A Poisson regression analysis adjusted for school district population size, economic and demographic factors was used. There was a significant increase in the rates of special education students and autism rates associated with increases in environmentally released mercury. On average, for each 1,000 lb of environmentally released mercury, there was a 43% increase in the rate of special education services and a 61% increase in the rate of autism. The association between environmentally released mercury and special education rates were fully mediated by increased autism rates.

 

This ecological study suggests the need for further research regarding the association between environmentally released mercury and developmental disorders such as autism. These results have implications for policy planning and cost analysis.

 

 

 The original study

 

 Raymond F. Palmer, Steven Blanchard, Zachary Stein, David Mandell, Claudia Miller, Environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: an ecological study of Texas, Health & Place,  12/2 (2006) 203-209. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2004.11.005

 

Related Studies

Gayle C. Windham, Lixia Zhang, Robert Gunier, Lisa A. Croen, Judith K. Grether, Autism Spectrum Disorders in Relation to Distribution of Hazardous Air Pollutants in the San Francisco Bay Area, Environ. Health Perspect., 114/9 (2006) 1438-1444. doi:10.1289/ehp.9120

Robert Nataf, Corinne Skorupka, Lorene Amet, Alain Lam, Porphyrinuria in childhood autistic disorder: Implications for environmental toxicity, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 214 (2006) 99-108. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2006.04.008

Thomas A. Lewandowski, Questions regarding environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: An ecological study of Texas by Palmer et al., Health & Place, 12/4 (2006) 749-750. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2005.10.005

Raymond F. Palmer, Stephen Blanchard, Robert Wood, Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence, Health & Place, 2008. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.02.001

 

Related Information

SafeMinds: Sensible Action for Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders
The National Autism Association
Generation Rescue
A-Champ
Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD)

 Related News

 

 EVISA News, February 11, 2005: New findings about Thimerosal Neurotoxicity 

 EVISA News, April 24, 2005: New results about toxicity of thimerosal

 EVISA News, March 24, 2006: Mercury Containing Preservative Alters Immune Function

 EVISA News, March 24, 2006: American lawmakers initiate mercury probe for vaccines

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 Washington Post,  May 5, 2006: 300,000 Children in U.S. Found to Have Autism
US NewsWire, May 5, 2006: CDC Autism Prevalence Findings Consistent With Vaccine Mercury Role in Autism Increase; SafeMinds Review Shows Numbers Clear on Epidemic
ContraCostaTimes, June 24, 2006: Study ties environmental pollution to autism rates
 CityPaper, February 28, 2007: Mercury Rising - A Possible Link Between Chemical Exposure And Autism May Have Been Overlooked In The Very Earliest Cases At Johns Hopkins
A blog by Daedalus, March 26, 2007: Discussion of the false "mercury causes autism" idea
Dissident Voice, April 3, 2007: Autism-Mercury Studies Show No Link



last time modified: May 13, 2008