@Sargon_of_Akkad Good question. The panic (and subsequent phasing out of thimerosal) was an opportunity for a natural experiment. The chief claim (which many large studies had already showed was untrue) was that thimerosal caused the sudden onset of autism. We can see whether that claim seems likely with a graph of autism diagnosis since 2001, when thimerosal was phased out of childhood vaccines.
Instead, what we see is no change in the rate of increase, indicating that widened diagnostic criteria, increased awareness, and the government offering support for kids (as long as they get a diagnosis) explains most of the increase.
