We don't really know what causes autism. But a report released June 15 suggests strongly that some scientists and government officials have a suspicion that a preservative used in common vaccines administered to children could be a factor. The article, written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and published in the online version of _Rolling Stone_ , asserts that a government coverup is hiding a connection between tetanus and other shots given to infants and documented cases of autism:

According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency's massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines -- thimerosal -- appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children.

The preservative has long been suspected as an agent in autism related effects. Informed mothers and fathers have been debating with pediatricians for years, and only the most assertive parents have managed to avoid having their children exposed to this potentially damaging ingredient. Kennedy reports that some researchers suspect "a link between thimerosal and speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and autism." Kennedy is now going very public with this information, publishing his findings and lining up television appearances. Apparently, the topic has proven too controversial for ABC, which first was reported to have cancelled Kennedy's scheduled appearances on its programs, then switched back. So we can expect to hear more about this now that a network has been persuaded to run with it.

The news really is not so new. According to Kennedy, both the government and several large vaccine manufacturers have been aware of the dangers for some time:

Vaccine manufacturers had already begun to phase thimerosal out of injections given to American infants -- but they continued to sell off their mercury-based supplies of vaccines until last year. The CDC and FDA gave them a hand, buying up the tainted vaccines for export to developing countries and allowing drug companies to continue using the preservative in some American vaccines -- including several pediatric flu shots as well as tetanus boosters routinely given to eleven-year-olds.

This story appears to be going mainstream largely due to the name recognition that Kennedy brings to the information. I have no sense of why he is coming out with it now. I suspect it is timed with something else that is brewing. But certainly, the information is useful to us, especially to parents.

Please let me know what you have heard about this story and about Kennedy's motivations in releasing it now.

Thanks for reading.