Bernard

Page Contents (hide)

  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning
    1. 2.1 Abstract
    2. 2.2 The Issues
    3. 2.3 The Talking Points
  3. 3. Blog Resources (A - Z)
    1. 3.1 Kevin Leitch
    2. 3.2 Kathleen Seidel
  4. 4. Also See

1.  Introduction

After the correllation between thimerosal and autism was first suspected, campaign groups such as Safe Minds pushed scientific resources at finding a link. The result was the 2001 paper Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning (Sallie Bernard, Albert Enyati, Lynn Redwood, RN, Teresa Binstock, PhD.).

2.  Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning

2.1  Abstract

Autism is a syndrome characterized by impairments in social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, abnormal movements, and sensory dysfunction. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that autism may affect 1 in 150 US children. Exposure to mercury can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with autism, and the similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry. Thimerosal, a preservative added to many vaccines, has become a major source of mercury in children who, within their first two years, may have received a quantity of mercury that exceeds safety guidelines. A review of medical literature and US government data suggests that: (i) many cases of idiopathic autism are induced by early mercury exposure from thimerosal; (ii) this type of autism represents an unrecognized mercurial syndrome; and (iii) genetic and non-genetic factors establish a predisposition whereby thimerosal’s adverse effects occur only in some children.

2.2  The Issues

The conclusions of the paper were as follows:

  1. Exposure to mercury can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with autism
  2. The similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry
  3. Children may have received a quantity of mercury that exceeds safety guidelines originating from thimerosal in vaccines
  4. It is suggested that many cases of idiopathic autism are induced by early mercury exposure from thimerosal
  5. It is suggested that this type of autism represents a hitherto unrecognized mercurial syndrome
  6. It is suggested that genetic and non-genetic factors establish a predisposition whereby thimerosal’s adverse effects occur only in some children

The Bernard paper is fraught with errors and supposition. Without the establishment of the first two points, the last four are meaningless. Therefore it only needs a refutation of these first two points to remove the link.

The gist of the paper is that the symptoms of mercury poisoning are similar to traits that define or accompny autism. Because of this, the authors reason that a link is established.

The meat of the paper is contained in two tables that compare autistic traits and biological markers of autism and mercury poisoning.

Bernard et al list the three main areas of difference in autistic people as being in sociability, stereotypical behaviours and communication as per the DSM(IV) criteria compared with the clinical symptoms of mercury poisoning.

Psychiatric Disturbances As Per Bernard et al

  1. Social deficits. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  2. shyness. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  3. social withdrawal. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria. Discusses failure to develop, not withdrawl.
  4. Repetitive, perseverative, stereotypic behaviors. . Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  5. obsessive-compulsive tendencies. . Does not appear in either criteria.
  6. Depression/depressive traits, mood swings, flat affect; . Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  7. impaired face recognition. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  8. Anxiety; Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  9. schizoid tendencies; Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  10. irrational fears. Does not appear in either criteria.
  11. Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  12. Lacks eye contact; Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  13. impaired visual fixation. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.

Speech and Language Deficits As Per Bernard et al

  1. Loss of speech. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  2. Delayed language. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  3. Failure to develop speech. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  4. Dysarthria. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  5. Speech Comprehension Deficits Does not appear in either criteria.
  6. Verbalizing. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  7. word retrieval problems. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  8. Echolalia. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  9. Word use and pragmatic errors. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.

Sensory Abnormalities As Per Bernard et al

  1. Abnormal sensation in mouth and extremities. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  2. Sound sensitivity. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  3. Mild to profound hearing loss. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  4. Abnormal touch sensations. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  5. Touch aversion. Does not appear in either criteria.
  6. Over-sensitivity to light. Does not appear in either criteria.
  7. Blurred vision. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.

Motor Disorders As Per Bernard et al

  1. Flapping, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking, toe walking, unusual postures. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  2. Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  3. Problems with intentional movement or imitation. Does not appear in either criteria.
  4. Abnormal gait and posture, clumsiness and incoordination. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  5. Difficulties sitting, lying, crawling, and walking. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  6. Problem on one side of body. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.

Cognitive Impairments As Per Bernard et al

  1. Borderline intelligence, mental retardation – some cases reversible. . Does not appear in either criteria.
  2. Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition . Does not appear in either criteria.
  3. shifting attention. Does not appear in either criteria.
  4. Uneven performance on IQ subtests. Does not appear in either criteria.
  5. Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ. Does not appear in either criteria.
  6. Poor short term, verbal, and auditory memory. Does not appear in either criteria.
  7. Poor visual and perceptual motor skills.. Does not appear in either criteria.
  8. Impairment in simple reaction time. Does not appear in either criteria.
  9. Lower performance on timed tests. Does not appear in either criteria.
  10. Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism. Does not appear in either criteria.
  11. Degeneration of higher mental powers. Does not appear in either criteria.
  12. Difficulty carrying out complex commands. Does not appear in either criteria.

Unusual Behaviors As Per Bernard et al

  1. Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging. Does not appear in either criteria.
  2. ADHD traits. Does not appear in either criteria.
  3. Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  4. Sleep difficulties. Does not appear in either criteria.

Physical Disturbances As Per Bernard et al

  1. Hyper- or hypotonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  2. Rashes, dermatitis, eczema, itching. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  3. Diarrhea; abdominal pain/discomfort, constipation, 'colitis'. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  4. Anorexia. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  5. Nausea/vomiting. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  6. Poor appetite. Does not appear in DSM(IV) criteria.
  7. restricted diet. Does not appear in mercury poisoning criteria.
  8. Lesions of ileum and colon. Does not appear in either criteria.
  9. Increased gut permeability. Does not appear in either criteria.

Bernard et al also go onto list another table of biological and biochemical indicators, none of which are in the DSM(IV) criteria and which have a very suspect scientific following.

2.3  The Talking Points

What Bernard et al attempted was to assocaite occassional comorbidities of autism as de facto symptoms of autism. For example - Epilepsy is occasionaly comorbid in some autistic people. However, it is not in the DSM(IV) diagnostic criteria as it is not present in all autistic people and therefore epilepsy (or poor appetitte, dermatitis, nausea, etc etc) cannot be used as a diagnosing symptom. Bernard et al might very well know autistic people with poor appetites or dermatitis but these things are not symptoms that can indicate or define autism.

Further, a careful study of the similarities listed by Bernard et al reveal that contrary to their assertions, the symptoms used to diagnose mercury poisoning and autism are entirely dissimilar. In 2003, Nelson and Bauman published a comprehensive refutation in Pediatrics

"In mercury poisoning, the characteristic motor findings are ataxia and dysarthria. These signs, along with tremor, muscle pains, and weakness, are noted on relatively high-dose exposure, acute or chronic. In 3 Romanian children accidentally exposed to ethyl mercury in a fungicide, these same symptoms were prominent. The outcome of fetal methyl mercury poisoning in severe form also included spasticity. In contrast, in autism, the only common motor manifestations are repetitive behaviors (stereotypies) such as flapping, circling, or rocking. Persons with Asperger syndrome may be clumsy, and hypotonia has been noted in some infants with autism; the frequency of clumsiness and hypotonia in autism spectrum disorders is not established. No other motor findings are common in autism, and indeed the presence of ataxia or dysarthria in a child whose behavior has autistic features should lead to careful medical evaluation for an alternative or additional diagnosis.

Other signs that may appear in children with chronic mercury toxicity, such as hypertension skin eruption and thrombocytopenia are seldom seen in autism.

When severe mercury poisoning occurs in prenatal life or early infancy, head size tends to be small and microcephaly is common. Prenatal exposure to other neurotoxins—lead, alcohol, and polychlorinated biphenyls, for example—also predispose to decreased head size. In contrast, in autism increasing evidence indicates that head size and, as measured by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, brain size tends to be larger than population norms.

At sufficient dose mercury is indeed a neurotoxin, but the typical clinical signs of mercurism are not similar to the typical clinical signs of autism.

Mercury poisoning and autism both affect the central nervous system but the specific sites of involvement in brain and the brain cell types affected are different in the two disorders as evidenced clinically and by neuropathology.

Nonspecific symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and irrational fears may occur both in mercury poisoning and in children with autism, but overall the clinical picture of mercurism—from any known form, dose, duration, or age of exposure—does not mimic that of autism."

3.  Blog Resources (A - Z)

3.1  Kevin Leitch

  1. Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning
  2. Pinks Disease and Autism

3.2  Kathleen Seidel

  1. An Exchange of Views
  2. Patent Medicine

4.  Also See

Thimerosal | Burbacher | Deth | Hornig