“I just don't see how the committee can avoid these types of studies and cherry-pick the data,” said Ms. Redwood, who has a son diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder.
More data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink Project are due out soon. This time, the CDC will look at children born from 1994 through 1999—the period when thimerosal-containing vaccines were used frequently. Prenatal and postnatal mercury exposure up to 7 months of age will be quantified, and a variety of assessments for autism and various measures of cognition will be performed.
Dr. Lieberman has financial relationships with Merck & Co., MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi Pasteur.