http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1188
mercury in vaccines causes autism and many neurological disorders, DA Grier,
MR Grier 2005, full plain text: Murray 2005.07.26

"Results: Phase one showed significantly increased risks for autism, speech
disorders, mental retardation, personality disorders, and thinking
abnormalities reported to VAERS following thimerosal-containing DTaP
vaccines in comparison to thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.
Phase two showed significant associations between cumulative exposures to
thimerosal and the following types of NDs: unspecified developmental delay,
tics, attention deficit disorder (ADD), language delay, speech delay, and
neurodevelopmental delays in general.
Conclusions: This study showed that exposure to mercury from TCVs
administered in the US was a consistent significant risk factor for the
development of NDs."

http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_11/no_4/6630.pdf

Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170.
A two-phased population epidemiological study of the
safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a follow-up analysis
David A. Geier 1 ABCDEF,
Mark R. Geier 2 ABCDEF mgeier@...
1 MedCon, Inc., U.S.A
2 The Genetic Centers of America, U.S.A

Potential Conflict of Interest: Dr. Mark Geier has been an expert witness
and consultant in cases in involving vaccines before the no-fault National
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) and in civil litigation.
David Geier has been a consultant in cases involving vaccines before the
no-fault NVICP and in civil litigation

Summary

Background: Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-containing preservative in
vaccines. Toxicokinetic studies have shown children received doses of
mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) that were in excess of
safety guidelines. Previously, an ecological study showing a significant
association between
TCVs and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) in the US was published in this
journal.
Material/Methods: A two phased population-based epidemiological study was
undertaken.
Phase one evaluated reported NDs to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting
System (VAERS) following thimerosal-containing
Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular-Pertussis (DTaP) vaccines in comparison to
thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines administered from 1997 through 2001.
Phase two evaluated the automated Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) for
cumulative exposures to mercury from TCVs at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-months-of-age
for infants born from 1992 through 1997 and the eventual risk of developing
NDs.
Results: Phase one showed significantly increased risks for autism, speech
disorders, mental retardation, personality disorders, and thinking
abnormalities reported to VAERS following thimerosal-containing DTaP
vaccines in comparison to thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.
Phase two showed significant associations between cumulative exposures to
thimerosal and the following types of NDs: unspecified developmental delay,
tics, attention deficit disorder (ADD), language delay, speech delay, and
neurodevelopmental delays in general.
Conclusions: This study showed that exposure to mercury from TCVs
administered in the US was a consistent significant risk factor for the
development of NDs.
It is clear from these data and other recent publications linking TCVs with
NDs that additional ND research should be undertaken in the context of
evaluating mercury-associated exposures and thimerosal-free vaccines should
be made available.
key words: mercury . merthiolate . thimerasol . thiomersal . VAERS . VSD
PMID: 15795695

Full-text PDF: http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_11/no_4/6630.pdf
Word count: 6528
Tables: 5
Figures: -
References: 55
Author's address: Mark R. Geier, 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905,
U.S.A., e-mail: mgeier@...

Authors' Contribution:
A Study Design
B Data Collection
C Statistical Analysis
D Data Interpretation
E Manuscript Preparation
F Literature Search
G Funds Collection
Received: 2004.11.17
Accepted: 2005.01.19
Published: 2005.04.01

CR160

Clinical Research
WWW.MEDSCIMONIT.COM © Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
PMID: 15795695
Current Contents/Clinical Medicine . SCI Expanded . ISI Alerting System .
Index Medicus/MEDLINE . EMBASE/Excerpta Medica . Chemical Abstracts . Index
Copernicus

BACKGROUND

The United States is in the midst of an epidemic of neurodevelopmental
disorders [1-6].
It has been estimated
that prevalence of autism has increased from 7.5 per
10,000 children (1 in 1,333 children) among children born
in the mid-1980s to 31.2 per 10,000 children (1 in 323 children)
among children born in the late-1990s,
an approximate 4-fold increase in childhood autism in about one decade [6].

In 2004, the Department of Health and Human
Services and the American Academy of Pediatrics issued an
Autism ALARM stating that presently 1 in 166 children have
an autistic disorder, and
1 in 6 children have a developmental and/or behavior disorder.

Autism, once a rare disorder,
has now been found to be more prevalent than childhood
cancer, diabetes and Down Syndrome [6].

It has been reported
that explanations such as immigration, or shifts in
diagnostic criteria cannot explain the observed increase,
and the phenomena is driven by factors beyond improved
identification and diagnosis [1,6,7].

Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-containing preservative
(49.6% mercury by weight) that historically has been added
to many vaccines [8].
Thimerosal has been recognized
by the California Environmental Protection Agency, Office
of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a developmental
toxin, meaning that it can cause
birth defects,
low birth weight,
biological dysfunctions,
or psychological or behavior deficits that
become manifest as the child grows, and
that maternal exposure during pregnancy can disrupt the
development or even cause the death of the fetus.

Despite this fact, thimerosal is still routinely added to several vaccines
given to US children and pregnant women (e.g. infl uenza,
Tetanus-diphtheria, meningitis, and monovalent tetanus).

Further, many nations still add thimerosal to many
of their pediatric vaccines.

The World Health Organization
(WHO) and several vaccine manufacturers still advocate the
continued use of thimerosal in pediatric vaccines.

Standard vaccine practices in the United States during the
past several decades exposed many children to levels of mercury
that exceeded Federal Safety Guidelines for the oral ingestion
of methylmercury, and also exposed children to levels
of mercury that exceeded the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)'s permissible hair mercury limit [8,9].

Concurrent with increasing trends in neurodevelopmental disorders
in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) expanded the childhood immunization schedule.

Under the expanded vaccine schedule, if infants received
all thimerosal-containing vaccines, they could have been exposed to
12.5 micrograms (µg) of mercury at birth,
62.5 µg of mercury at 2 months,
50 µg of mercury at 4 months,
62.5 µg of mercury at 6 months, and
50 µg of mercury at approximately 18 months,
for a total of 237.5 µg of mercury.

Additionally, if
three thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines were administered
during the fi rst 18 months of life, as were suggested for
certain populations, then the total mercury exposure could
have been as high as 275 µg of mercury [8,9].

Researchers have reported that exposure to mercury can
cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral
dysfunctions similar to traits defi ning or associated with autistic
disorders, and that these similarities extend to neuroanatomy,
neurotransmitters, and biochemistry [10-12].

An ecological study evaluating the relationship between the
average mercury doses children received from thimerosalcontaining
vaccines in comparison to the prevalence of autism
was previously published in this journal.

The results of that study showed, when evaluating birth cohorts from the
mid-1980s through the late 1990s, there was an increasing
linear correlation between the amount of mercury children
received from thimerosal-containing vaccines and the cohort
prevalence of autism [13].

The purpose of this study was to extend previous epidemiological
studies, and further evaluate the relationship between
thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and neurodevelopmental
disorders in a two-phase study.

The first phase consisted of an epidemiological examination of the
publicly available Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
(VAERS) database for the rate of reported neurodevelopmental
disorders reported following thimerosal-containing
Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular-Pertussis (DTaP) vaccines in
comparison to thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.

The second phase consisted of an epidemiological examination of the
Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) database. In examining the
VSD database, an evaluation of the amount of mercury children
received from thimerosal-containing vaccines at specifi
c times in the first year of life was studied.

The risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders was determined
from such exposures.
The two phases of the present study
were employed, so as to see if one could observe a consistent
overall association between thimerosal-containing vaccines
and neurodevelopmental disorders, in two entirely
different databases, whilst utilizing two entirely different
epidemiological methods of study.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Phase I: The VAERS database
The VAERS database is an epidemiological database that has
been maintained by the CDC since 1990 as a surveillance
tool to evaluate vaccine safety. Specifi c adverse events following
vaccination are required to be reported to this database
as mandated by law. The VAERS Working Group of the
CDC has previously reported that less than 5% of the total
adverse events reported to VAERS are reported by parents
[7]. The VAERS Working Group of the CDC and the FDA
analyze and publish epidemiologic studies based upon analyses
of VAERS. They note that VAERS is simple to use, fl exible
by design, and the data are available in a timely fashion,
but warn that the potential limitations may include systematic
error due to underreporting, erroneous reporting, frequent
multiple exposures, multiple outcomes and lack of
precise denominators [14].
In order to examine VAERS correctly in this study, a technique
developed by Rosenthal et al. from the National
Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC [15] was employed.
This technique involves comparing two different
types of vaccines that were administered to aged-matched
populations, and using the net number of doses distributed
to estimate the number of doses administered. This process
corrects for doses not distributed or returned during the period
examined in the Biological Surveillance Summaries of
the CDC and is used as the denominator to determine incidence
rates of reported adverse events to the VAERS data-

Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170 Geiner DA et al - Thimerosal safety
CR161 CR

base. It should be noted, that even though the net number
of doses of vaccine distributed were analyzed, there is the
possibility that some doses of vaccine were not administered
to children, but such a limitation should be minimal
and should equally affect both vaccines under study.
Comparison of reported adverse event incidence data between
different vaccines establishes the relative safety and
risk of the various agents.

The strength of the VAERS database stems from its large reporting
base (i.e. patients from the entire United States).
Its potential weakness is that not all vaccine-associated adverse
events experienced are reported. This would especially
be true for the emergence of an unexpected new sideeffect.
So, when a new effect, such as autism, emerges in
the database even prior to signifi cant media attention, one
must take the occurrence seriously. The reporting of vaccine-
associated adverse events must also be evaluated to determine
whether systemic error or bias is present in the
data examined.

Analysis methods

In the first phase of the present study, a historical examination
of the VAERS database (online public access version;
reports entered through 31 March 2004) was undertaken
using Microsoft AccessÔ.

In this study a case-control epidemiological assessment of
VAERS was undertaken by evaluating childhood neurodevelopment
disorders reported following thimerosal-containing
DTaP vaccines in comparison to thimerosal-free DTaP
vaccines. The neurodevelopmental adverse events analyzed
in VAERS included: autism (Costart Term = Autism), mental
retardation (Costart Term = Mental Retard), speech disorders
(Costart Term = Speech Dis), thinking abnormalities
(Costart Term = Thinking Abnorm), and personality disorders
(Costart Term = Person Dis). Descriptions of these adverse
events were based upon those reporting them, and
coded by VAERS technical staff into defi ned symptom fi elds
contained in each report.

The Biological Surveillance Summaries of the CDC, as segregated
by vaccine manufacturer, determined the number
of thimerosal-containing and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines
(1997 through 2001) doses distributed/administered. The
Biological Surveillance Summaries indicated that 59,720,009
thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines and 29,161,630 thimerosal-
free DTaP vaccines were distributed/administered from
1997 through 2001. In Table 1, the composition of the DTaP
vaccines analyzed are summarized [16].

A number of controls were employed to determine if systematic
error or bias was present among the data examined.
In this study control adverse events were evaluated to determine
if potential bias was present in the reporting of adverse
events in VAERS, including: accidental injury (Costart Code:
Injury Accid), conjunctivitis (Costart Code = Conjunctivitis),
and febrile seizures (Costart Code: Febrile Seizure). Neutral
adverse events are those adverse events that based on their
biological plausibility would not be expected to be affected
by thimerosal in the vaccines under study.

The distribution, health status, and geographical dispersion
of the data examined in VAERS were also evaluated because
these factors might affect reporting of adverse events. In determining
the distribution of the populations reviewed, the
overall median age and total numbers of male and female
reports of adverse events to VAERS were examined. In evaluating
the health status of the populations reviewed, the total

Vaccine Component
Thimerosal-Containing
DTaP Vaccine
(Aventis Pasteur - Connaught)
Thimerosal-Containing
DTaP Vaccine
(Wyeth - Lederle)
Thimerosal-Free
DTaP Vaccine
(SmithKline Beecham)
Pertussis Toxin
(micrograms/dose) 23.4 3.5 25
Filamentous Hemagglutinin
(micrograms/dose) 23.4 35 25
Pertactin (micrograms/dose) - 2 8
Fembrial Agglutinogens
(micrograms/dose) - 0.8 -
Diphtheria Toxoid (Lf/dose) 6.7 9 25
Tetanus Toxoid (Lf/dose) 5 5 10
How Toxoided Formaldehyde Formaldehyde Formaldehyde
Aluminum (mg/dose) 0.17 0.23 0.50
Diluent Phosphate-Bu. ered Saline Phosphate-Bu. ered Saline Saline
Preservative Thimerosal Thimerosal Phenoxyethanol
Trace Constituents Formaldehyde, Gelatin, Polysorbate-
80
Formaldehyde, Gelatin, Polysorbate-
80 Formaldehyde Polysorbate-80

Table 1. The composition of the DTaP vaccines under study in the VAERS
database.

Clinical Research Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
CR162

number of reports specifying a past medical history in VAERS
was examined. Similarly, in reviewing the geographical dispersion
of the populations analyzed, one examined the total
number of adverse event reports submitted to VAERS from
large representative states in the western (California), central
(Illinois), and eastern (Florida) regions of the US.

Statistical analyses

The premise of equality between the groups examined forms
the basis of the null hypothesis employed in the present
study. Odds Ratios (OR), 95% OR Confi dence Intervals (CI)
for reported adverse events, and p-values were determined
from 2×2 contingency tables employed in the present study.
The statistical package in StatsDirectÔ (Version 2.4.1) was
employed, and the nominal statistical tests of Yate's c2 statistic
or Fisher's exact test statistic (n<5) were used to determine
statistical signifi cance. In order for statistical signifi -
cance testing to be performed for an adverse event, a total
of 25 adverse events were required to be identifi ed following
the vaccines under study administered from 1997 through
2001 in the VAERS database. A two-sided p-value <0.05 was
considered statistically signifi cant.

Phase II: The VSD database

Study participants

In this study, the VSD database and CDC-VSD database research
materials were analyzed. VSD was created in 1991 by the NIP of
the CDC. The project links medical event information, vaccine
history, and selected demographic information from the computerized
clinical databases of four health maintenance organizations
(HMO)s: Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound
(GHC) in Seattle, Washington; Kaiser Permanente Northwest
(NWK) in Portland Oregon; Kaiser Permanente Medical Care
Program of Northern California (NCK) in Oakland, California;
and Southern California Kaiser Permanente (SCK) in Los
Angeles, California. HMO members have unique HMO identifi
cation numbers that can be used to link data on their medical
services within the HMO. Vaccination data are derived from
computerized immunization tracking systems, maintained by
each of the HMOs. Quality control comparisons of the computerized
immunization data with information recorded in
paper medical records have shown high levels of agreement.
For medical encounters, each of the HMOs maintains computerized
databases on all hospital discharges and emergency
room visits; diagnoses from outpatient clinic encounters
are available from some of the HMOs for certain years [17-
19]. At the present time, only the CDC and the authors have
access to the VSD database.

Analysis methods

In the present study, as independent researchers, we analyzed
data from a cohort of children born between 1992 and 1997
into one of the two HMOs with the most complete automated
outpatient data sets (GHC and NCK). For these two HMOs,
follow-up data to the end of 1998 was analyzed. Children in
the cohort, thus, have a follow-up time of 1 to 7 years.
To ensure capture of all vaccinations in the fi rst year of life within
the HMO the cohort was restricted to children who were
born into the HMO, continuously enrolled for the fi rst year of
life, and received at least 2 polio vaccines within the HMO by
the age of 1 year. Infants with ICD-9 codes indicative of congenital
disorders, severe perinatal disorders, recipients of hepatitis
B immunoglobulins, and those who were born at gestational
age of less than 38 completed weeks were excluded.

Exposure assessment

The cumulative exposure to ethylmercury from individual
automated vaccination records were calculated, assuming
each vaccine to contain the mean dose reported by manufacturers
to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This
cumulative exposure was assessed at the end of the fi rst, second,
third, and sixth months of life. The thimerosal content
of childhood vaccines used in the two HMOs is as follows:
hepatitis B vaccine: 25 µg (12.5 µg of mercury); Haemophilus
Infl uenzae Type b (Hib): 50 micrograms (25 µg of mercury);
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whole-cell or acellular): 50 micrograms
(25 µg of mercury); and Polio, Mumps, Rubella,
Varicella, and Pneumococcal vaccines: 0 µg of mercury.

Outcome assessment

A case was defined as any child who was assigned one of the
following developmental disability International Classifi cation of
Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes, including: autism (299.0),
other childhood psychosis (299.8), other unspecifi ed childhood
psychosis (299.9), stammering (307.0), tics (307.2), repetitive
movements (307.3), sleep disorders (307.4), eating
disorders (307.5), enuresis (307.6), disturbance of emotions
specifi c to childhood and adolescence (313), attention defi cit
disorder (314.0), specifi c delays in development (315.x), mental
retardation (317-319). No distinction was made on whether
a code was assigned after a clinic visit or hospital stay.

Statistical analyses

A Cox proportional hazard model was used to compare the
risk of developing any of the outcomes among different levels
of exposure. By stratifying on HMO, year and month of
birth, children were compared that were born within the same
month at the same HMO. The data were adjusted in the models
for gender only. By using the age of the child as the time
variable in the proportion hazard model, it was possible to
ensure comparison of children of equal age. The end point
used was whichever of the following occurred fi rst: the date of
fi rst diagnosis, the date of fi rst disenrollment from the HMO
or the last day of the follow-up period, December 31, 1998.
To obtain 80% power in identifying a minimal relative risk
of 2, it was estimated that the minimal number of cases for
any outcome to be 50. The data was evaluated to determine
the impact of increased mercury exposure on the risk of any
individual outcome for which at least 50 cases were identi-
fi ed. Because of different coding practices between HMOs,
and uncertainty on the specifi c neurological outcomes related
to mercury exposure, the data was assessed for the entire
category of neurodevelopmental disorders.

RESULTS

Phase I
In this assessment of the VAERS database, it was revealed
that 7,925 total adverse event reports were reported in those

Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170 Geiner DA et al - Thimerosal safety CR163
CR

receiving thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines and 3,948
total adverse events reports were reported in those receiving
thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines (OR=0.98, p=0.31, 95%
CI=0.94-1.02). The overall median age for the total adverse
event reports reported was 1.3 years-old, among those receiving
thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines or thimerosal-
free DTaP vaccines.

Table 2 summarizes the distribution, health status, and geographical
dispersion included in adverse event reports submitted
to the VAERS database following thimerosal-containing
and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines. It was found that
both thimerosal-containing and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines
were administered to populations having a similar distribution,
health status, and geographical dispersion. It was
determined that the neutral control adverse events of accidental
injury (OR=1.4, p=0.50, 95% CI=0.68-2.9), febrile
seizures (OR=1.2, p=0.14, 95% CI=0.94-1.7), and conjunctivitis
(OR=1.2, p=0.58, 95% CI=0.68-2.4) were reported similarly
to VAERS following administration of thimerosal-containing
and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.

The results of the fi rst epidemiological assessment conducted
in this study are shown in Table 3, where neurodevelopmental
disorders reported to VAERS in the thimerosal-
containing DTaP and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines are
compared. Specifi cally, a signifi cant association was observed
between thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines and
neurodevelopmental disorders, in comparison to thimerosal-
free DTaP vaccines, for the following neurodevelopmental
disorders, including: autism (OR=1.8, p<0.02, 95% OR
CI=1.1-3.0), speech disorders (OR=2.6, p<0.001, 95% OR
CI=1.5-4.6), mental retardation (OR=3.2, p<0.0002, 95%
CI=1.8-5.9), personality disorders (OR=2.3, p<0.005, 95%
OR CI=1.4-4.5), thinking abnormalities (OR=4.7, p<0.005,
95% OR CI=1.5-24).

Phase II

Table 4 shows the number of children included in the cohort
and the effect of the different eligibility criteria on the
present assessment of the VSD database. The fi nal number of
children thus included in the cohort examined was 109,993.
Table 5 shows the number of cases encountered for each disorder,
the mean age at fi rst diagnosis, the distribution over
the two HMOs, and the percentage males among cases.
In examining the VSD database, it was determined that there
were signifi cant (p<0.05) positive correlations (not adjusting
for multiple comparisons) per 1 microgram exposure for
the following outcomes, including: tics (3 months of age:
relative risk =1.021, 95% CI=1.004-1.039), attention defi -
cit disorder (ADD) (6 months of age: relative risk =1.006,
95% CI1.001-1.010), unspecifi ed delays (2 months of age:
relative risk =1.005, 95% CI=1.001-1.008), language delay
(1 month of age: relative risk =1.019, 95% CI=1.004-1.019; 3
months of age: relative risk =1.021, 95% CI=1.012-1.030; and
6 months of age: relative risk =1.006, 95% CI=1.002-1.011),
speech delay (1 month of age: relative risk =1.011, 95%
CI=1.004-1.019; 3 months of age: relative risk =1.008, 95%
CI=1.004-1.013; and 6 months of age: relative risk =1.002,
95% CI=1.000-1.004), and developmental delay (1 month of
age: relative risk =1.007, 95% CI=1.002-1.012; 3 months of
age: relative risk =1.007, 95% CI=1.004-1.010; and 6 months
of age: relative risk =1.003, 95% CI=1.001-1.004). Therefore,
it was observed, based upon the present assessment of the
VSD database, that there were signifi cant associations between
cumulative thimerosal exposure and outcomes in a
total of 12 categories out of a possible 44 thimerosal exposure-
outcome categories examined (27% of the total thimerosal
exposure-outcome categories examined), and there
were signifi cant associations between cumulative thimerosal
exposure and outcomes in a total of six out of a possi-

Outcomes analyzed
Reported incidence
per million thimerosal-
-containing DTaP
(# of reports)
Reported incidence per
million thimerosal-free
DTaP (# of reports)
Odds ratio
for reported events
95% Odds ratio
con. dence interval
for reported events
p-value
(Yate's ÷2 value)
Male Reports 70.0 (4,151) 72.0 (2,090) 0.97 0.92-1.02 0.26 (1.27)
Female Reports 60.0 (3,587) 62.0 (1,815) 0.97 0.91-1.02 0.22 (1.49)
Past Medical Histories 108.0 (6,465) 106.0 (3,098) 1.02 0.98-1.1 0.39 (0.72)
California Reports 10.0 (689) 13.0 (375) 0.90 0.79-1.02 0.10 (2.75)
Illinois Reports 5.4 (323) 5.2 (151) 1.04 0.86-1.3 0.69 (0.15)
Florida Reports 5.1 (304) 4.8 (140) 1.06 0.87-1.3 0.60 (0.27)
Febrile Seizures 2.8 (169) 2.3 (66) 1.2 0.94-1.7 0.14 (2.17)
Conjunctivitis 0.64 (38) 0.51 (15) 1.2 0.68-2.4 0.58 (0.31)
Accidental Injury 0.47 (28) 0.34 (10) 1.4 0.68-2.9 0.50 (0.46)
Table 2. A summary of the population distribution, geographical dispersion,
health status, and control events for reported adverse events examined
in the VAERS database following thimerosal-containing and thimerosal-free
DTaP vaccines administered from 1997 through 2001.
All p-values determined using the Yate's ÷2 test statistic. The Biological
Surveillance Summaries indicated that 59,720,009 thimerosal-containing
DTaP vaccines and 29,161,630 thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines were
distributed/administered from 1997 through 2001, and were used as the
denominators to determine the above calculated reported incidence rates of
adverse events to the VAERS database.

Clinical Research Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
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ble 11 outcome categories examined (55% of the total outcome
categories examined).

DISCUSSION

The results of the present examination of the VAERS database
show a significant relationship between thimerosal-containing
childhood vaccines and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.

The data demonstrate that a significant risk factor for the
development of neurodevelopmental disorders was the amount
of mercury children received from thimerosal-containing childhood
immunizations.

Importantly, all other neurodevelopmental disorders reflected a higher odds
ratio than autism.
This argues strongly against the possibility of media bias effect of
reporting about the alleged association to autism.

Taken collectively, the increased risk associated with all five disorders,
any of which could independently be an indicator of possible
mercury toxicity, favors an association between thimerosal-containing
vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders based on
this controlled assessment of the VAERS database.

The CDC-developed epidemiological technique employed
in this study continues to be used by the NIP of the CDC to
evaluate the safety of vaccines in the VAERS database [20].

Chen and Rosenthal from the NIP have published that the
potential limitations in VAERS database, such as: underreporting,
erroneous reporting, frequent multiple exposures,
multiple outcomes, and lack of precise denominators,
should apply equally to both vaccines administered to
similarly-aged populations, and allow for determination of
accurate, relative, quantitative relationships between vaccines
and adverse outcomes [21].

Additionally, a recent review
has examined the utility of this method to analyze the
VAERS database, and has concluded that studies examining
the VAERS database using the methods of analysis developed
by Rosenthal et al. had good positive predictive value
for determining vaccine-associated adverse events that
were consistent with observations made in vaccine clinical
trials and other databases, including the CDC's VSD
database [22].

In further considering the results of the present study, it
must be noted that none of the children examined in this
study of the VAERS database truly represent a thimerosalfree
population.
Within the reports, it was observed that other
vaccines containing thimerosal such as hepatitis B vaccine,
Hib vaccine, or infl uenza vaccine were concurrently
administered to those receiving thimerosal-containing or
thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.
The difference in the total
amounts of mercury received from thimerosal-containing
vaccines in the children examined in the VAERS database
stems from the fact that some children received additional
doses of mercury from thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccine
in comparison to those children receiving thimerosal-free
DTaP vaccine.
As a result, the increased risks observed for
neurodevelopmental disorders, probably, represent a considerable
underestimate of the true risk of additional doses
of thimerosal from vaccines.

Type
of vaccine Autism Speech
disorders
Mental
retardation
Personality
disorders
Thinking
abnormalities
Reported incidence per
million thimerosal-containing
DTaP (# of reports)
1.3 (78) 1.2 (75) 1.3 (79) 1.1 (67) 0.48 (29)
Reported incidence per
million thimerosal-free
DTaP (# of reports)
0.72 (21) 0.48 (14) 0.41 (12) 0.48 (14) 0.10 (3)
Odds ratio for reported
adverse events 1.8 2.6 3.2 2.3 4.7
95% Odds ratio con. dence
interval for reported adverse
events
1.1-3.0 1.5-4.6 1.8-5.9 1.3-4.2 1.5-24
p-value (Yate's ×2 value) <0.02 (5.53) <0.001 (11.01) <0.0002 (15.02) <0.005
(8.17) <0.005*

Table 3. A summary of neurodevelopmental disorder adverse events reported to
the VAERS database following thimerosal-containing
and thimerosal-free DTaP administered from 1997 through 2001.
The Biological Surveillance Summaries indicated that 59,720,009
thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines and 29,161,630 thimerosal-free DTaP
vaccines
were distributed/administered from 1997 through 2001, and were used as the
denominators to determine the above calculated reported incidence
rates of adverse events to the VAERS database. All p-values determined using
the Yate's ÷2 test statistic, except * determined using the . sher's exact
test statistic.
Selection parameter Number of children
Born into Group Health Cooperative
or Northern California Kaiser
between 1992 and 1997
213,185
Continuously enrolled for 1 Year 142,264
Not premature 139,391
Did not receive Hepatitis B
immunoglobulin 132,114
No congenital or perinatal disorder 109,993
Table 4. Number of children included in our VSD study.

Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170 Geiner DA et al - Thimerosal safety
CR165 CR

Other sources of mercury such as
anti-Rho immune globulin,
seafood,
manufacturing plant emissions,
dental amalgams,
and other pharmaceuticals,
while potentially significant, probably had a limited effect on the VAERS
results of
this study because the populations analyzed were large, and
there should have been equal exposure to other sources of
mercury among the populations examined.
The probability that exposure to other sources of mercury were similar,
among those receiving thimerosal-containing or thimerosal-
free DTaP vaccines, is further supported by the fact that
there were similar geographical dispersions and health statuses
in both groups.

The second phase of the present study was designed to determine
whether the affect from thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines on neurodevelopmental disorders observed in the VSD
database was consistent with observations made in the VAERS
database.
The second phase revealed signifi cant positive correlations
between exposure to thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines at specific times and the relative risk of eventually
developing neurodevelopmental disorders.
Specifically, it was observed that there were significant positive
correlations
between exposure at 2 months of age and unspecified developmental
delays,
exposure at 3 months of age and tics,
exposure at 6-months of age and attention deficit disorder,
and exposure at 1, 3, and 6 months of age and language delay, speech
delay, and neurodevelopmental delays in general.

In considering the results from the VSD database, there
may have been some limitations.
Some misclassification errors
may have occurred in the assessment of the inclusion/
exclusion criteria:
some hepatitis B immunoglobulin administrations
may have been missed and
some premature children may not have been classified as such.
Some misclassifications error may have also occurred in the exposure
assessment:
some vaccinations, particularly the neonatal
hepatitis B vaccine dose, may not have been reported.
It is not always possible to differentiate, using the available automated
data, between single dose thimerosal-free Hib vaccines
and multi-dose thimerosal-containing Hib vaccines.

The analyses were done assuming all vaccines to come from
multi-dose vials.
An analysis assuming all Hib vaccines had come from single dose-vials did
not substantially alter the results.
It is likely that in the case of a true effect of thimerosal,
all of these sources of potential errors were likely to
bias towards the null hypothesis.

Some misclassification errors may have occurred in the outcome
assessment in the VSD database as ICD-9 codes, that
lack specificity for certain disorders and are prone to errors
by the person (often administrative) coding and at data entry
level, were used from automated data.
Such misclassification is likely to cause an error in the findings for some
specific ICD-9 codes that may not have an obvious clinical
correlate such as
ICD-9 code 315.30 (other developmental speech or language disorder)
or ICD-9 code 315.9 (unspecified delay in development).

There is no reason to think that
this error would occur differentially among the exposure
categories, and it is, therefore, unlikely to affect the results
of our assessment of the VSD database.

Additionally, no information was available on potential predisposing
factors,

ICD-9 Code Description Total Age* GHC (%) NCK (%) Male (%)
Neurologic developmental disorder 3,114 32 36 64 69
299.0 Autism 127 42 14 86 83
299.8 Other childhood psychosis 51 49 22 78 92
299.9 Other unspeci. ed psychosis 31 45 100 0 84
307.0 Stammering 105 40 51 49 71
307.2 Tics 104 44 36 64 67
307.3 Repetitive movements 2 20 100 0 50
307.4 Sleep disorders 150 27 42 58 57
307.5 Eating disorders 78 21 9 91 53
307.6 Enuresis 20 59 10 90 70
313.0 Disturbances of emotions 28 35 54 46 66
314.0 Attention de. cit syndrome 374 49 20 80 80
315.31 Developmental language delay 351 34 4 96 74
315.39 Developmental speech delay 1,533 33 38 62 71
315.9 Unspeci. ed developmental delay 555 25 50 50 65
317-319 Mental retardation 17 48 12 88 63

Table 5. Number of children identified per disorder and some patient
characteristics.
* at first diagnosis, in months.
GHC - Group Health Cooperative; NCK - Northern California Kaiser.
Clinical Research Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
CR166

such as maternal smoking, lead exposure or fish consumption
in this assessment of the VSD database.
However, it is not clear how these factors would be related to the exposure
measured and are felt to be unlikely to cause any bias,
as they would be expected to occur equally in all exposure
groups examined.
It is also important to realize that in the present assessment
of the VSD database, analyses were limited to a list of potential
outcomes based upon results gleaned from the VAERS
database assessment.

Other disorders potentially related to
exposure to ethylmercury cannot be ruled-out.
Only relatively severe conditions that come to medical attention in
this assessment of the VSD database could be evaluated
in the present study, and more subtle effects that would
require neuropsychological testing could not be studied.

Additionally, because a number of the disorders examined
occurred at relatively low frequencies in the cohorts examined
in the VSD, it is possible that other associations between
thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental
disorders may have been missed in this analysis of
the VSD database.

Furthermore, there may be other limitations in considering
results obtained from the VSD database.
It should be noted that a number of potential outcomes in the VSD database
were examined.
Eleven total outcome categories were statistically
evaluated in the VSD.
Since each outcome category was
evaluated based upon exposure to thimerosal at 4 different
ages within the fi rst 6 months of life,
there were a total of 44 thimerosal exposure-outcome categories.

Therefore, there is the possibility that false-positive statistically
significant results
may have been observed because a p-value <0.05 was
accepted as significant.
It is expected, based upon chance alone, that 1 in 20 analyses
would yield a significant result.

Since, there were a total of 44 possible thimerosal exposureoutcome
categories, it is expected that approximately two of the 12
statistically significant associations observed between
thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental
disorder outcomes could be due to chance, and in
the statistical examination of the 11 possible outcome categories,
there is a potential that less than one of the six statistically
significant associations observed between thimerosal-
containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorder
outcomes could be due to chance.

In considering this possibility, in an attempt to minimize
the effects of observing false-positive statistically significant
results in the present examination of the VSD database a
number of controls were employed:
(1) limiting the types of
neurodevelopmental disorders examined in the VSD database
to outcomes that were identified on an a priori basis as
potentially associated with thimerosal-containing vaccines
based upon an assessment of the VAERS database;
(2) analyzing several cumulative exposure categories (i.e. cumulative
thimerosal exposure at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-months of age)
for consistency of the observed association between thimerosal
exposure and the outcome; and
(3) analyzing a doseresponse effect
for the association between thimerosal exposure
and the outcome for each cumulative thimerosal
exposure category
(i.e. meaning that a statistically significant result
was yielded from the statistical trend of multiple
individual data points in a single cumulative thimerosal
exposure category).

In addition, since the epidemiological methodology employed
to evaluate the VSD database (cohort study) was completely
distinct from the one used to examine the VAERS database
(case-control study), and since the reporting base for
VAERS and VSD are distinctive (i.e. VAERS has vaccine-associated
reported adverse events, whereas VSD has the complete
medical records of patients),
one would have to consider
the epidemiological evidence present in this study as
strong evidence of a relationship between the administration
of thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines in the United
States and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Additionally, authors
from the CDC previously asserted that the method of
analysis employed in this study is the appropriate manner
by which to analyze vaccine safety concerns [23].

Therefore, one can conclude based upon observations from the present
study, that indeed, there was a consistent significant overall
causal association between thimerosal-containing vaccine
exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, observed in
both the VAERS and VSD databases.

Other large population-based epidemiological studies conducted
outside the United States have not shown an apparent
relationship between thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders.

However, they
have been conducted in countries (e.g. England, Denmark,
and Sweden) utilizing very different exposures to mercury
from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines [24-28].

In these countries, children were exposed to doses of mercury
from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines that were
approximately 1/3rd as much as those administered in US
childhood vaccines.

Additionally, the children in these countries
received thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines in a
much less rigorous schedule (i.e. in the United States, mercury
dosing from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines
began on the day of birth, and continued at periodic intervals,
throughout the fi rst 6 months of life).

There is one epidemiological study conducted in the United
States that failed to report a significant association between
thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders.
However, even this study by Verstaeten et al. from the
CDC, initially found a signifi cant relationship between thimerosal-
containing childhood vaccines and some types of neurodevelopmental
disorders, but upon further examination of
a different dataset did not find a consistent effect.
The lead author concluded that their study was neutral (i.e. could neither
accept nor reject a causal relationship) regarding the relationship
between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders [29,30].
The remaining epidemiological studies that
have been conducted in the United States have found
a significant association between thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders [13,31-34].

It is important when evaluating the results of large population-
based epidemiological studies to recognize that they
represent an inference of effects on populations drawn many
years after the occurrence of the event.
Therefore, large population-based epidemiological studies
provide one piece of evidence,
indicating an area of research requiring more direct
clinical and molecular studies to evaluate a given phenomena.

In the case of thimerosal, there now have been extensive
clinical and molecular studies that clearly describe
the ability of thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines to
occasion neurodevelopmental disorders.

Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170 Geiner DA et al - Thimerosal safety
CR167 CR

A recent clinical study by Bradstreet et al. evaluated the concentration
of heavy metals in the urine among a population
of children with autistic spectrum disorders in comparison to
a neurotypical control population [35].
Based on excretion
following an identical three-day oral provocation with meso
2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), it was observed that
there were approximately 6-times significantly greater urinary
mercury concentrations among vaccinated cases matched to
vaccinated neurotyptical controls,
whereas children with autistic spectrum disorders
had similar urinary cadmium and lead concentrations
in comparison to neurotypical controls.
Similar urinary mercury concentrations were observed among
matched vaccinated neurotypical children and unvaccinated
neurotypical children following DMSA treatment.

Similarly, Holmes et al. have examined the ability to excrete mercury
by examining mercury levels in the first baby haircuts of autistic
children in comparison to non-autistic control children [36].
They demonstrated that the severity of autism was inversely
proportional to the level of mercury in their baby hair,
which was very low compared to controls, and suggested that
autistic children had an inability to excrete mercury.
Together, these clinical observations suggest that autistic children have
significantly higher body-burdens of mercury than neurotypical
children following exposure to mercury.

The biochemical and genomic basis for the increased bodyburden
of mercury in autistic children have been identified.
James et al. have evaluated the methionine cycle and transsulfuration
metabolites in autistic children in comparison to
age-and sex-matched control children [37,38].
It was determined that there were significant decreases in the plasma
concentration
of cysteine (19% reduction) and glutathione (46% reduction),
both of which are crucial for mercury excretion, in autistic
children in comparison to control children.
Additionally, consistent with the DMSA treatment and
first baby haircut study results,
it was determined that autistic children had significantly
increased oxidative stress (3-fold decrease in glutathione/
oxidized glutathione redox ratio) in comparison to control children.

Researchers have also identifi ed specific genomic polymorphisms
for enzymes in the methionine cycle and transsulfuration
pathways in autistic children that would help to
account for the distinct transsulfuration metabolite profiles
observed by James et al. in autistic children [37,39].

The inability to properly eliminate mercury is particularly
troubling since it was shown by Gasset et al. that administration
of thimerosal to animals resulted in a substantial concentration
of mercury present in blood and tissues (including
the brain) of the treated animals and their offspring [40].
The authors concluded that thimerosal crosses the bloodbrain
barrier and placental barriers.

Similarly, Slikker from the FDA
has confirmed that thimerosal crosses the bloodbrain
barrier and placental barriers and results in appreciable
mercury content in tissues including the brain [41].

Sager has recently reported the half-life of mercury in the
brain of infant primates was approximately 28 days following
administration of solutions containing vaccine comparable
concentrations of thimerosal [42].

Baskin et al. have conducted a molecular study demonstrating
that micromolar (µM) concentrations of thimerosal induced
membrane and DNA damage, and initiated
caspase-3 dependent apoptosis in human neurons and fibroblasts
within hours of exposure [43].

Leong et al. recently examined neurite outgrowth following
exposure to the same concentrations of mercury, aluminum,
lead, cadmium, and manganese.
The authors demonstrated
that nanomolar (nM) concentrations of mercury
markedly disrupted membrane structure and linear growth
rates of imaged neurites in 77% of all nerve growth cones,
whereas the other metals examined did not affect growth
patterns of the neurons examined.
The authors concluded that their study provides visual and biochemical
evidence
strongly implicating mercury as a potent factor in neurodegeneration [44].

Similar results have been observed in tissue
culture systems with thimerosal [45-47].

In addition, it has been reported that the neurotoxicity of
thimerosal is associated with depletion of glutathione.
The ethylmercury in thimerosal binds to cysteine thiol (-SH)
groups on intracellular proteins and inactivates their function.
The cysteine-SH group of glutathione binds mercury
and protects essential proteins from functional inactivation.
Glutathione is the major mechanism of mercury excretion,
and individuals with genetic defi ciencies in glutathione synthesis
will be less able to excrete mercury and will be more
sensitive to its adverse effects [37-48].

Waly et al. have reported that methylation events play a
critical role in the ability of growth factors to promote normal
development [49].
The authors found that insulin-like
growth factor-1 (IGF-1)- and dopamine-stimulated methionine
synthase (MS) activity and folate-dependent methylation
of phospholipids in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma
cells, occurred via a PI3-kinase- and MAP-kinase-dependent
mechanism.
Thimerosal inhibited both IGF-1- and
dopamine-stimulated methylation with an IC(50) of 1 nM
and eliminated MS activity.
The authors concluded that the
discovery of the PI3-kinase/MAP-kinase/MS pathway, and
its potent inhibition by thimerosal, a vaccine component,
provides a molecular explanation for how increased use of
vaccines could promote an increase in the incidence of autism
and Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD).

In addition, Deth and Waly have reported that folate-dependent,
phospholipid methylation in the lymphoblasts of
autistic children were, in a dose-response manner,
significantly more sensitive to thimerosal exposure than in unaffected
siblings [50].

In addition to molecular studies, Hornig et al. have reported
that the developing brain of a genetically-susceptible
autoimmune-prone mouse strain is susceptible to the neurotoxic
effects of thimerosal [51].
They administered thimerosal
to mice mimicking the United States' routine childhood
immunization schedule.
The authors demonstrated
that the genetically-susceptible autoimmune-prone mouse
strain developed symptoms similar to autistic spectrum disorders
following thimerosal exposure.
Symptoms included
growth delay,
reduced locomotion,
exaggerated response to novelty,
increased brain size,
decreased numbers of Purkinje cells,
significant abnormalities in brain architecture affecting
areas subserving emotion and cognition, and
densely packed hyperchromic hippocampal neurons with altered
glutamate receptors and transporters.

Clarkson et al. have also developed a mouse model to evaluate
the neurotoxic effects of alkyl mercury exposure on
fetuses/infants of different sexes [52].

Clinical Research Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
CR168

The authors determined that at high dose mercury exposure,
two day-old male and female mice
had neurons that were similarly adversely affected.
At low dose mercury exposure, the neurons
of two day-old female mice were significantly much less severely
adversely affected compared with male two day-old mice.
The authors concluded males are considerably more
sensitive than females to the neurotoxic effects of mercury,
and that in some human fetal/infant population exposures
to low dose alkyl mercury, it has been observed that
males were more sensitive than females to psychomotor retardation
[52,53], suggesting an interaction between testosterone
and mercury toxicity [54].

It should be noted, as
per data from this study and others [4-6], neurodevelopmental
disorders are signifi cantly more prevalent in males than females.

Recently, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued
a report following an extensive investigation into the
relationship between mercury exposure, especially mercury
exposure from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines,
and autistic disorders [55].
They reported that a signature
metabolic impairment or biomarker in autistic children
strongly suggests that these children would be susceptible
to the harmful effects of mercury and other toxic chemical exposures.
This impairment manifests as a severe imbalance
in the ratio of active to inactive glutathione, the
body's most important tool for detoxifying and excreting metals.
It was determined that autistic children showed a
significant impairment in every one of five measurements
of the body's ability to maintain a healthy glutathione defense.
The EWG concluded that these new findings significantly
strengthen the possibility that mercury could cause
or contribute to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders,
by identifying a metabolic imbalance common to
nearly all autistic children that would make these children
poorly equipped to mount a defense against a number of
neurotoxic compounds, including mercury.
In addition, they concluded that these findings raise serious concerns
about the studies that have allegedly proven the safety of
mercury in vaccines.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite conclusions by the Institute of Medicine that there
is no relationship between thimerosal and autism, and that
no further studies should be conducted to evaluate the relationship
between thimerosal and autism [42], it is clear
from these data and other emerging data that has been recently
published, additional neurodevelopmental disorder
research should be undertaken in the context of evaluating
mercury-associated exposures, especially when thimerosalfree
vaccines are a readily available option for the most vulnerable
populations.
It should be a priority to improve access to thimerosal-free vaccines.

Acknowledgement
We wish to thank Lisa Sykes for her kind efforts in helping
us to review and edit our manuscript.

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54. Geier MR, Geier DA: The potential importance of steroids in the
treatment
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Clinical Research Med Sci Monit, 2005; 11(4): CR160-170
CR170
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http://www.medscimonit.com/pub/vol_10/no_3/3986.pdf

WWW.MEDSCIMONIT.COM
Product Investigation
© Med Sci Monit, 2004; 10(3): PI33-39
PMID: 14976450

PI33
PI A comparative evaluation of the effects of MMR
immunization and mercury doses from thimerosal-
-containing childhood vaccines on the population
prevalence of autism
David A. Geier 1 abcdef,
Mark R. Geier 2 abcdef
1 President, MedCon, Inc, Silver Spring, U.S.A.
2 President, The Genetic Centers of America, U.S.A.

Potential conflict of interest: Dr. Mark Geier has been an expert witness
and a consultant in cases involving adverse reactions to vaccines before the
U.S. Vaccine Compensation Act and in civil litigation.
David Geier has been a consultant in cases involving adverse reactions to
vaccines before the U.S. Vaccine Compensation Act and in civil litigation.

Summary
Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of MMR
immunization and mercury from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines on
the prevalence of autism.
Material/Methods: Evaluations of the Biological Surveillance Summaries of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of
Education datasets, and the CDC's yearly live birth estimates were
undertaken.
Results: It was determined that there was a close correlation between
mercury doses from thimerosal--containing childhood vaccines and the
prevalence of autism from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s.
In contrast, there was a potential correlation between the number of primary
pediatric measles-containing vaccines administered and the prevalence of
autism during the 1980s.
In addition, it was found that there were statistically significant odds
ratios for the
development of autism following increasing doses of mercury from
thimerosal-containing vaccines (birth cohorts: 1985 and 1990-1995) in
comparison to a baseline measurement (birth cohort: 1984).
The contribution of thimerosal from childhood vaccines (>50% effect) was
greater than MMR vaccine on the prevalence of autism observed in this study.
Conclusions: The results of this study agree with a number of previously
published studies.
These studies have shown that there is biological plausibility and
epidemiological evidence showing a direct relationship between increasing
doses of mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental
disorders, and measles-containing vaccines and serious neurological
disorders.
It is recommended that thimerosal be removed from all vaccines, and
additional
research be undertaken to produce a MMR vaccine with an improved safety
profile.
key words: autism . ethylmercury . MMR . neurodevelopmental disorders .
thimerosal

Full-text PDF: http://www.MedSciMonit.com/pub/vol_10/no_3/3986.pdf
Word count: 3433
Tables: 1
Figures: 4
References: 31
Received: 2003.07.16
Accepted: 2003.10.08
Published: 2004.03.01

Author's address: Mark R. Geier, 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905,
U.S.A., email: mgeier@...

Authors' Contribution:
A Study Design
B Data Collection
C Statistical Analysis
D Data Interpretation
E Manuscript Preparation
F Literature Search
G Funds Collection
****************************************************************

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@... 505-501-2298
1943 Otowi Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 186 members, 1,188 posts in a public, searchable archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1186
aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats, free full plain text, M
Soffritti, F Belpoggi, DD Esposti, L Lambertini, 2005 April, 2005.07.14:
main results agree with their previous methanol and formaldehyde studies,
Murray 2005.07.19

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1185
Ramazzini Institute (Italy) lifetime study with 1800 rats shows aspartame at
human use levels causes cancer (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid), M
Soffritti and F Belpoggi: Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian (UK): Murray
2005.07.15

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1189
Michael F Jacobson of CSPI now and in 1985 re aspartame toxicity, letter to FDA
Commissioner Lester Crawford; California OEHHA aspartame critique 2004.03.12;
Center for Consumer Freedom denounces CSPI: Murray 2004.07.27

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1045
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/scf2002-response.htm
Mark Gold exhaustively critiques European Commission Scientific
Committee on Food re aspartame ( 2002.12.04 ): 59 pages, 230 references

http://www.HolisticMed.com/aspartame mgold@...
Aspartame Toxicity Information Center Mark D. Gold
12 East Side Drive #2-18 Concord, NH 03301 603-225-2100
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/abuse/methanol.html
"Scientific Abuse in Aspartame Research"

Gold points out that industry methanol assays were too insensitive to
properly measure blood methanol levels. ]

Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol-- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 L diet soda,
almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). If 30% of
the methanol is turned into formaldehyde, the amount of formaldehyde is 18
times the USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in drinking water, 2 mg in 2
L water.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/835
ATSDR: EPA limit 1 ppm formaldehyde in drinking water July 1999:
Murray 2002.05.30 rmforall
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