Autism is a disorder that is becoming more and more prevalent as the years go by.  It is characterized by impairments in social skills, language, speech, communication, and sensory functions.  Symptoms usually begin at age 3 and last a lifetime.  It is indeed a very debilitating disorder.

On the other hand, mercury, which is a toxic heavy metal, has been observed to cause adverse effects in one’s immune, sensory, neurological, motor, behavioral functions.  The symptoms of mercury poisoning are, in fact, similar to those manifested by people with autism.

If this is the case, could there be a direct relationship between mercury poisoning and autism?  Yes, there is a relationship and research and case studies strongly affirm it.  Autism is a product of both genetic and environmental causes.  Exposure to mercury during early stages of life has actually been detected to be one of the leading environmental causes of autism.

Mercury may be ingested by a pregnant mother through the water that she drinks.  Certain fishes and other sea creatures emit mercury in the water and this may contaminate the water supply.  As mercury enters the mother’s body, it is easily absorbed by the placenta causing the baby to absorb it just the same.  Thus, as he is born, he has certain levels of mercury in his body already.  Furthermore, some vaccines are said to contain some levels of mercury as well such as those for Hepatitis B, DPT, and Hib.  There are still many other sources of mercury making poisoning more and more possible.

The effects of mercury greatly depend on the amount available in the body and the duration of the exposure.  High doses may lead to death or several neurological and physical impairments.  Low doses, on the other hand, cause subtle impairments that are both neurological and physical.  Longer exposure means attracting higher doses into the body thus posing grave threat to life.  A shorter exposure just the same is harmful as it still makes the body prone to the adverse effects of mercury.

Unfortunately, though, diagnosis and detection of mercury poisoning are not that straightforward.  In some instances, it is even wrongly interpreted as a form of psychiatric disorder.  This is especially the case if the exposure has not been well ruled out.  Normally, symptoms do not appear right after exposure.  Thus, the relationship between the two may be easily overlooked.

This being the case, some doctors rely on observations of impairments of certain aspects like motor skills, neurological, psychological, and sensory functions, language and communication skills, and reflexes.  Levels of mercury are likewise being detected in urine, blood, or even hair.  Some also probe on possible exposures in the past while giving allowance for the gap between exposure and manifestation of symptoms.  Conclusions are likewise drawn when improvements happen to become evident after chelation therapy, which is a known treatment for mercury poisoning.  Generally, though, diagnosis still remains to be complex.

A lot of symptoms of mercury poisoning and autism are indeed very similar.  Social interactions are greatly impaired.  In both cases, affected people prefer to be alone.  They also do not understand the feelings of other people.  At the same time, they do not know how to interpret their own feelings and how to share them to the people around.

Moreover, repetitive activities and strong preference for routine are common for both mercury poisoning and autism.  Any form of change will make them extremely uncomfortable or even miserable.  For example, they have been used to drinking milk before breakfast.  If one day, such routine is changed, they will feel lost and greatly irritated.  Changes even in trivial aspects like this one are really unbearable for them.

In addition, passivity is common among them.  They do not seem to be exhibiting any emotions, no matter how emotion-drawing the context is.  They may be depressed at some point.  On the contrary, they are easily invaded by thoughts of fear and irrational pessimism.  Thus, at times, they may become aggressive.

There are still many other similarities among the two disorders.  In which case, it is possible that treatment for mercury poisoning may have a positive effect on autism as well.  However, proper diagnosis must take place first so as to make sure that autism is indeed partly due to mercury poisoning.