Currently much controversy over the idea that childhood vaccines may be related to Autism. It appears that much more research related to this idea needs to be done, before one can say whether or not the two are related. Yet some still believe strongly that there is a relation between childhood vaccines and Autism, and so research is continuously being done. Typically, symptoms of Autism show up around the age of 12 months, right around the same time that children receive their first measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations, which has the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. This is one of the reasons that some believe there is a link between the two.
Amber Harris
The MMR vaccine does not
The MMR vaccine does not contain Thimerosal. See the FDA website for Thimerosal content of vaccines; it's still used in manufacturing. More than 90% of the 2007-08 influenza vaccine supply contained 25 micrograms of ethylmercury, at a concentration of 50,000 parts per billion. The EPA limit for Hg in drinking water is 2 ppb. Mercury can damage mitochondria; the Manufacturers Safety Data Sheets for Thimerosal state that it is a mutagen and a teratogen.