Mercury, Autism, and Chelation: A Recipe for Risk
An examination of the lethal pop-culture fad of chelating autistic children.
Filed under Alternative Medicine, General Science, Health
| Skeptoid #55 July 15, 2007 Podcast transcript | Listen | Subscribe |
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By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast
Episode 55, July 15, 2007
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4055
Today we're going to examine yet another case where people are willing to put their own and their children's lives at risk in order to embrace popular pseudoscience. It seems that more and more, people are increasingly concerned with joining a politically correct fad when it offers a simpler explanation than medical fact. In this case, parents of autistic children have, in the absence of a medical cure for their child's condition, turned to alternative medicine and put their children at greater risk by avoiding crucial vaccinations or even causing direct injury with chelation.
In Skeptoid episode #36 about amalgam dental fillings, I was widely criticized for mentioning chelation therapy as a valid treatment to remove heavy metals from the body. What I said was misinterpreted as support for the popular misuse of chelation, when it's used for non-existent contamination or for so-called "cleansing". Real chelation therapy is used medically, though rarely, because there is such a thing as real heavy metal contamination that is dangerous. It usually happens occupationally to people who work with heavy elements and are involved in accidents. Medical chelation takes years and is, at best, only partially successful; and carries plenty risk of its own. Kidney damage is among the most common side effects. Chelation therapy in popular alternative medicine, however, brings only the risk and no possible benefit to the recipient.
So how did we get to a point where wrongly informed parents are turning to chelation to treat their autistic children? It's not all that surprising. Many of the indications of autism first become apparent in children at approximately the same age as vaccinations are given. It naturally follows that some people will thus draw an (invalid) causal relationship. Because they happened about the same time, one must have caused the other. This is the same logic flaw that leads Oprah guests to proclaim their cancer was cured by some alternative therapy. Of those lucky few individuals whose cancer spontaneously went into remission, many were probably taking some random alternative therapy at the time; and because the remission occurred about the same time as the therapy, they assumed a causal relationship, when in fact none exists.
No parent wants to see anything bad happen to their child. When it does, it's natural to seek some outside cause, someone or something to blame, something that can be attacked and fought back. Popular media has spread the notion that mercury from vaccination causes autism, and this makes a perfect scapegoat. Something to blame, something to fight, some way to protect the child. An easy answer. A clear answer. A chance. Something more tangible than the doctor's vague explanation of the complex causes of autism, and its tragic incurability. It's the perfect opiate for the psychologically tormented parent.
But it does have its costs. In Pennsylvania, the parents of Abubakar Tariq Nadama, a 5-year-old autistic child killed by chelation therapy in 2005, are suing the individuals and companies involved for wrongful death and lack of informed consent. He was being treated with EDTA, which is approved by the FDA for use only after blood tests confirm acute heavy-metal poisoning. The child's blood tests did not reveal any such poisoning. Howard Carpenter, executive director of the Advisory Board on Autism-Related Disorders, said "It was just a matter of time before something like this would happen." Gary Swanson, a psychiatrist who works with autistic children, said "I can't sit there and endorse it as a viable treatment. It's not something published in peer review journals and studies. It's probably a quack kind of medicine."
As previously mentioned, the exact causes for all the various forms of autism are complicated and are not 100% understood, but that doesn't mean that nothing is known or that non-evidence-based alternative therapy might be useful. One of the factors that is known is that heredity is present in 90% of autism cases. It's largely genetic, not environmental. Studies have determined that a few agents such as thalidomide, when present during the first 8 weeks of gestation, can cause the same chromosomal damage found in autism. No rigorous scientific evidence has ever been found that indicates autism can otherwise be caused environmentally, which eliminates all the pop-culture supposed causes like vaccination, food allergies, or mercury poisoning.
Moreover, a 2007 study by Williams, Hersh, Allard, and Sears published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders found no significant difference in the levels of mercury found in hair samples between autistic children and their non-autistic siblings. Siblings were used for this study to eliminate other environmental variables as factors. Consumer Health Digest concludes "Autism has no plausible association with mercury toxicity or other heavy metal exposure."
Proponents of the alleged link between vaccines and autism charge that vaccines contain mercury, which in large enough doses, kills cells and causes neurological damage. What some vaccines contain is actually not plain mercury, but the preservative thimerosal. Thimerosal's main active ingredient is an organic version of mercury called ethylmercury. Ethylmercury is naturally expelled from the body quickly. Methylmercury, on the other hand, is not. It stays in the body. High doses of methylmercury will cause physiological damage. However, ethylmercury and methylmercury are not the same thing, despite the similar names. Methylmercury is not present in thimerosal. In short, vaccines preserved with thimerosal do not even contain the type of mercury that activists say is dangerous. And even if they did, the amount would be too small to be considered a risk.
It doesn't help that this misinformation is spread by celebrity activists like Robert Kennedy Jr., whose only medical experience comes from carefully making lines of cocaine with a razor blade. Kennedy wrote an article for Rolling Stone magazine in 2005 charging that the government knows that vaccines cause autism and is actively covering it up. I wonder what young Abubakar's parents think of Kennedy's contribution to pop-culture. The online version of Kennedy's article is followed by five paragraphs of corrections and clarifications, among them pointing out that he misstated the amount of ethylmercury received by infants at six months of age, by a factor of 133 times the actual amount. His article is bursting at the seams with flawed logic and irrelevant comparisons, such as this one: "infants routinely received three inoculations that contained a total of 62.5 micrograms of ethylmercury -- a level 99 times greater than the EPA's limit for daily exposure to methylmercury." It's OK though, Robert, people don't read too closely.
Rates of vaccination have not been increasing, so why the reported skyrocketing rates of autism diagnoses? An increasingly broad array of conditions being called autism is part of the reason. Autism is not necessarily a single, well-defined disorder. There are five main Autism Spectrum Disorders, including but not limited to Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, various childhood disintegrative disorders, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, or PDD-NOS. As more of these are broadly called "autism", obviously the rates of autism rise substantially. Between 1987 and 1998, the number of patients classified as autistic rose 273 percent.
If thimerosal were a cause of autism, then wouldn't its removal from vaccines curb the rising rates of diagnosis? Well, obviously, yes it would. But it didn't. The FDA removed thimerosal from childhood vaccines in the US in 1997, as a precautionary measure, partly in response to all the anti-vaccine activism. Autism diagnoses continued to rise unabated. Denmark and Sweden eliminated thimerosal five years earlier. Their rates also continued to climb.
Let's repeat that, since apparently it's not clear to Kennedy and the other activists still warning against vaccination. Ethylmercury-containing thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in 1997. Vaccination will not result in mercury poisoning.
Vaccinations save more lives worldwide than any other medical advance in history. Thanks to vaccination, children around the world are now safe from hepatitis A and B, polio, smallpox, measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, rotavirus, mumps, typhoid, and many more. Giving up all of these immunities, due only to an unfounded fear of a compound that's no longer used and was demonstrated safe in every rigorous study ever done, is hardly the best way to serve your child. Exposing an already-vaccinated child to the dangers of chelation in a misguided effort to remove undetected poisons is just as bad. Vaccinate your children. Don't put them or yourself through the risks of chelation therapy, unless of course your job at Three-Mile Island was to drink all the leaked cooling water.
© 2007 Skeptoid Media, Inc.
References & Further Reading
Brown, MJ, Willis, T, Omalu, B, Leiker, R. "Deaths resulting from hypocalcemia after administration of edetate disodium: 2003-2005." Pediatrics. 1 Aug. 2006, Volume 118, Number 2: 534-536.
Doja, A., Roberts, W. "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature." Canadian Journal of Neurological Science. 1 Nov. 2006, Volume 33, Number 4: 341-346.
FDA Staff. "Thimerosal in Vaccines Questions and Answers." Food and Drug Administration. US Federal Government, 10 Jul. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. <http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/QuestionsaboutVaccines/ucm070430.htm>
Kane, Karen. "Death of 5-year-old boy linked to controversial chelation therapy." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 6 Jan. 2006, Volume 79 Number 25: B1.
Taylor, D, Williams, D. Trace Elements Medicine and Chelation Therapy. Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry, 1995.
Williams, P. Gail, Hersh, Joseph H., Allard, AnnaMary, Sears, Lonnie L. "A controlled study of mercury levels in hair samples of children with autism as compared to their typically developing siblings." Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 16 May 2007, Volume 2, Issue 1: 170-175.
Reference this article:
Dunning, B.
"Mercury, Autism, and Chelation: A Recipe for Risk." Skeptoid Podcast. Skeptoid Media, Inc.,
15 Jul 2007. Web.
23 May 2013. <http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4055>
Discuss!
10 most recent comments | Show all 69 comments
\"To state that removing Thimersol has done nhniotg to lower the autism rate based on data from the California State Development Department is misleading and flawed.\"How so?How many children born from 1995 to the present were never properly diagnosed by their pediatricians so were never referred to the department of developmental services and are therefore not in the database?How does that affect the conclusion of this study? A significant number of the cohort you speak of were never exposed to thimerosal.What if the number of cases of children born is far greater than the number actually diagnosed and referred? That would mean there is a possibility that the numbers have come down since Thimersol was withdrawn in 2001.How does, there might be some children who are undiagnosed lead to there might have been a drop in diagnosis?As to the rest of your comment I\'ll repost the response to your comment from :@Colleen, Schechter and Grether note that there may well be more autistic children out there than indicated in the DDS numbers which, as you note, only includes those children referred to the department of developmental services. They state:\"The proportion of all children with autism who are served by the DDS may have been affected by program budget constraints, administrative guidelines, and trends toward diagnosis at younger ages. In 2003, California state law aligned its definition of substantial disability with the federal definition of significant functional limitations in 3 or more areas of major life activity. This alignment may have restricted eligibility for services and therefore new admissions at some regional centers after August 2003. Had this redefinition not occurred, the increas
Takahito, kBhdGlAKII
September 30, 2012 4:13pm
Good news anti vacs, I have found a direct correlation between the increasing rates of Autism with the amount of fines given out by the Plumbers Licencing Board of Western Australia. I can even supply an infograph if needed.
So you no longer have to gamble with your children's health by not vaccinating them, all we have to do is stop P.L.B.W.A. giving out fines for illegal plumbing. PHEW
Mik, Pearth West Oz
November 13, 2012 4:20am
Nice try Mik. Correlation isnt causation. Yes there is correlation between the environment and autism just as there is between autism and some gut overgrowths.
This doesnt mean medicos shut down the power and start dishing out vancomycin. These are just studies showing a correlation.
This doesnt mean that studies should be precluded. Its just an observation not an exhibition of a relationship.
Mud, sin city, NSW, OZ
December 10, 2012 8:44pm
@Barbara. No, no, no, no, no. We decided that he worked for the Illuminati, remember? Keep your conspiracy theories straight.
In all seriousness, though, you frighten me. Chelation should be done only in the most desperate cases, because of the damage it does to the person involved, child or adult.
But I'm not sure where we got from chelation, which is NOT an alternative medicine at all, to Brian being against all alternative medicines. Chelation is a very mainstream medicine that should be administered only under very careful supervision by people who know exactly what is going on and what to watch for.
I'm not sure if you're advocating chelation as an alternative medicine, or if you're just angry at his stance on alternative medicine in general.
I don't agree with Brian on everything. I don't think he works for the pharmaceutical companies, however. He doesn't make enough money off of it.
But to make a blanket statement like that without explaining yourself is not helping your argument.
And if you do believe that chelation is an alternative therapy for children or adults who don't need it, then please, please, please, go and talk to a doctor who specializes in it before doing anything to anybody.
Sara, Salt Lake City
February 15, 2013 4:03pm
I have a child that falls in the autism spectrum.
I vaccinate my child because she was born with it.
But I am not so quick to dismiss that vaccines MAY effect the autism increase.
Now here me out.
When I was born in late 1960's the number of vaccines were quite small but effective with some people being sensitive.
But I look at my own children and they have recieved (by my recollection) MORE vaccines by the age of 5 than I have received (even counting flu) than I have in 47 years.
Now given the normal slight chance of complications the basic laws of stats for every vac could increase the chances of adverse reactions.
Add to that the trully unknown how over time each vac interacts with each other and how that effects natures mutation of the very diseases they protect us from.
Also as may have suggested we truly (due to the proprietary protections) EXACTLY what is in each one (the supposed inert material) or the manuf process.
Add to it the contamination problems of late and the denials of companies due to liablility worries (remember the alcohol wipe contam and deaths) and you have reason to question.
Now AGAIN I am not against vac my kids
But I do think given we have over the years tried to eliminate such contaminates (such as lead paint) and the only thing going up is vac that we should be more skeptical of those supposed FDA declared safe vacc.
Eric, Northern IL USA
March 20, 2013 2:00am
A lot of people who drive cars say that sort of thing.
Cigarette?
Mud, Pho s Brewery NSW, Oz
March 27, 2013 8:00am
I am autisic and I find the characterization of autism as "tragically incurable" to be grossly offensive. My life is not a tragedy. You should read 'Don't Mourn for Us' by Jim Sinclair for why this type of rhetoric is damaging to autistic people.
Korena, Oshawa
April 02, 2013 6:16am
My son started jerks in age of two months after vac. The reason for jerks wasn't found. He was late in development, speech, muscle. He developed ADHD in 6 y.o. Now he is 8. We're fighting every single day to bring him near the average kid in the school. It's hard to explain in words. I hope this guy won't face our problems, otherwise it could blow his sweet world.
Dmitry, Toronto
April 15, 2013 10:19pm
Korena,
To say that autism is tragically incurable is NOT the same thing as saying that an autistic person's life is a tragedy. Autism robs many many people of normal lives-- of speech, of interaction. I don't mean everyone on spectrum, but for those with lower functioning ASD they will never have careers or children or so many other experiences. It's incurable, and the fact that it is incurable is tragic.
Lucy, Claremore, Oklahoma
April 16, 2013 2:48pm
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A, I'd go with your sntiment but there is one problem..
They keep the hypochondriacs away from well placed medical analysis in countries with a health care system.
I realise that ountries that do not have a health care system as grandiose as that in OZ (where claim is now removed from witch doctory as of July 1) may have competition problems but..
Its a dying fad.
Rightly so.
But if our junior states like Papua and New Zealand still offer these claims, a correctly deserved self diagnosing tourism would bolster their flagging economies.
Apparently the Philippines made a killing on chicken guts and false thumbs in the 70's and 80's. Thnk goodness for extradition prevention I always say!
Mud, back in Sanity, NSW
August 05, 2012 2:09am