Autism, a severely incapacitating developmental disability, has been increasing at an epidemic proportion over the last decade. Insight magazine’s "Vaccines May Fuel Autism Epidemic," by Kelly Patricia O’Meara, details the argument that childhood vaccines may be to blame for the increasing cases of autism.

In the United States, each state has reported increases in autism rates of at least 500 percent over the last 10 years. The epidemic is spreading so quickly that in California it is estimated that within the next four years the number autism cases will exceed the total number of cases of both cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

According to the article, vaccines given to newborns contain an array of chemicals including formaldehyde (used in embalming), thimerosal (nearly 50 percent mercury), aluminum phosphate (toxic and carcinogenic), antibiotics, phenols (corrosive to skin and toxic), aluminum salts (corrosive to tissue and neurotoxic), methanol (toxic), isopropyl (toxic), 2-pheoxyethanol (toxic), live viruses and various other components.

Among these components, previous studies suggest that there is a link between neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, and mercury exposure from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines. Although U.S. health officials called for thimerosal to be removed from vaccines in 1999, the article details how--because of mislabeled package inserts and other issues--it is extremely difficult for parents and physicians to know whether the preservative is actually in the vaccine.

The article also discusses how the potential ties between U.S. health agencies and the pharmaceutical companies could be the reason why much-needed public warnings about the potential dangers of mercury in vaccines have not been made.

Please visit Insight magazine to read the entire contents of this important article.

Insight Magazine June 9, 2003