Pringle on Ayoub on Thimerosal

David Ayoub MD - Thimerosal Definite Cause Of Autism
By Evelyn Pringle

To what degree of scientific certainty can we prove that current
epidemic of autism was caused by the mercury-based preservative,
thimerosal, in childhood vaccines?

In response to this question, David Ayoub, MD, told Independent
Media TV, ''I can state that the certainty of the science
supporting mercury as a major cause of autism is probably more
overpowering than the science behind any other disease process that
I studied dating back to medical school.''

"I think a disease that effects more individuals than AIDS or
cancer, in previously normal infants and children," he states, "has
created a sense of urgency amongst researchers."

According to Ayoub, "A growing number of experimental,
epidemiological and biochemical research, has unequivocally shown
that mercury is directly linked to the development of autism
spectrum disorders and is significantly toxic to the
gastrointestinal, immunological, metabolic and neurobiological
systems in children."

"The science of causality is known and understood down to the
manner in which mercury impairs the neural pathways of attention,"
he adds, "I really don't see the need for more research to prove
causality." He believes the focus should be "directed towards
methods to remove mercury from the body and repairing those
biochemical systems that are injured by mercury."

Ayoub is the Director of the Prairie Collaborative for
Immunization, an organization that is self-funded, which aids
organizations, journalists, and legislators obtain accurate
information to assist their work. He is also the author of the
report, "Pregnancy and the Myth of Influenza Vaccination-Is it
safe, is it effective, is it necessary? What the CDC documents
reveal."

Vaccines With Thimerosal

When asked what vaccines still contain the mercury-based,
thimerosal, Ayoub said, "The major culprit today is the influenza
vaccine." About 80% of flu vaccines contain as much as 25
micrograms of mercury per dose. Since the EPA has set a limit of
0.1 mcg/kg (1 kg =2.2 lbs), Ayoub warns, everyone who receives the
vaccine will be overdosed.

He explained that in 1999, "the Public Health Service (including
the CDC and FDA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine
manufacturers agreed that thimerosal levels in vaccines should be
reduced or eliminated."

However, he adds, "Contradicting its own policy, the CDC then
increased mercury exposure to the fetus and infant by allowing the
inoculation of pregnant women and young infants with the
mercury-containing influenza vaccine."

On May 28, 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice of
the CDC released its annual report with recommendations for the
prevention of influenza. The report included pregnant women amongst
those who should receive the flu vaccine, even though the report
noted only a minimal benefit from the vaccine in pregnant women:

"Researchers estimate that an average of 1-2 hospitalizations can
be prevented for every 1,000 pregnant women vaccinated" (1, page 10)

In fact, for the 2003-04 flu season, the CDC reported "only 3 to
14% of those who got vaccinated were protected against the flu." It
seems overly aggressive, Ayoub maintains, for the CDC to recommend
that all pregnant women be vaccinated when, in fact, scientific
data to date shows only marginal benefits and the only documented
benefit seems to be fewer hospitalizations, not fewer morbidities
or mortalities.

The benefit of influenza vaccination during pregnancy becomes even
more questionable when considering the resulting risks to unborn
infants. According to the ACIP, the safety of influenza vaccination
is established by the following research:

One study of influenza vaccination of 2,000 pregnant women
demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza
vaccine."

However, according to Ayoub, "In the April 12, 2002 MMWR, this same
statement was followed by the caveat "additional data are needed to
confirm the safety of vaccination during pregnancy." The comment
was then dropped from the CDC's 2004 version of the report, but no
new safety data was cited.

This solitary reference cited to establish influenza vaccine safety
was co-authored by researchers at Boston University in 1973, but
Ayoub advises that, "Upon closer inspection ... the study appears
to have very little to do with influenza vaccine safety, but rather
that of polio vaccination safety during pregnancy."

It is inexplicable, Ayoub says, that the ACIP would cite a paper in
support of its conclusion of influenza vaccine safety while the
Institute of Medicine rejected the same paper on the basis of the
flawed analysis of polio vaccine safety.

Few doctors realize that most flu vaccines contain 25 micrograms of
mercury per dose. Both the EPA and FDA's allowable daily exposure
limits are 0.1 microgram per kg, meaning that recipients of a flu
vaccine must weigh at least 550 pounds to meet federal exposure
guidelines.

Therefore, by injecting the mother, the fetus would receive a dose
of mercury that exceeds the federal limits by several hundred-fold.
Furthermore, Ayoub adds, all federal guidelines are based upon
studies of exposure tolerances in adults, not a fetus.

He questions why the CDC is so certain that ethylmercury can be
safely injected into children or pregnant women, when the FDA and
EPA have stated that ingestion of methylmercury can have harmful
effects on the fetus, with warnings such as:

"some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may
harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. . .
. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may
become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young
children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish
that are lower in mercury. . . While it is true that the primary
danger from methylmercury in fish is to the developing nervous
system of the unborn child, it is prudent for nursing mothers and
young children not to eat these fish as well."

More recent studies have detailed the life-long damage of mercury
to the brains of unborn children. For instance, on Feb 28, 2005,
the Associated Press reported, "Lower IQ levels linked to mercury
exposure in the womb costs the United States $8.7 billion a year in
lost earnings potential, according to a study released Monday by
researchers at a New York hospital."

The Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment
combined a number of previous studies to determine hundreds of
thousands of babies are born every year with lower IQ associated
with mercury exposure, according to AP.

Lead researcher and pediatician, Leonard Trasande, reports that
annually, between 316,588 and 637,233 infants are born with
umbilical cord blood mecury levels linked to IQ loss.

As an example, Trasande said each year, about 4% of babies are with
blood mercury levels between 7.13 and 15 micrograms per liter. That
level of mercury causes an IQ loss of 1.6 points, the researchers
concluded.

A 1.6 point drop in IQ could cost a person more than $31,000
over a lifetime, the study calculated, due to missed educational
opportunities or jobs.

Manufacturers of the flu vaccine themselves, include package
inserts that admit adequate studies have not been conducted on this
vaccine. For example, the Fluzone insert stated:

"Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza
Virus Vaccine. It is not known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can
cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can
affect reproduction capacity."

Considering the rapid growth of autism, and other related
neurodevelopmental disorders, and the number of reports documenting
the causal relationship to mercury-based preservatives, Ayoub
advises, "influenza vaccines should not be administered to pregnant
women, and perhaps other high-risk groups, especially young
children."

Why Would FDA & CDC Approve Mercury-Based Vaccines?

Ayoub believes that the CDC and FDA embrace marginal research and
unsupported policies because of conflicts of interests. It may come
as a surprise to most physicians, he explains, "that the CDC has a
built-in conflict of interest with regards to its dual role in
vaccine policy." One limb of the CDC that oversees vaccine safety
has a budget of approximately $30 million, while the limb that
promotes vaccine usage (ACIP and NIP) has a $1 billion budget, he
says.

The CDC and FDA policy decisions are made through physician
advisory panels whose members often have financial relationships
with the very same pharmaceutical companies that they are supposed
to regulate.

For example, during a congressional hearing on potential conflicts
of interests at the FDA, it was revealed that 60% of the advisory
members who voted to approve the poisonous rotavirus vaccine had
financial ties to the drug companies manufacturing the vaccine. The
committee also found that 50% of the CDC members were tied to the
rotavirus makers.

However, according to Ayoub, the CDC and FDA do not have exclusive
rights in coddling the industry. An investigation of doctors
involved in co-authoring forty-four different Clinical Practice
Guidelines for drug companies found:

85% of guideline authors have some sort of relationships with drug
companies, and they are often not disclosed

38% of respondents said they had served as employees or consultants
for drug companies; 58% received research money

59% had links with drug companies whose medications were considered
in the particular guidelines they authored, almost all cases
predating the guideline creation process

These numbers may be even greater, as only 52% of authors responded

"Most clinicians would be surprised by these revelations which
challenge the blanket trust of a healthcare governance with
uncomfortably close ties to the pharmaceutical industry," Ayoub
says.

Available Treatment For Autism

When asked what treatments are available for autism, Ayoub said
"The buzz these days is chelation," but there is no short answer to
this. Suffice it to say, there are 2 ways to get mercury out of the
body - one is pull it out directly by chelation agents."

The 2 top chelation people in the world are Gary Gordon, MD, and
Rashid Buttar, MD, he adds.

Chelation agents such as DMPS and DTPA, are given orally, by IV,
and recently with transdermal as a cream. According to Ayoub, the
agents essentially bind free blood or loosely bound heavy metal
agents, and eliminate them through stool and urine. They lower the
total body burden and allow for natural redistribution from brain
to blood for further removal. Ayoub claims side effects are
uncommon, and the process is far safer than a vaccine.

The other method of removing mercury from the body is through a
variety of biomedical therapies, all dietary or supplemental, "most
of which act to jumps start the bodies own internal mercury
detoxification pathways," Ayoub explains, but "the science here is
very sophisticated," he added.

However, unfortunately, "many parents read about a diet or
supplement, try one or two therapies on their own and fail," he
says, and that "treatment is very dependent upon the experience of
the health care provider, critically so," he advises.

Why The Constant Denial?

Ayoub was asked why government agencies and the pharmaceutical
industry, are working so hard to keep the truth about the
mercury-autism link hidden. He says it is a long story, but the
main reason is because if they admitted guilt, it would mean the
government agencies, drug companies and medical organizations,
"have taken part in the largest iatrogenic epidemic known to man."

The fallout over admission of causality would be unprecedented,
Ayoub adds. The lost confidence in American medicine would likely
cause people to turn to alternative methods of medicine, and a rise
in deeper investigation might reveal the truth about other
suppressions related to cancer therapy, hypertension Rx, or
Atherosclerosis.

Ayoub told Independent Media, "This is really the tip of the
iceberg and I see a waterfall effect."