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Thimerosal is a preservative that is widely used in vaccines. Thimerosal contains almost 50% ethyl mercury, an organic and highly toxic form of mercury, which makes the vaccine a health hazard. Mercury, even in tiny amounts, has been found to cause DNA damage, cell death, brain damage and organ failure.

Scientists have extensively studied the effect of Thimerosal on the body. They have found that it depletes Glutathione (GSH), a critical and essential antioxidant produced by the body (1) which protects us from toxins and free radical damage. When Glutathione is depleted, the mercury in Thimerosal causes widespread damage in the body including neural cell death (2).

More recently, scientists have realized that Thimerosal in the vaccines could be the leading cause behind rising rates of Autism (3), especially in the US. Autism is a developmental disorder in children which manifests in the first two years after birth. The number of autistic children has increased over the last decade. In the U.S., the incidence of autism was 1 in 10000 before the 1970s and has steadily increased to 1 in 150 in 2008 with a male:female predominance of 4:1 (4). Epidemiological studies indicate that this is due to the increased number of childhood vaccinations from 10 in 1970 to 36 in 2008.

Autism is also on the rise in many developed countries. Autism situation in UK is worse than the US. A recent study found the autism incidence in UK to be 1 in 68 (5).

In the U.S., many states have introduced legislations that mandate the vaccine manufacturers to produce Thimerosal (mercury) free vaccines. A bill called "H.R. 2617: Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2009" has been introduced in the U.S. congress. If it becomes a law, it would eliminate the use of mercury and mercury-based preservatives from vaccines.

Currently, many vaccines also have a Thimerosal free version. Today, most flu vaccines still contain Thimerosal. Elderly, pregnant women and children who receive flu shots must be made aware of this fact.

Parents of children and those people, who receive vaccinations, must inquire from their health care provider if a mercury free vaccine is available, if so, they should choose the mercury-free version.

References

1. James SJ., and others. Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors. Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.
2. Yel L., and others. Thimerosal induces neuronal cell apoptosis by causing cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor release from mitochondria. International Journal of Molecular Medicine. 2005 Dec;16(6):971-7.
3. Bernard S., and others. Autism: a novel form of mercury poisoning. Medical Hypotheses. 2001 Apr;56(4):462-71.
4. Cave SF. The history of vaccinations in the light of the autism epidemic. Alternative Therapies in Health Medicine. 2008 Nov-Dec;14(6):54-7.
5. Baron-Cohen S., and others. Prevalence of autism-spectrum conditions: UK school-based population study. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2009 Jun;194(6):500-9.

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