Autism Continued to Increase Subsequent to Thimerosal Removal

"These findings are inconsistent with the idea that exposure to thimerosal is a major cause of autism," study coauthor Robert Schechter, MD, from the California Department of Public Health, in Richmond, told Medscape Psychiatry.

Diagnosed cases of autism have continued to increase in the past decade, and it has been suggested that this may be linked to increased exposure to thimerosal in vaccines. Thimerosal has been used since the 1930s to prevent microbial contamination in vaccines. Infants and toddlers in the United States were exposed to more thimerosal after recommendations in 1991 that influenza and hepatitis B vaccines be added to childhood immunization. They have been exposed to less thimerosal since its removal from childhood vaccines was recommended in 1999. From 1999 to 2004, the average exposure to thimerosal among healthy infants and 2-year-olds dropped to minimal amounts.

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