[TomB]

Geier DA. Geier MR. The Genetic Centers of America, 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA. An assessment of the impact of thimerosal on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Pediatric Rehabilitation. 6(2):97-102, 2003 Apr-Jun.

So which one is correct? Currently, there is no definitive answer, as with many things in science, more study is needed.

How reliable are the conclusions?

The study design was weak and the findings were susceptible to bias. There was also a lack of detail on key aspects of the study. Actual study size and the number of children with identified disorders were not given. The VAERS database, on which part of the study was based, only provided a sample of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and who had been vaccinated.

It is not possible to tell whether those children who received a mercury-containing vaccine and those who received a mercury-free vaccine were comparable in terms of characteristics that may have influenced outcomes. There was also no information reported on the age at which the children were immunised and the age at which they were diagnosed with the disorders. It was unclear how any of the disorders were defined. The part of the study based on the U.S. Department of Education Report for 2001 had similar weaknesses. Additionally, the accuracy and reliability of the estimates of exposure to mercury-containing vaccination was unclear.

The authors suggested that thiomersal should be removed immediately from all childhood vaccines. Overall, such a strong conclusion cannot be drawn from this evidence due to the nature of the study design and the limited data reported. Although there appeared to be an association between autism, personality disorder and mental retardation and mercury-containing vaccination the study did not demonstrate that this was caused by the mercury containing vaccination.

And I failed to make clear that the IOM report is a review of ALL the studies done on this subject, not just one, as you implied.

[PCRit]

Like I said in my first post, I'm still skeptical. I tend not to form conclusions until ALL the scientific data points towards the same direction. And currently, it does not. And I'm really not trying to argue with you TomB, I'm just trying to let you see the "other side"

Have a good day.