A team of independent researchers used VSD data from 1990-96 to assess the impact of infant exposure to thimerosal in childhood vaccines on several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. They found that for every additional 100 micrograms of thimerosal exposure in early life (they looked at intervals from birth to 7 and 13 months) autism risk increased by 2.62-2.87 times, while control diagnoses such as pneumonia and “failure to thrive” were not significantly affected. The authors concluded their analysis “showed a significant association between Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders.”