What about a 2003 study that claimed to find a relationship between thimerosal in vaccines and autism, speech disorders, and heart disease?
In 2003, Geier and Geier reported conducting two analyses to test whether thimerosal in vaccines is associated with autism, speech disorders, and heart disease. The researchers inadequately described the methods they used, making it impossible to determine exactly what was done and how the results should be interpreted. In the first analysis, the researchers reviewed Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reports involving autism, speech disorders, and heart disease. They state that they compared VAERS reports involving thimerosal-containing DTP and DTaP vaccines with those involving thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines. There are a number of weaknesses in this analysis, including an apparent misunderstanding among the authors regarding VAERS reporting requirements. VAERS is a passive surveillance system for reporting possible vaccine adverse events that depends on health care providers, patients, and/or others to file reports. Health effects reported to VAERS as following vaccination
