Prior to 1999, most vaccinations contained a preservative called thimersoal to prevent bacterial contamination in multi-dose vials of several childhood and adult vaccines (McCormick, 2005). The active ingredient in thimerosal is ethyl mercury, a close chemical relative of methyl mercury (McCormick, 2005). Exposure to high levels of methyl mercury is toxic and can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and seizures (Turkington and Tzeel, 2004). Thimerosal began to be removed from vaccines in 1999 as a precaution to decrease mercury exposures, despite the absence of data at that time to suggest that thimerosal was in fact dangerous at the levels present in vaccines (McCormick, 2005). By 2000 all vaccines, except for MMR and influenza are thimerosal free (CDC Website, 2009). Today, both vaccines still contain thimerosal because of the live virus that is still in both vaccines. In the early 1990’s parents of autistic children began