On Thursday, September 12, 2013, somebody named Arjun Walia published a post, "22 studies that show that vaccines can cause autism" at an online conspiracy-theorist site called "Activist Post", or as they say, "Activist Post is an Independent News blog for Activists challenging the abuses of the establishment." The big-$Cama writer Ethan Huff pimped it October 1, 2013 at Natural News, writing:
But a thoroughly-researched report recently published by Arjun Walia over at Activist Post reveals that there are at least 22 published scientific studies that show a link between vaccines and autism
So, let's see how new and "thoroughly researched" Walia's 22 studies are:
Walia's #1 = Taylor's #1. Hepatitis B vaccination of male neonates and autism diagnosis, NHIS 1997-2002 (original Taylor number = 42). Correct citation: Gallager CM, Goodman MS, Hepatitis B vaccination of male neonates and autism diagnosis, NHIS 1997-2002. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2010;73:(24):1665-77.
Very weak study with numerous flaws. Debunked at (among others):
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2009/09/17/another-weak-study-proves-vaccines-cause-autism/
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/09/16/autism-causation-and-the-hepatitis-b-vaccine-no-link/
- http://www.harpocratesspeaks.com/2013/05/mind-institute-no-difference-in.html
- http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/07/1-hepatitis-b-vaccination-of-male-neonates-and-autism-diagnosis-nhis-1997-2002-2010.html
Walia's #2 = Taylor's #2. Do aluminum vaccine adjuvants contribute to the rising prevalence of autism? : Tomljenovic L, Shaw CA. Do aluminum vaccine adjuvants contribute to the rising prevalence of autism? J Inorg Biochem. 2011 Nov;105(11):1489-99. doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2011.08.008. Epub 2011 Aug 23.
Fatally flawed “study” – junk science. Debunked at:
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2013/07/10/comment-on-do-aluminum-vaccine-adjuvants-contribute-to-the-rising-prevalence-of-autism/
- http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/12/08/and-global-warming-is-caused-by-the-decr/ In particular, note:
the authors are plotting ASD incidence in each year (1991-2008) against total aluminium content for the pediatric schedule *in that year*. Not (as you might expect) the aluminium exposure for the ASD cases themselves, according to the pediatric schedules of 6 to 21 years previously, but no, that same year.
In effect they are looking for a correlation between the number of people who developed ASD decades earlier, and the number of vaccinations given to other children, in the current year. This is an interesting model of causality!
Walia's #3 = Taylor's #4. A Positive Association found between Autism Prevalence and Childhood Vaccination uptake across the U.S. Population Delong G., A positive association found between autism prevalence and childhood vaccination uptake across the U.S. population. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2011;74(14):903-16. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2011.573736.
Junk “science” debunked here, for starters
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2011/07/08/a-positive-association-found-between-autism-prevalence-and-childhood-vaccination-uptake-across-the-u-s-population-2/
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2011/06/11/speech-impairment-and-autism-inseparable/"The "vaccination rate" (they have a very odd definition) goes up dramatically in the first two years of the study. The "autism+SLI rate" does not. If there were a real association between the two, it would be clear in those first columns of data.
- http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2012/03/07/conflicts-of-interest-in-vaccine-safety-research/
- http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/06/08/more-bad-science-in-the-service-of-the-discredited-idea/
- http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/2011/05/vaccines-cause-autism-until-you-look-at.html "My conclusion is that this dataset shows no evidence of any association. The author nonetheless found one. How? By doing some statistical wizardry."
- http://biologyfiles.fieldofscience.com/2011/06/gayle-delong-safeminds-board-member-and.html "The acceptance and publication of this paper appear to have been careless to an extreme. I'd like to know who the reviewers were."
Walia's #4 = Taylor's #5. B-Lymphocytes from a Population of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Unaffected Siblings Exhibit Hypersensitivity to Thimerosal , Sharpe MA, Taylor LG, Baskin DS B-Lymphocytes from a Population of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Unaffected Siblings Exhibit Hypersensitivity to Thimerosal J Toxicol. 2013;2013:801517. doi: 10.1155/2013/801517. Epub 2013 Jun 9.
In vitro study, thimerosal (no longer used in U.S. childhood vaccines except for some influenza vaccines), concentrations higher than formerly found in vaccines. Only 11 families studied.
Walia's #5 = Taylor's #6. Abnormal measles-mumps-rubella antibodies and CNS autoimmunity in children with autism. Singh VK, Lin SX, Newell E, Nelson C. Abnormal measles-mumps-rubella antibodies and CNS autoimmunity in children with autism. J Biomed Sci. 2002 Jul-Aug;9(4):359-64.J Biomed Sci. 2002 Jul-Aug;9(4):359-64.
Singh’s work has not been replicated. As Paul Offit wrote on page 45 of Autism's False Prophets,
...a closer look at Singh's science revealed two critical flaws: children with autism didn't have nerve damage and, according to measles experts, the test that Singh had used to detect measles antibodies didn't detect them.
Multiple studies in multiple countries with tens of thousands of subjects have repeatedly failed to find an association between measles vaccine and autism.
- http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/iom-reports/measles-mumps-rubella-vaccine-and-autism
- http://www.immunizationinfo.org/science/no-evidence-mmr-vaccine-causes-autism
Walia's #6 goes to a 404 link (page not found). In examining the underlying code, there's no URL to a paper. Walia may be referring to another deeply flawed Singh paper, Phenotypic expression of autoimmune autistic disorder (AAD): a major subset of autism., which was listed as #11 on that infamous list that Wakefield claimed replicated his papers, which has been widely debunked. About this paper in particular:
This paper makes assertions that are not supported by the evidence base in the paper. It is mainly a summary of research, with no mention of what children were looked at. Chris found the actual paper (https://www.aacp.com/Pages.asp?AID=7937&issue=&page=C&UID=), and among the data used it included a Wakefield paper [therefore] not independent. Also included in the references are papers from questionable journals like Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons and Medical Veritas, which all suddenly makes sense if you see that Singh is associated with these folk that tick the "our treatment heals everything" quack box (see one Singh study on PTSD).
This [paper] looks like it would support a connection between MMR and autism, but since no-one has independently reproduced this and the author stands to make money off the claims this review has to be viewed with extreme reservations.
Walia's #7 = Taylor's #8. Metabolic biomarkers of increased oxidative stress and impaired methylation capacity in children with autism : James SJ, Cutler P, Melnyk S, Jernigan S, Janak L, Gaylor DW, Neubrander JA. Metabolic biomarkers of increased oxidative stress and impaired methylation capacity in children with autism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;80(6):1611-7.
Nothing to do with vaccines.
Walia's #8 = Taylor's # 15. Activation of Methionine Synthase by Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Dopamine: a Target for Neurodevelopmental Toxins and Thimerosal : Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S, Shim S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC, Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70.
From the Vaccine Court 2010 Dwyer decision:
[Deth's] own research, most of which was unpublished, unduplicated, or mentioned for the first time during the Theory 2 general causation hearing, was poorly performed and scientifically implausible. Based on in vitro effects of mercury on “neuronal cells,” he claimed that mercury had the same effects on human brain cells.
Discussion in depth: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/07/10-activation-of-methionine-synthase-by-insulin-like-growth-factor-1-and-dopamine-a-target-for-neuro.html
Walia's #9 = Taylor's 17. Blood Levels of Mercury Are Related to Diagnosis of Autism: A Reanalysis of an Important Data Set Desoto MC, Hitlan RT. Blood levels of mercury are related to diagnosis of autism: a reanalysis of an important data set. J Child Neurol. 2007 Nov;22(11):1308-11.
The infamous Desoto and Hitlan paper. This was subject to a great deal of critical commentary among scientifically and statistically expert autism parents and other interested observers, for example:
- http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/07/16/epiwonk-reanalyzes-the-dataset-desoto-an/
- http://epiwonk.com/?p=112
- Summary of the demolition: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/07/12-blood-levels-of-mercury-are-related-to-diagnosis-of-autism-a-reanalysis-of-an-important-data-set-.html
- More later at http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/08/03/prof-desoto-discusses-mercury-and-autism/
Walia's #10 = Taylor's #19. Developmental Regression and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Child With Autism Poling JS, Frye RE, Shoffner J, Zimmerman AW. Developmental regression and mitochondrial dysfunction in a child with autism. J Child Neurol. 2006 Feb;21(2):170-2.
The scandalous Poling paper: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/07/13-developmental-regression-and-mitochondrial-dysfunction-in-a-child-with-autism-2006-.html. Kathleen Seidell wrote,
With "Developmental Regression and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Child with Autism", Dr. Jon Poling takes his place with Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Dr. Mark Geier and Laura Hewitson, Ph.D. in the ranks of researchers who have concealed relevant legal and financial interests in studies purporting to confirm a causal relationship between vaccines and autism.
In short: Dr. Poling behaved in an appalling manner. There is no question that Hannah Poling has a mitochondrial disorder; in such cases neurological symptoms often develop after 12 months and before 24 months. The "autistic like" symptoms demonstrated by Hannah Poling were part of a global encephalopathy caused by a mitochondrial enzyme deficit.
Does this case or this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #11 = Taylor's #21. Large Brains in Autism: The Challenge of Pervasive Abnormality (original Taylor number = 15). Herbert MR. Large brains in autism: the challenge of pervasive abnormality. Neuroscientist. 2005 Oct;11(5):417-40.
http://masslawyersweekly.com/fulltext-opinions/2006/08/21/macgregor-et-al-v-annette-born-et-al/: “Clearly, Dr. Herbert’s method is not generally accepted in the scientific community. Dr. Herbert’s theory of environmental triggers of autism may some day prove true. It has not yet.”
In addition to Herbert's questionable theorizing, this paper has nothing to do with vaccines.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #12 = Taylor's #24. Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated with Glutathione Depletion: Protection with Glutathione Precursors (original Taylor number = 18)James SJ, Slikker W 3rd, Melnyk S, New E, Pogribna M, Jernigan S. Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors. Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.
Another in-vitro study with a concentration of thimerosal (no longer used in childhood vaccines in the U.S., with the exception of some flu vaccines) much higher than in vaccines.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #13 = Taylor's #26. Enrichment of Elevated Plasma F2t-Isoprostane Levels in Individuals with Autism Who Are Stratified by Presence of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction . Gorrindo P, Lane CJ, Lee EB, McLaughlin B, Levitt P (July 3, 2013) Enrichment of Elevated Plasma F2t-Isoprostane Levels in Individuals with Autism Who Are Stratified by Presence of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction PLoS ONE 8(7): e68444.
This study has nothing to do with vaccines.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #14 = Taylor's #27. Environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: an ecological study of Texas . Palmer RF, Blanchard S, Stein Z, Mandell D, Miller C. Environmental mercury release, special education rates, and autism disorder: an ecological study of Texas. Health Place. 2006 Jun;12(2):203-9.
In commenting on a later Palmer study, one researcher wrote, “Dr. Palmer’s 2006 study, which was so full of holes that even antivaccinationists had a hard time defending it,”
This study has nothing to do with vaccines.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #15 = Taylor's #28. Reduced levels of mercury in first baby haircuts of autistic children . Holmes AS, Blaxill MF, Haley BE. Reduced levels of mercury in first baby haircuts of autistic children. Int J Toxicol. 2003 Jul-Aug;22(4):277-85.
The fatally flawed baby-hair study.
The first flaw in the study is the authors' acceptance of the idea of "excretion into the hair". It doesn't happen. Blood mercury does not equal hair mercury. The second flaw is the data collection methods (the hair used in the study). The third flaw is that the study found that the autistic children had lower hair mercury levels than the neurotypical controls. Rather than accepting that data, the authors went on to spin "tooth fairy tales" to explain why that might be so (the idea that autistic children had impaired mercury excretion). The fourth flaw in the study involves the hair analyzed: the samples had been in storage under unknown conditions for a median of five and a half years.
Do I really need to go on why Holmes et al. is a broken reed? It was, when published, a footling study.
But wait: One more thing you should know: Holmes et al. 2003 authors' affiliations are given as Safeminds. Safeminds is an acronym for Sensible Action For Ending Mercury Induced Neurological Disorders. Do you think the authors had an ideological point to make?
Discussion:http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2011/09/that-baby-hair-study-from-2003.html
This study has nothing to do with vaccines.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #15 = Taylor's #29. A Case Series of Children with Apparent Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies Manifesting with Clinical Symptoms of Regressive Autistic Disorder Geier DA, Geier MR., A case series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May 15;70(10):837-51.
How anyone could, in 2013, continue to cite the deeply discredited Geier family (father and son) is beyond me. See for example http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2006/06/20/mark-geier-and-david-geier-carry-on-misrepresenting/ or http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2006/10/10/mark-geier-david-geier-and-the-vsd/
Those are just criticism of just this paper. Others from the father-son team garnered even more scathing criticism.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #16 = Taylor's #35. Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence. Palmer RF, Blanchard S, Wood R. Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence. Health Place. 2009 Mar;15(1):18-24. Epub 2008 Feb 12.
A deeply flawed paper.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/05/01/wait-its-not-mercury-in-vaccines-its-mer/: “If [Palmer] has an obvious source of bias, it may well explain much; if he does not I’m left with the less satisfying conclusion that he is just not a very good scientist at all. I also have to wonder about the quality of the peer review of this particular journal. After all, if I, who am not an epidemiologist, can spot the glaring flaws in this study, why couldn’t the peer reviewers?”
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #18 = Taylor's #40. Pediatric Vaccines Influence Primate Behavior, and Amygdala Growth and Opioid Ligand Binding .
The paper Walia links to is slightly different than the one Taylor linked to, but the discussion pertains to both.
Laura Hewitson was the lead researcher on a series of studies on comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated macaque monkeys. Taylor's paper was one of three poster presentations at the 2008 meeting of the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) by Hewiston and others (including Wakefield) on a set of primates. There were other studies that came out of the Hewitson group. The Hewitson publication program was extremeley confusing; a timeline and discussion is available at: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/05/this-is-going-around-new-study-baby-monkeys-develop-autism-after-routine-cdc-vaccinations.html Others write about Hewitson’s research peccadillos here (a non-exhaustive list):
- May 18, 2008 http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2008/05/18/laura-hewistons-stinker/
- May 19, 2008 http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/monkey-business-in-autism-research/
- July 16, 2010 http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/terrible-anti-vaccine-study-terrible-reporting/
- July 16, 2010 http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/07/16/the-genie-is-out-of-the-bottle-vaccines-cause-autism/
- July 16,, 202 http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/07/16/too-much-vaccineautism-monkey-business-f/
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #19 = Taylor's #41. Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: An assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. . Young HA, Geier DA, Geier MR. Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: an assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. J Neurol Sci. 2008 Aug 15;271(1-2):110-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2008.04.002. Epub 2008 May 15.
This paper has to be one of the most thoroughly scrutinized (and debunked) of all the papers that claim a connection between vaccines and autism.
- http://epiwonk.com/?p=55 "This study has a lot of problems, and I predict that it will take me at least five posts to go through the article point by point to explain all the flaws. However, there’s one trick that the authors play that’s so glaring that I have to point it out immediately. In fact, I’ve spent two days in shock that the journal editor and reviewers let the authors get away with it."
- http://epiwonk.com/?p=57 "it’s probably a good idea to back up a bit and talk about confounding and confounders. The authors make no mention of confounding and take no account of potential confounding in their analysis. This is one of the many flaws of the study."
- http://epiwonk.com/?p=59 On the nature of the ecological fallacy.
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/irb-approval-of-geier-autism-s.html
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/ive-been-sucked-into-the-thime.html
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/young-geier-autism-study-1.html
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/young-geier-autism-study-2.html
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/young-geier-autism-study-3.html
- http://bmartinmd.com/2008/05/young-geier-autism-study-4.html
Summarizing the drawbacks of Young et al's study and write-up is a considerable challenge, frankly because there are so many.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #20 = Taylor's #44. Induction of metallothionein in mouse cerebellum and cerebrum with low-dose thimerosal injection.: Minami T, Miyata E, Sakamoto Y, Yamazaki H, Ichida S. Induction of metallothionein in mouse cerebellum and cerebrum with low-dose thimerosal injection. Cell Biol Toxicol. 2010 Apr;26(2):143-52. doi: 10.1007/s10565-009-9124-z. Epub 2009 Apr 9.
Studies in mice using a carrier medium. Does not prove that autism is caused by vaccination, with or without thimerosal.
Walia's #21 = Taylor's #54. Vaccines and Autism. Rimland B, McGinnis W, Vaccines and Autism, Laboratory medicine, september 2002 9: 33 708-717 Edited to add: this paper has been retracted. See https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article/33/9/708/2504263
An 11-year-old discursive article discussing the authors’ belief that something about the MMR vaccine and thimerosal is causal in autism. Later studies found no autism connection with either factor.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
Walia's #22 = Taylor's #61. Administration of thimerosal to infant rats increases overflow of glutamate and aspartate in the prefrontal cortex: protective role of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. Duszczyk-Budhathoki M, Olczak M, Lehner M, Majewska MD. Administration of thimerosal to infant rats increases overflow of glutamate and aspartate in the prefrontal cortex: protective role of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. Neurochem Res. 2012 Feb;37(2):436-47. doi: 10.1007/s11064-011-0630-z. Epub 2011 Oct 21.
Rat study, thimerosal (no longer used in U.S. childhood vaccines except for some influenza vaccines), concentrations higher than formerly found in vaccines.
Note: lead researcher M Dorota Majewska seems to have specialized in rat studies that show thimerosal damage.
Does this paper "demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism"? No.
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You will note that Walia cribbed his list of papers from a list previously published by Ginger Taylor, comprising some 72 papers at last count. A group of scientists and lay researchers examined each of the papers and the strength of the claim that the papers showed a connection between receipt of vaccines and subsequent development of autism. I collated the results and published them in a series of blog posts.
- Those Lists of Papers Claiming That Vaccines Cause Autism: They Don't Show What They Claim (Part 1)
- Those Lists of Papers Claiming That Vaccines Cause Autism: They Don't Show What They Claim (Part 2)
- Those Lists of Papers Claiming That Vaccines Cause Autism: They Don't Show What They Claim (Part 3)
- Those Lists of Papers Claiming That Vaccines Cause Autism: They Don't Show What They Claim (Part 4)
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