The National Autism Association (NAA) says that a CDC study of only 1047 participants, low compliance rate, and very little data variation–limitations that would ordinarily bar publication in any reputable journal–appears to misinform the public.
They question how such a poor quality study and misleading conclusion can be published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
The research conclusion states that findings couldn’t support a causal association between early exposure to mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines and neuropsychological functioning. Yet the data in the body of the paper clearly states a statistically significant relationship between thimerosal and a host of co-morbid disorders frequently seen in autism, replicating earlier CDC findings published in the Nov. 2003 journal Pediatrics.
Contradicting its own conclusion, the NEJM paper states (pgs. 1284-85, 1290) that higher exposure to mercury was associated with:
significantly poorer performance on tests of backward recall
behavioral regulation problems and a higher likelihood of motor and phonic tics
lower verbal IQ scores
speech articulation problems
The study’s interpretive outcome and favorable results towards the CDC and vaccine makers might be explained by the exhaustive list of conflicts of interests disclosed by study authors (pg. 1291). “The CDC sets vaccine policy and has ties to vaccine makers, lending bias to any studies they conduct regarding potential vaccine injuries,” said NAA board member Scott Bono. “How can Americans expect them to rule against their own policy that advocates injecting excess amounts of a known neurotoxin into children?”
Also, NAA believes that the low compliance rate of 30%, starkly lower than the usual 70% rate in scientific research, might reflect public distrust of the CDC and vaccine safety.