Logic of Suspending Chelation Study in Autism Is Undeniable

There's no reason to assess the removal of a substance when there's no evidence that the substance causes the disease in question.

That's pretty much the thought process of the NIMH, when it decided Wednesday to suspend a planned phase 2 study to assess mercury chelation in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study would have assessed the efficacy of DMSA, an oral chelating agent, or placebo to alleviate ASD symptoms in children aged 4-10 years during a 12-week period, despite the fact that mercury (from vaccines or otherwise) has not been associated epidemiologically with autism.

Also chelation is not without its hazards, owing to its ability to remove essential minerals, in addition to toxic heavy metals like mercury and lead, from the body. Moreover, in a study published last year, DMSA in rats that were not exposed to lead "produced lasting and pervasive cognitive and affective dysfunction," which was comparable to that seen with high lead exposure. Enrollees in the NIMH study would have had detectable, but not toxic, levels of mercury and lead.

HT: AP