Mercury and Autism

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Mercury and Autism

• Charles Lamar
• Environmental Testing Laboratories
• Patty Els
• Environmental Testing Laboratories
• Ed Irwin
• Freeport High School

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Introduction

• Mercury is a metallic element that is liquid at
  room temperature and is used in thermometers,
  barometers, vapor lamps, batteries, and in the
  preparation of chemical pesticides. In short,
  everyone is exposed to varying levels of mercury,
  whether it be through vaccination, absorption in
  the womb, the consumption of contaminated
  seafood, or a workplace accident.
• Autism, otherwise known as autism spectrum
  disorder, is one of the five Pervasive
  Developmental Disorders. The disorder is
  expressed in varying degrees of disability.
• ASD is a disability resulting from a
  neurological disorder that affects the normal
  functioning of the brain. People with ASD often
  display difficulties in the areas of verbal
  communication, social interaction, and leisure
  activity.

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Continued

• ASD is the most prevalent of the Pervasive
  Developmental Disorders. An estimated 1 in 166
  births are affected. Currently, there are several
  methods of treatment but there are no known means
  of prevention.
• Modern methods of treatment include chelation
  therapy. This is the process by which heavy
  metals are removed from the bloodstream.

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• It has been suggested in recent years that there
  is a direct correlation between the level of
  mercury exposure a person receives during early
  development and their chances of developing
  autistic tendencies.

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Problem

• If all people are exposed to mercury in some form
  or another, why doesnt everyone develop ASD?

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There are two primary research questions being
addressed by this study

• 1. Is cold vapor atomic absorption capable of
  quantitatively measuring the level of mercury
  excreted in head hair?

• 2. Can levels of excreted mercury in head hair be
  used as an accurate indicator of autistic
  spectrum disorder?

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Materials

• Potassium Permanganate
• Stannous-Chloride
• Argon Gas
• Nitric Acid
• Sulfuric Acid
• Reagent Grade Water
• Mercury Analyzer

• BOD Bottles
• Water Bath
• Analytical Balance
• Hair samples

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PROCEDURE

• The parent of each Autistic volunteer will cut
  (not pull) a small locket of hair from the back
  of the head. This can be accomplished in the
  students home during a regularly scheduled hair
  cut without any disruption in the childs
  environment or routine.

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The locket of hair will be placed into a Ziplock
bag. The outside of the bag will be labeled on
tape with the gender, age, and a code known only
to the parents of the student.
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The hair samples will first be acid extracted and
then analyzed by atomic absorption using the
Perkin-Elmer FIMS Mercury analyzer located at
Freeport High School. In addition duplicate
samples will be run by Environmental Testing
Laboratories in Farmingdale.
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Preliminary Results

• Mercury Levels (parts per million)
• Gender Male
• Age Code ppm Notes
• 14 D-FHS 1.19 control
• 12 1392 0.44 high functioning autistic
• 15 KFI 0.028 low functioning
• autistic
• KFI 0.037 mean 0.033

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Gender Female Age Code ppm Notes 14 C-FHS 0
.39 control 16 S-FHS 0.79 control 14 M-FHS 1
.50 control 8 EC 0.64 high functioning
autistic chelation
therapy
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Discussion

• The preliminary results show that the control
  participants were better able to release mercury
  through the hair follicles. This supports the
  idea that people with ASD developed the disorder
  not because they were exposed to mercury, but
  rather they were unable to release the mercury.
• The results for the student who received
  chelation therapy are currently not understood.
  It is unclear whether she is a high functioning
  autistic student because of the treatment, or,
  because she is capable of releasing a substantial
  amount of the element.

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Future Work

• This study is on going. In the coming months,
  more samples will be collected and analyzed.
  Further more, additional aspects of the study
  will be explored

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References

• Autism Society of America
• www.whale.to
• www.autismsociety.org
• www.answers.com
• www.reference.com
• www.network54.com
• www.healing-arts.org
• www.tacanow.com

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Sat Bhattacharya
• Harlem Children's Society
• Kristin Cook
• Ruth Lawrence
• Mr. Ed Irwin
• Patty Els