A Dose-Response Relationship between Organic Mercury Exposure from Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

David A. Geier, Brian S. Hooker, Janet K. Kern, Paul G. King, Lisa K. Sykes and Mark R. Geier
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David A. Geier: Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA
Brian S. Hooker: Department of Biology, Simpson University, 2211 College View Dr., Redding, CA 96003, USA
Janet K. Kern: Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA
Paul G. King: CoMeD, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA
Lisa K. Sykes: CoMeD, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA
Mark R. Geier: Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: A hypothesis testing case-control study evaluated concerns about the toxic effects of organic-mercury (Hg) exposure from thimerosal-containing (49.55% Hg by weight) vaccines on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs). Automated medical records were examined to identify cases and controls enrolled from their date-of-birth (1991–2000) in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) project. ND cases were diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), specific developmental delay, tic disorder or hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood. In addition, putative non-thimerosal-related outcomes of febrile seizure, failure to thrive and cerebral degenerations were examined. The cumulative total dose of Hg exposure from thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccine (T-HBV) administered within the first six months of life was calculated. On a per microgram of organic-Hg basis, PDD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.054), specific developmental delay (OR = 1.035), tic disorder (OR = 1.034) and hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood (OR = 1.05) cases were significantly more likely than controls to receive increased organic-Hg exposure. By contrast, none of the non-thimerosal related outcomes were significantly more likely than the controls to have received increased organic-Hg exposure. Routine childhood vaccination may be an important public health tool to reduce infectious disease-associated morbidity/mortality, but the present study significantly associates organic-Hg exposure from T-HBV with an increased risk of an ND diagnosis.

Keywords: attention deficit; autism; ethylmercury; merthiolate; thiomersal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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