Wait, we switched to a dental filling that emits more mercury? That seems... unwise.
And, if our diet is increasing in sugar and we are therefore increasingly needing fillings, the rate of autism could continue to increase even after the change is over.
After researching this, I have decided that the author is not worth reading in any capacity.
1.) They believe vaccines contribute to autism
2.) Climate change denier
3.) Brexit Supporter
4.) Anti-Islamic bigot
Just read their Quora responses.
Anyone can pay money to put anything on research gate.
I mean, the claim that something changed about dental fillings in 1970 sounds at least worth looking into...except then I read that the theory here is that mercury in fillings causes autism through prenatal influence. And then there is a chart going back to the 1800s comparing mental illness with amalgam usage. Is this a post 1970 issue or not?
I wonder if the theory could be ruled out with data about people who consume a lot of mercury containing seafood.
I detect sarcasm in your response and trust the legitimacy of random white papers about as much as I trust buzzfeed. That being said mercury correlation sounds semi plausible but I had an underwhelming Chem/bio education.
It sounds semi-plausible until you skim the paper and notice that they seem to be conceding that if the linkage exists, it's happening prenatally because of the mother's fillings. That seems like it would greatly attenuate the effect suggested, and also makes it reminiscent of the vaccine claims.
Also, much of the writing tone and rhetoric is floridly crank-style.
It can't be because of the child's fillings. Most autistic children are diagnosed well before age 6, which is about when baby teeth start to fall out. How many kids get cavities filled in baby teeth? Some probably, but I expect most diagnosed children have never had a cavity filled.
And, if our diet is increasing in sugar and we are therefore increasingly needing fillings, the rate of autism could continue to increase even after the change is over.