Autism and chlorine

[chem geek]

I hope we can agree to disagree.

I don't think we disagree. I don't believe that mercury (or its related compounds) isn't a cause of health problems and it's pretty stupid to put it into vaccines when there are other alternatives to achieve the same goals. I was just saying that the studies don't show a connection with rising rates of autism which just means that if there is a problem, it isn't "a very good chance you will get health problems if you have a vaccine with mercury". The chance may be small, but tell that to the person who gets the problems. [EDIT] Nevertheless, since autism has had a significant increase, the studies show that vaccines are not the primary cause. That does not mean they don't contribute a small amount under the radar of statistical studies, but it does mean we should look elsewhere for the primary factors since finding those will point to solutions that help the most people. Doctors who see rising rates and then find out that mercury is in vaccines may get a gut feel association, but that does not make it true. Doctors prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs as if it's a cure for heart disease when it is very clear that some people with low cholesterol get heart disease while others with high cholesterol do not. Cholesterol may affect some people with regard to heart disease, but not all, or it may be a symptom and not a cause (inflammation may be more a cause which is why Lipitor is more effective since it reduces inflammation -- but then so does asprin). Doctors do not always know what's best and many often just follow the latest drug trends. That's why the studies I consider most valid are double-blind and funded independently. [END-EDIT]

Most health problems that are related to toxins in the environment come about through cumulative exposure of multiple toxins [EDIT] at a rate faster than the body can break them down [END-EDIT]. It's a statistical game or roulette, similar to carcinogens causing cancer [EDIT] where it's the rate of mutations vs. the body's rate and success of repair [END-EDIT]. It isn't generally a "take this and you get sick", but rather, "get exposed to this and your chances increase by 0.05%" and with enough exposure over time and to multiple sources this percent adds up and with millions of people in a country many will get sick. So I agree that generally one wants to minimize exposure when possible, but it is impossible to eliminate exposure from everything that can cause harm since these same items often have a greater good so some sense of balance is required.

Anyway, we're diverting into a China Shop topic to which this thread seems most appropriate.

Richard