When children are diagnosed with autism, their parents want to know why their child? Was there something they did that caused the autism? Some parents believe someone or something has to be responsible for this disease.
Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines, has been suggested as a possible cause of autism. A recent Danish study disproved this possible relationship.
In this study, the doctors looked at the number of children, two to ten years old, diagnosed with autism from 1971 to 2000. They found 956 children with autism. In 1992, thimerosal was removed from all vaccines used in Denmark. Despite this, the incidence of autism continued to increase. There may be an environmental cause of autism Ð but it doesn't appear to be thimerosal.
Pediatrics, 9/03.
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